From: administrator [info@peaceofficers.org]

Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 8:07 PM

To: BBEIERHOLM@dhs.ca.gov

Subject: Peace Officer Severance Update

TO:             Bargaining Unit 7 Peace Officers

FROM:       Peace Officers of California

DATE:        August 18, 2008

RE:             Petition Amendment / Re-Filing

Peace Officers of California has amended our petition for Severance to address CAUSE / CSLEA concerns that we had omitted any classes of peace officers from the petition.  The oversight was entirely unintentional and the three following classes of peace officers will be added to the petition:

· Captain Firefighter / Security Officer (Class Code 1998)

· Firefighter/Security Officer (Class Code 8990)

· Supervising Museum Security Officer (Class Code 1998)

PERB (Public Employees Relations Board) has determined that Bargaining Unit 22, as proposed, would have approximately 2,780 members (larger than the 2,500 previously believed).  P.O.C. should now have just enough signatures to reach the 50% needed to call the election – if you have not sent in a card, take the time to put us over the top at www.peaceofficers.org. 

Some CAUSE / CSLEA officials have tried to mislead members, once again, that the Severance has failed, but the re-filing of the petition is merely a procedural step necessary to complete the severance.  As previously stated, we believe we have the necessary signatures to qualify the petition now.  We should hear back from PERB, within 30-days, if we have the necessary cards to conduct an election. 

In yet another example of questionable CAUSE / CSLEA activities, our union is now taking over elections of your affiliate representatives.  Apparently, the union doesn’t trust you to fairly elect your own representatives or count your own votes (especially when candidates who support P.O.C. look like they are going to get elected) – as was the case with the Hospital Police Officer’s Association, CAUSE / CSLEA’s largest peace officer affiliate, whose majority membership supports P.O.C. 

Do you trust CAUSE / CSLEA and President Alan Barcelona to conduct secret elections for you and your affiliate?  This latest move by CAUSE / CSLEA is simply the first step in placing the Hospital Police in trusteeship, along with everyone else who asks questions. 

It has come time to put an end to the shady expenditures, questionable procedural steps, and overall disregard for their own operating rules at CAUSE / CSLEA.  It is time to have a leadership that is responsible to the general membership – a President elected by the general membership who works for a living. 

It is time for P.O.C.