First Thursday

This month’s cases: Porta-Potty Retaliation, City of Shelton, 2022 WL 1442880 (CT.Dept. Lab. 2022). [Download the decision.] What Happens When The Employer Fails To Respond To A Grievance? Sun Coast PBA v. City of St. Petersburg, 2022 WL 1521990 (Fla. PERC Gen. Coun. 2022). No Weingarten Representation When Employer Assures Employee Discipline Not Possible, Canovas v. […]

In this month’s podcast: New Jersey Attorney General’s cannabis compliance memo Cases covered Buffalo Protest Officers Absolved In Arbitration, City of Buffalo, (Selchick 2022) Federal Court Halts Firefighter Shift Change On Free Speech Grounds, IAFF, Local 365 v. City of East Chicago, No. 2:21-CV-154-PPS-APR (N.D. Ind. 2022) Qualified Immunity Shields Employer From Liability For Illeg...

In this month’s podcast: Meet John Chrystal. John is the president of the Newark, New Jersey Police Superior Officers’ Association and has attended LRIS seminars for many years. He’s taken the knowledge gleaned from those seminars had translated it into wins for his union. Two recent cases illustrate this. City Guilty Of ‘Direct Dealing’ In […]

This month’s cases: Major Cell Phone Decision From Phoenix, Turiano v. City of Phoenix, No. CV-21-01428-PHX-MTL (D. Ariz. Feb. 4, 2022). Arbitrator Upholds Chicago Police Vaccine Mandate, City of Chicago, (George Roumell, Jr. Feb. 23, 2022). ‘Gap Time’ And The FLSA, Conner v. Cleveland County, 2022 WL 53977 (4th Cir. 2022). No Employment Right To […]

A brief update on vaccine mandates. Cases: Arbitrator Upholds Lieutenant’s Termination For January 6 Charges, Bexar County, Texas (Thomas Cipolla, 2021). (Download the arbitrator’s decision.) LAPD Officers Lose Job To Pokemon Go, Lozano v. City of Los Angeles, 2022 WL 71705 (Cal. App. 2022). Union Can Demand Mid-Term Bargaining On Topic Not Covered By Contract, […]

Happy new year! This month’s podcast covers: Mandatory vaccinations programs (again). Courts and arbitrators continue to rule (69-0 by our last count) that there is nothing unconstitutional about employer vaccine mandates. First interest arbitration decision about mandatory vaccine programs. The law about whether or not an employee or labor organization can get injunctive relief while [&#823...

This month’s podcast covers the most recent updates on vaccine mandates as well as the following cases: Due Process And The Brady Rule, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 v. City of Philadelphia, 2021 WL 5182646 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2021) (see also Duchesne v. Hillsborough County Attorney, 2015 WL 3897798 (N.H. 2015)). Union Entitled To […]

Are you tired of hearing about vaccination mandates yet? We hope not, because this podcast is all about the legality of mandatory vaccination policies (spoiler alert: they are legal). Will tackles some of the most common questions he’s received or seen regarding employer vaccination mandates. They are listed below with a timestamp so you can […]

Will interviews Angie Salvato and Dr. Vidisha Barua Worley, Esquire on the current state of recruiting and retaining quality law enforcement officers. The interview covers: About our guests: Angie Salvato Angelina Salvato is a Police Officer with the Anchorage Police Department in Alaska and [...]

Tracking vaccine mandate litigation (Table) Police union website archive at Cornell Universityhttps://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/09/police-union-websites-preserved-library-archive Cases: Apportioning Damages In DFR Cases, POAM v. Hatfield, 2021 WL 3907865 (Mich. App. 2021). No Duty Of Fair Representation Where Union Not Exclusive Rep, Brinson v. Florida PBA, 48 FPER ¶ 19 (Fla. PERC Gen. Counsel...

More on mandatory vaccination programs Jacobson v. Massachusetts Bridges v. Houston Methodist Klaasen v. Trustees of Indiana University (7th Circuit opinion) From the EEOC: What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws Horvath v. City of Leander, 2020 WL 104345 (5th Cir. 2020). Do unions’ have the […]

Will starts off this month’s podcast with things employers and unions need to know about mandatory Covid vaccine programs. The EEOC’s FAQ page. Employer Covid Vaccination And Testing Program Guidelines Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905) Bridges v. Houston Methodist Hospital, Case No. 21-CV-01774 (S.D. Tex. 2021) This Month’s Cases Firefighters Lose ADA Lawsuit […...

The Last News Recruitment and retention crisis Mandatory COVID vaccination (San Francisco) Oregon Senate Bill 204 on police reform Cases: Federal Court Allows Mandatory Vaccinations, Bridges v. Houston Methodist Hospital, Civil Action 21-1774 (S.D. Tex. 2021). Shifts, Seniority, And Religious Accommodations, In re Bloomfield, 2021 WL 2182984 (N.J. App. 2021). See Balint v. Cason City, […]

Cases covered this month: Chicago Commits Bodycam-Related Unfair Labor Practices, Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #7 and City of Chicago, Case No. L-CA-20-024 (Ill. LRB ALJ 2021). Civil Service Referee Upholds Firefighter’s CBD-Based Termination, City of Cleveland (Colon), December 23, 2020. Link to CBD notice from Department of Transportation: https://www.transportation.gov/odapc/cbd-notice Fire...

In this month’s podcast, Will cover public safety legislation from around the country. Maryland: Eliminates the police officers’ bill of rights, use of force reform, county police accountability boards. San Antonio: Establishes collective bargaining for police officers. Austin: Voters approve binding arbitration for firefighters replacing the meet-and-confer system. Cases: Court Change...

Facts vs Perception On Race In Policing USA Today Article CUPES Study The Cases: Lawsuit Filed Challenging Mandatory Vaccination Of Corrections Employees, Legaretta v. Macias, 2021 WL 833390 (D.N.M. 2021). City Can Be Liable For ADA Violations Of Third-Party Evaluators, Gibbs v. City of Pittsburgh, 2021 WL 800255 (3rd Cir. 2021). Mandatory Retirement Not ‘Involuntary,’ […]

Upcoming LRIS webinars, premium podcasts and seminars. The cases: Firefighters, Families Lose Lawsuit Over Fatal House Fire, Speakman v. Williams, 2021 WL 49947 (3rd Cir. 2021). Challenges In Illinois To The ‘Public Policy’ Doctrine, City of Chicago v. Chicago Fire Fighters Union, Local No. 2, Case No. 2019 CH 12662 (Cir. Ct. 2020); City of […]

Will talks about the January 6 riot at the Capitol and the following cases: Public Policy And At-Will Employment, Potts v. City of Devils Lake, 2021 WL 99712 (N.D. 2021) Officer Loses Cell Phone Claim To Qualified Immunity, Lazar v. Knight, 2020 WL 7396255 (6th Cir. 2020). No Need To Track Down Attorney For Garrity […]

In today’s podcast, Will gives his reaction to events local (the third act of vandalism on his office) and national (the violent insurrection last week at the Capitol). What do events like these mean for us as a society in general and for police unions in particular? This is a no-holds-barred episode, and we’d love […]

What race-specific effects does the size of a police force have? Will Aitchison talks about a recent study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research that addresses this question. Cases covered this month: Whether Bargaining Should Be In Public Is Not Mandatory For Bargaining, Lincoln County v. Public Employment Relations Commission, 475 P.3d 252 […]

It’s the last First Thursday podcast of 2020. Will gives a COVID-19 update and covers the following cases: Bargaining Obligation Prevails Over Wage Recoupment Statute, Teamsters Local 839 v. Benton County, 2020 WL 6602939 (Wash. App. 2020). Qualified Immunity Bars Dispatcher’s Second Amendment Claim, Calderone v. City of Chicago, 2020 WL 6500933 (7th Cir. 2020). […]

Will discusses ballot measures from across the country on police issues. Cases covered: Prosecutor Allowed To Disclose Brady Information To Chief, In re Grand Jury Investigation, 485 Mass. 641 (Mass. 2020). Prosecutor Shielded From Officers’ Suit By Qualified Immunity, Stockdale v. Helper, 2020 WL 6372910 (6th Cir. 2020). Reporting Corruption Not Protected By First Amendment, […]

Announcements: The new edition of our book The Rights of Law Enforcement Officers is now available. 2021 Seminar Schedule LRIS Webinars Cases: When Does An Employer Have To Disclose Disciplinary Files? Milwaukee Police Supervisors’ Organization v. City of Milwaukee, 2020 WL 5747114 (WI.Emp. Rel. Com. 2020). ‘Mere Technical’ Violations Of Bill Of Rights Not Basis To Reverse […]

An update on LRIS seminars during COVD-19 The police reform movement Cases: City Stuck With Police Director’s Grievance Resolution, City of Newark, 47 NJPER ¶ 15 (NJ PERC ALJ 2020). Reinstatement Of Corporal Who Used Unnecessary Force Does Not Violate Public Policy, Cuyahoga County v. UAW, Local 70, 2020 WL 4804962 (Ohio App. 2020). Officer’s […]

Protests in Portland, Oregon Social media screening services From our Q&A: Is there existing case law regarding an employee’s refusal to wear a protective mask on religious grounds? Cases: Public Records Law Prevails Over Purging Clause In Contract, City of Chicago v. Fraternal Order of Police, 2020 IL 124831 (7th Cir. 2020) Contracts And Memoranda […]