by Ron DeLord | Oct 14, 2016 | Collective Bargaining, Labor, Police, Politics, Unions
San Jose’s police overtime costs have tripled in the past seven years to $36 million—10 percent of its law enforcement budget—as staffing vacancies reached all-time highs. The officer exodus triggered by the Great Recession and goaded by voter-approved pension cuts in...
by Ron DeLord | Dec 17, 2015 | Labor, Police, Politics, Unions
Images from Ferguson of camo-clad snipers, armored trucks and suburban cops equipped with the accouterments of war ignited a debate about the militarization of local law enforcement. To assuage a concerned public, police agencies throughout the nation have returned...
by rondelord | Jun 29, 2015 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
San Jose has reached multi-year agreements with all but one of its 11 employee unions, the city announced at the end of last week. The contracts, which come up for City Council approval Tuesday and have yet to be ratified by union members, would restore salaries cut...
by rondelord | May 30, 2015 | Collective Bargaining, Labor, Police, Politics, Unions
San Jose may strengthen civilian oversight of its police force by allowing the Independent Police Auditor to review internal investigations. The San Jose Police Department has always handled complaints filed by its own officers without outside scrutiny. Last month, in...
by rondelord | Mar 21, 2015 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Ex-mayor and part-time lawyer Chuck Reed will take another crack at statewide pension reform, reviving a campaign to cut public retirement costs and bolster his political legacy. Reed, who termed out as San Jose mayor at the end of 2014 after a bitter years-long...