Police unions “should be able to negotiate disciplinary things” to protect police officers from unfair punishments, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said during an “Axios on HBO” interview.
Why is it important: After George Floyd’s death last year in prison and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests across the country, unions are at the center of a heated debate in the labor movement.
- Racial justice leaders, the BLM movement and some unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO believe that police unions do not belong to the labor movement because they use their collective bargaining powers to protect police from accountability and block reform efforts.
- They say it is inappropriate to negotiate leniency for police misconduct and that the agreements make it difficult to fire officers who abuse their power or mistreat vulnerable minorities.
Trumka pushed back, saying that without the power to negotiate disciplinary actions, the results could be “capricious” in ways unfair to officials.
- Among the various federations of the AFL-CIO is the International Union of Police Associations, which negotiates on behalf of some local police unions.
- “Look, I came from a coal mine. My grandfather helped organize that coal mine and we had no protection,” said Trumka. “The employer did all the disciplinary things. And I could tell you, it was never fair and it didn’t help with policing.”
Yes but: Police officers are allowed to carry weapons and use lethal force in their work.
- Progressive critics of police unions argue that negotiating disciplinary procedures for a police officer who may have killed an unarmed black man is a fundamentally different proposition than negotiating sanctions for a coal miner or teacher.
Other highlights: During the interview, Trumka also defended his legacy in the labor movement in the midst of a period of decline.
- He aggressively resisted criticism from younger union leaders that the movement under his supervision has put in too much money and focused on political donations and not enough on the organization.
- On the tense subject of reopening schools, he supported the Chicago Teachers’ Union and rejected comments by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that vaccination need not be a prerequisite for teachers to return to classrooms. of class.
- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a provisional deal today that would reopen schools for parents seeking school instruction.
Editor’s Note: Updates with interim offers for Chicago and its public school teachers.