By CSLEA FOP Lodge #77 Delegate and FMESA OSFM Vice President Chris Fowler
SACRAMENTO – Having returned from the National Fraternal Order of Police (NFOP) Biennial Conference in Pittsburg last month, I want to report back to CSLEA FOP Lodge #77 members on two of the seminars I attended, “Representing FOP Members” and “Fair Labor Standards Act.”
Both courses rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the upcoming bargaining year and reminded me of the positive changes we can promote within Bargaining Unit 7. There is so much we can do together, there is such strength in our numbers.
The “Representing FOP Members” course instructed by Michael E. Coviello, NFOP Labor Services Division, addressed the duties and responsibilities vested in those designated to represent our members. Coviello called that duty “grave and all-encompassing, a legal obligation requiring familiarity with all the following: The Collective Bargaining Agreement; Departmental Policies, Practices, Rules and Regulations, Policies and Procedures; and Local, State, and Federal Law and Legislation. “
The course addressed the collective bargaining relationship, representing a member in the course of an internal investigation, conflicts, grievances, four things to never do when involved in a critical incident and just cause, to name a few.
Having been inspired by the courses, I invite you to attend some of the next CSLEA Membership Appreciation classes and the fiesta lunch October 2-3, 2015 in Sacramento. There are so many opportunities to serve and help CSLEA members. Becoming a CSLEA representative has been a remarkable yet humbling experience, I encourage everyone to get involved.
Thank you, be safe, and stand together.
