Comments on: UPD union votes down proposed agreement

By: Thinking Out

Thinking Out — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:16:56 +0000

Re “Law Student”: The mere fact that UPD serves the general public, one can properly infer UPD does in fact respond to more emergency and nonemergency calls then an enclosed campus. I don’t think a Union who is demanding a pay hike for its members after a wage freeze for 15 years between the hours of (7a-7p) is unreasonable. Lastly, if these guys are unarmed it’s to their own detriment, these guys will inevitably face criminals who will have some sort of weapon thus putting their lives on the line every day; I commend UPD Officers for their work here on campus and my roommates have decided to join their line should they Picket.

By: Law student

Law student — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:20:09 +0000

Just to be clear, I wasn’t taking a side on this issue — I was just pointing out that there may be problems with *both* sides using the “national average” as an objective basis for their decisions. I generally believe police officers are underpaid for a dangerous jobs, and unions tend to seek unrealistic pay and benefits that are not comparable with non-unionized employees.

Re “Thinking Out”: I don’t think that the number of students and administrators should really have an impact on pay. As you know, many small cities pay their officers much higher than big cities. If you’re handling more calls for service than other agencies, than *maybe* that’s a reason to argue for higher pay.

Re “No Strike”: Sorry to hear about the $200/month parking – that sucks. It’s an unfortunate “cost of living” that I think should be considered when determining UPD pay. Of course, everyone who works in DC Metro deals with this expense. Maybe GW will consider a pre-tax parking program, commuter benefits, or a vanpool.

By: Wishful thinking

Wishful thinking — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:30:46 +0000

In response to Law students comment on the national average- I feel that trying to compare us to an armed police agency is something that we can’t really do. Because we are in the minority here- that being we are one of the few unarmed police agencies in the United States; comparing us with one is not an appropriate means of proving our point.

With that being said, it is my personal opinion that the quality of life within GW Police is far below the standard that it could be. While having firearms might be something that can improve the overall safety; it will take both time and money to train officers the proper techniques regarding weapon safety and annual/semi-annual training. Not to mention the fact that some people might not wish to be part of something like that.

As was mentioned regarding our overall motives here, money is not the sole reason for this. There are several different underlying factors present here that must be addressed before the GW police and GWU as a whole can focus on larger issues like firearms. My only question is what tragedy will it take before someone finally steps up and says we need to support our Police department?

I feel that the overall level of camaraderie amongst the officers is strong and that I am confident we will achieve our goals, despite what it takes.

By: Typical

Typical — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:34:12 +0000

Typical GW being typical.

By: Thinking Out

Thinking Out — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:23:55 +0000

I understand exactly what “Law student” is referring to and have an answer for the implied question. The statistics for the national average considers all of what you state, so we agree there. However, “Law student” have you considered that in DC although UPD doesn’t make traffic stops or issue warrants for arrest, or carry firearms – that they are responsible for far more than GW students, faculty, and staff community.
GW is a campus without walls, and it is totally unacceptable for UPD officers to defend the safety of GW campus when it includes the Foggy Bottom community at large without proper pay and policies/procedures which they consider reasonable. What is the real reason behind not giving these folks an increase in night differential for over 15 years?
I believe that these folks have the appropriate authority to protest for better policies and procedures and better wages to match national averages. Considering all universities in the metropolitan areas- is there one so close to the White House?
I am sure UPD in the events of national crisis within Foggy Bottom they are expected to perform.
Good Luck UPD
Thinking Out

By: Pyro311

Pyro311 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:31:33 +0000

Getcha popcorn ready!

If the Hatch could pre-report the time and location of any proposed picketing, it would be greatly appreciated.

By: Not striking

Not striking — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:12:38 +0000

The possibility of UPD striking is ZERO.

By: No Strike

No Strike — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:46 +0000

Strike? The union has no plans at this point to strike. The officers don’t want to put the community at risk, if a deal can not be reached officers on their days off or off time will hold a informational picket where we can explain to the community members why we feel that the deal is unfair. Pay is one factor in saying no but a large portion of us are unhappy with the “policies and quality of life issues” within the contract.

Law Student is correct and I agree, but cost of living in the DC area is a huge factor to consider. Day shift officers pay close to $200 a month just so they can park to come to work.

I am a little disapointed this article makes it look like were just after the money, we do need the money to support our families but we also want to make the contract and department better for both us and the community we serve.

By: Strike?

Strike? — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:51:23 +0000

What’s the possibility of a UPD officer strike?

By: Law student

Law student — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:53:20 +0000

Before throwing around the “national average” for campus police officers, it’s important to know what this actually entails. If it includes armed officers who are fully authorized to make car stops, serve warrants, etc., then it’s not really comparable to GW Police Officers, who lack these powers. On the other hand, it’s important to consider some form of locality pay, since the cost of living in the DC metro area is much higher than elsewhere.

A more objective comparison would be citing the average salaries (and benefits) of unarmed campus police officers in cities with similar costs of living.