S.A. police union urges voters to keep collective bargaining, calls ballot measure a form of defunding
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John “Danny” Diaz is president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association.Jerry Lara /Staff photographer
The San Antonio Police Officers Association on Tuesday stepped up its campaign against a ballot initiative that would remove the union’s ability to collectively bargain.
The initiative, listed as Proposition B on the May 1 ballot, would repeal what is known as Chapter 174, which gives police officers the right to negotiate a contract with the city through collective bargaining. An organization called Fix SAPD gathered more than 20,000 signatures to get it on the ballot.
It is a threat: Police union blasts proposition that would repeal SAPD s collective bargaining rights ksat.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ksat.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A step in the right direction : San Antonio continues contract negotiations with police union
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First Assistant City Attorney Liz Provencio is a main negotiators for the city.Marvin Pfeiffer /Staff Photographer
The San Antonio police union made some effort to meet the city’s priorities while not conceding any point during a second negotiation session to reach a new labor contract Friday.
Union negotiators were open to a few changes, including some of the city’s clarifying language. The meeting ended with a tentative agreement to favor San Antonio residents among those admitted to the police training academy.
“Sometimes progress isn’t obvious, but progress is being made,” said Danny Diaz, the president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association.
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San Antonio Police Officers Association President Danny Diaz (left) and San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh (right) open the first day of negotiations between the city and union as both sides come to the bargaining table for the first time. .
The City of San Antonio wasted no time in getting to its key points of discipline reform during opening negotiations with the San Antonio Police Officers Association over a new five-year contract Friday.
Officials with both the union and the city said they are coming to the table with the intent of good faith negotiations, but both of the last contract negotiations with the police and fire unions have either ended up in court or prolonged debates with the invocation of arbitration. The police discussions started as an election for city council begins with a ballot initiative that could impact how negotiations move forward.
San Antonio City Hall
In addition to the regular election for the San Antonio City Council and mayor on the May 1 ballot, council members approved two propositions for voters to decide.
The first is a housing bond amendment to the city charter. It would allow the city to use bond money for housing projects which it currently cannot do; the bond money can only be used for public works projects like street maintenance. The second is a signature-driven petition that would recall collective bargaining privileges for the San Antonio Police Officers Association.
Housing Charter Amendment
A housing charter amendment would give the city leeway to use bond money for housing purposes such as redeveloping blighted properties.