U.S. POLICE UNIONS: NEW TROUBLES AND CHALLENGES

Andriy SAMOTUHA, Kyrylo NEDRYA

SAMOTUHA A., NEDRYA K. (2022), U.S. POLICE UNIONS: NEW TROUBLES AND CHALLENGES, Scientific Bulletin of Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs, Special Issue № 1, 127-136

DOI: 10.31733/2078-3566-2022-5-127-136

 

ABSTRACT. The article deals the processes and reasons for the transformation of the police union movement in the USA towards politicization to the detriment of the protection of labor rights and due to the abuse of powers to protect the professional rights of police officers. In most democratic countries, law enforcement officers are guaranteed the right to unionize to protect their labor rights and professional interests, and in some states even the right to strike. This right is also enshrined at the level of international legal acts, in particular in the Declaration on the Police adopted by the Council of Europe in 1979. The authors found that in the US, in addition to their traditional functions, police unions have unreasonably expanded their powers, resorting to such measures as “protecting” police officers from criminal prosecution, civil lawsuits and disciplinary proceedings for misconduct and abuse of power, which led to even to the death of people. There is a kind of social divide between supporters and opponents of strict police measures, especially when it comes to countries with a colorful ethnic, racial or religious identity, which the United States is the epitome of. Tthe driving force behind America’s law enforcement unions is their massive membership and heavy bipartisan financial support, especially during elections. As a result, trade unions turned out to be the most ardent opponents of the reform of the police sphere in the USA, seeing in such attempts by politicians and public activists certain threats to the stability of the system of social and legal protection of law enforcement officers.

Keywords: police, USA, unions, contract, investigation, control, collective bargaining, reform, protection, criticism.

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