The DC Police Union has sued the District government in response to the emergency police reforms introduced after the recent racial justice protests prompted by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The move is seen as the union’s attempt to partially block the police reform law by saying it was not negotiated.
The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia centers around the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) management’s ability to easily fire officers over disciplinary actions without negotiations with the union, which is part of the reform.
“While the Union remains in agreement with many of the provisions in the law, there are recently enacted sections that are catastrophic to our employee rights and protections under the law,” the police union said in a statement.
DC Police Union Statement on Federal Lawsuit Challenging the Elimination of Collective Bargaining Rights as Unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/yb7CfCv76o
— DC Police Union (@DCPoliceUnion) August 5, 2020
“These reductions in our employee protections are a violation of our rights under the Constitution, particularly the guarantee of equal protection under the law to all citizens and groups. The DC Council and the Mayor have enacted legislation that targets and discriminates against DC police officers. There are more than 40 other labor unions that represent DC government employees in this city. Each of them has retained their rights under the law and have been excluded from this new Act.”
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