Sisters Police to unionize

Sisters police officers and support personnel have petitioned the Oregon Employment Relations Board to form a union.

According to lawyer Rhonda Fenrich of Eugene, the Sisters Police Association is attempting to organize "for collective bargaining and negotiating purposes. My job is as their attorney."

Fenrich referred questions about why the police were attempting to organize to local officers.

Acting president of the association, detective Don Pray, said he was only authorized to say "we are in negotiations with the bargaining unit at this time."

The efforts to unionize follow a denial last June by Sisters City Administrator Barbara Warren of a request that the city pay a total of between $5,000 and $7,000 to five officers in accrued "comp time."

Police Chief David Haynes believed the money was available, since he had spent $43,000 less than had been budgeted by the city for police services.

This led to a dispute between Haynes and Warren. Haynes initially resigned, then withdrew his resignation. Officers began taking their accrued time off. Warren told police officers in following weeks that police layoffs might be necessary to balance the budget.

Later, Warren indicated that layoff's might not be necessary.

At the end of August, every Sisters police officer except for the chief signed a "showing of interest card" for the Employment Relations Board, the first step in forming a union. Chief Haynes is not involved in unionizing activities because, as chief, he represents management.

In September, Warren notified department heads that they needed to look at ways to immediately cut expenditures.

On October 7, the city council held a special meeting and appointed Bruce Bischof as negotiating counsel with the Sisters Police Association.

The city council was to convene the budget committee on October 8 to look at the budget for the current fiscal year and the following year, 1997-98.

The budget committee might determine that layoffs this year are still necessary.

According to Detective Don Pray, the Sisters Police Association is waiting for the city to respond to the unionization effort with a full employee roster list. From this list, the Employee Relations Board will determine who in the department is eligible for union membership.

Rhonda Fenrich's firm represents other police and fire organized unions in central Oregon, including the Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff's deputies and the Bend Fire Department.