Subject: SPOG DTB 8-10-20
Ned,
The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild has become aware that the City Council is discussing an idea that SPOG
bargaining unit members would be laid off out of seniority order and on the basis of sustained
complaints. The SPOG believes this is clearly a mandatory subject of bargaining. This email serves as a
demand to bargain both the decision and the effects of the decision to layoff SPOG bargaining unit
members on the basis of sustained complaints.
In addition to the mandatory nature of this proposal, this concept also raises concerns as the SPOG
believes it would violate our collective bargaining agreement as well as the protections that employees
are guaranteed of due process, including double jeopardy, and removal for cause.
If the City is truly doing layoffs to reduce the size of the police force, then the elimination should be of
positions occupied by an employee and not the elimination of a particular employee. Here, as proposed
by the City to do “layoffs” on the basis of sustained complaints, the City is revisiting and imposing
additional penalties against an employee it has already disciplined. At the time of the original discipline,
the discipline that was imposed was done so in a proportional fashion to the misconduct that
occurred. That proportional discipline was not termination. Now, under the City’s proposal the officer
would be disciplined once again for the same conduct that the officer was already disciplined for and the
discipline imposed would be termination. In addition to the concerns raised above, this is simply unfair.

Respectfully,

Mike Solan