PINAL COUNTY DEPUTIES ASSOCIATION

WINS MEET AND CONFER

FOR DEPUTIES!

For eleven years, the number one goal of the Final County Deputies Association ("PCDA") has been to gain meet and confer rights for deputies, detention officers, dispatchers, I.D. techs and evidence techs. Approximately a year and a half ago the Arizona Attorney General's Office formally recognized what we have always maintained, - that Counties can enter into Meet and Confer agreements with their employee organizations. Since then, the PCDA leadership and AZCOPS has persistently and diligently worked to obtain Meet & Confer. On December 10, 2008 the County Board of Supervisors approved the Meet and Confer ordinance. This gives us the right to meet and confer through a representative labor organization.

What Is Meet and Confer?

Meet and confer is the process whereby a labor organization - in our case the PCDA, represents a group of employees - for the purpose of discussing with the County such issues as wages, benefits, merit system rules, personnel policies, and other terms and conditions of employment. Once the PCDA and County agree on all issues, the agreement is put in writing and approved by the County Supervisors. The new ordinance provides that our organization will represent non-supervisory employees of the Sheriffs Office, which are defined in the ordinance as the ranks of corporal and below.

Why Is Meet and Confer Important to ALL Deputies?

The new ordinance is important to us for 3 reasons:

1.   We will have a voice in how our work is carried out.

2.   We will be able to work together with the Sheriff and County Administrator on job problems, and

have a closer working relationship with them.

3.   The Sheriff and County Administrator will have an opportunity to hear about employee concerns

with fewer department filters.

What Happens Next?

Now that the ordinance has been enacted we have to activate our meet and confer rights by taking the following actions:

STEP 1. After the election, the PCDA leadership will begin asking our members for ideas on what issues we should be talking about in meet and confer. It is very important that members play an active role in this process so that each of you can have a voice in the outcome.

STEP 2. Once the membership survey has been completed and analyzed, a Negotiating Committee will be selected to develop the proposals and to work with the Sheriff and County Administrator on these proposals in the meet and confer process.

As always, AZCOPS will be there, working with PCDA members at every step of the way. AZCOPS will assist in the petition and election processes, will support PCDA by providing background research and assistance in developing proposals, and if requested will provide expertise in the actual negotiating process.