20 days ago
Jim Romar represents Teamsters Law Enforcement League and says they are one of the largest unions in the country.
He says Macon police could be the first police department to join their organization.
Some officers hope to form a union within several weeks to fight for better working conditions, equipment and a payscale.
Ten Macon City Council members say police have a right to unionize and agree council should work with them to tackle problems but wouldn't take sides on the union vote.
City Council President Miriam Paris would not comment and Rick Hutto did not return our calls.
Councilmembers Nancy White, Erick Erickson and Ed Defore say police may unionize but don't feel officers will benefit, mainly because of georgia law.
"But if and when you get the Georgia law to say you could have 'collective bargaining', I'll sit down at the table with them and help them negotiate whatever," said Defore.
Macon city attorney Pope Langstaff says under a Georgia Supreme court ruling, cities in Georgia can't make binding agreements with a union over conditions and terms of employment. But Teamsters says they can fight for police through a number of ways, including an agreement of understanding with the city.
"It's very hard to sit across the table from the very person that you work for and try to work something out... it's always much easier to have an outside person, a professional labor negotiator,"
said Romar.
Augusta, Columbus, Savannah and Athens police departments say they don't have unions.
Atlanta police Sergeant Scott Kreher says Atlanta's police department has had a union since 1985.
He says its helped them improve pensions and take legal action to resolve wage and hour disputes.
All five Georgia police departments say they do have pay scales.
Some of the Georgia police departments without a union say they have a Fraternal Order of Police to fight for officers' rights.
Macon police Lieutenant Danny Thigpen with the local chapter says he opposes the union because officers should communicate directly with city officials, without a go-between, like a union rep and because state law limits what a union can accomplish.
City Councilman Ed Defore says he's working on a resolution to use money from tax revaluations and about 56 unfilled city positions to pay for a payscale for police and fire departments.
