Police unions in the United States

264: 135:. Approximately 80-85 percent of all police labor organizations would be classified as independent and have no affiliation with organized labor. There are no accurate reports on how many of the 800,000 sworn officers are members of a police union. The best estimate would be 75-80 percent; that would rank police officers with firefighters as having the highest unionization rates in the United States. 415:, followed by cities such as Cincinnati, Washington DC, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Fort Worth, and Boston. By September it had granted charters to police unions in 37 cities, over the protests of city officials reluctant to allow unionized public employees, and the protests of existing union members resistant to admitting police to their ranks. 422:

of 1919. The Boston force had informally organized since 1906 as the "Boston Social Club". They applied for an AFL charter, which was newly granted on August 15. The city and state, with shared oversight, both forbade this, and rejected a compromise. On September 9, some 72% of the police force

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to speak out against "widespread corruption, illegal practices and the manipulation of issuance" of traffic tickets through the cards. Specifically, Bianchi claimed that his decision to ticket some cardholders led to the PBA threatening to drop his union protection, and that he was ultimately

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Police are still highly unionized in the United States in the 21st century, in contrast to the declining union membership of other professions in both the public and private sectors. High union membership rates among police and other law enforcement officers significantly raise the average.

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Police unions also generate significant political donations. Between 1994 and 2020, over 55 police unions donated $ 1 million to different federal election campaigns. In the same time period, over $ 87 million was spent by police unions on lobbying and elections on the local level.

514:, and their continued viability in America. Additionally, the level of power commanded by police unions has been described by academics as "concerning" and "preventing justice" by way of preventing or impeding the public from examining the employment history of officers. 144:

is the largest in the country. With roughly 35,000 sworn officers, it's three times larger than the next-biggest, Chicago. It supports five separate unions, according to various ranks (patrol officers, sergeants, lieutenants, detectives, and captains):

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telegrammed Gompers, "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time." For decades afterward, police and other public employees were prevented from organizing. Only in the 1960s did most state laws change to allow

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Growing controversy surrounds the impact of police labor unions on law enforcement behavior. Police unions have been described as an impediment to organizational reform and as organizations that hinder discipline for officers involved in misconduct.

306:" colloquially based on anecdotal reports that they have helped drivers receive a warning instead of a speeding ticket. Officers speaking anonymously have supported the view that the cards are designed to help certain people avoid minor citations. 403:

was formed in Pittsburgh. As a national organization, some of its lodges are independent municipal unions, but the FOP is not a labor union nor affiliated with any. It remains open to all levels of law enforcement members, including management.

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Several Police Benevolent Associations have a tradition of distributing courtesy cards to friends and family members of police officers which allows them to violate laws with impunity. In 2012, the director of the Police Institute at

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has said of the system that "it sets up different sets of rules". In 2018, the number of PBA cards allotted per officer in New York was lowered from 30 to 20. This was in response to many of them appearing for sale online.

34:, 80% are independent and have no affiliation to any larger organized labor groups. There were a reported 800,000 sworn officers in the United States as of 2017, and an estimated 75–80% of them belonged to a union. 1808: 275:

A Police Benevolent Association, or Policemen's Benevolent Association, or Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA), is a frequently used name for law enforcement labor unions in the U.S. Examples include the

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In recent times police unions have been characterized as impediments to organizational reform, and as hindrances in attempts to discipline police officers involved in misconduct. Unions frequently oppose

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stated that the practice was at least 40 years old and probably much older. While police departments have repeatedly denied that they support favoritism for cardholders, the cards have come to be called

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has a reported 330,000 members, although the FOP encompasses both union lodges and fraternal lodges, and while active as an advocacy group is not itself officially a union. The largest national union

431:. More than 1000 officers were fired and replaced by the city at the higher salaries the union had struck for. The event had a pronounced chilling effect on police unionization for decades. The 1005: 131:

The police labor movement is divided into two camps -- the independent police labor organizations and the police labor organizations affiliated with organized labor through the AFL-CIO or

152:, which describes itself as the "largest municipal police union in the world" representing 24,000 members "who hold the rank of Police Officer". Between 1999 and 2023, its leader was 442:

was passed by president Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowing private sector employees to collectively bargain. It wasn't until later in the 1960s that many US states changed laws to allow

392:(PBA) formed in New York City, originally as a fraternal organization. Today it represents about 24,000 of the department's 36,000 officers. Another 11,000 are represented by the 435:

was formed 46 years later, in 1965, following a change in state law. A national police union would not be approved until the International Union of Police Association in 1979.

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refused to work. The city descended into four days and nights of lawlessness, with widespread property damage and nine killed outright, eight of them by members of the 5,000

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The other four cities in the U.S. with over 5,000 police officers correspond with the four next-largest independent municipal labor unions by total membership:

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have been stalled or forbidden by police union contracts. In 2014, the Fraternal Order of Police lobbied unsuccessfully for the continuation of Pentagon's

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Many of the independent unions serve police in local municipalities. The self-described "largest municipal police union in the world" is the

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prohibits its journalists from accepting the cards out of concerns that doing so would prevent them from covering the police objectively.

159: 1809:"For Nearly 80 Years, the Portland Police Association Has Wielded Power in a Town That Doesn't Like Cops. That Power Is Now Under Siege" 900: 376:, which allowed for excess military equipment to be given to civilian police departments, after it was discontinued by President Obama. 361: 1482:. U. S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice . 1906: 45:. There is no single dominant national association. Four associations have significant membership drawn from across the country. The 1655: 644: 582: 424: 1450: 1336: 1910: 572: 462: 393: 165: 1311: 1132: 1105: 977: 141: 42: 1844: 1608: 1380: 481: 245: 153: 1783: 173:

Captains' Endowment Association, representing the ranks of Captain, Deputy Inspector, Inspector, Deputy Chief, and Surgeon

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Academics cite a link with perceived police union corruption and their shielding of "dirty" officers by organized labor.

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Marks, Monique, and Jenny Fleming. "The right to unionize, the right to bargain, and the right to democratic policing."

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Thomas, Mark P., and Steven Tufts. "Blue solidarity: police unions, race and authoritarian populism in North America."

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LAW ENFORCEMENT, POLICE UNIONS, AND THE FUTURE: Educating Police Management and Unions About the Challenges Ahead

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These unions have also been identified as an ironic obstacle to the stated purpose of "to protect and serve".

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White, Jonathan R. "Violence during the 1919 Boston police strike: An analysis of the crime control myth."

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proposals, as well as have promoted rioting and strikes when governments introduce organizational reforms.

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The legitimacy of the cards is a subject of debate with critics maintaining that it is a form of

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Amid calls to remove police from the labor movement in 2020, member affiliates of the west coast

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began chartering local police organizations as affiliates. The first was the police force of

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Of the 20 to 25% of police unions with affiliations with organized labor, the largest is the

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In May 2023, NYPD officer Mathew Bianchi filed a lawsuit against his police captain and the

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for U.S. president. It endorsed Trump again on September 4, 2020. On August 18, 2020, the

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resulted in four days of public disorder, nine deaths, and widespread property damage.

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Zibel, Howard J. "The Role of Calvin Coolidge in the Boston Police Strike of 1919,"

1833: 1609:"An Addition to de Blasio's Morning Coffee and Workout: Protesting Police Officers" 1385: 608: 501: 473: 373: 360:," crime legislation and legal protections for individual officers. Efforts by the 58: 31: 1957:"Blue Solidarity: Police Unions, Race and Authoritarian Populism in North America" 867: 211: 62: 1576:"Revealed: police unions spend millions to influence policy in biggest US cities" 634: 1553: 1268:"So about those PBA cards... a positively New Jersey look at a Jersey tradition" 1110: 893: 356:

on behalf of their members, police unions engage in political advocacy around "

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for officers to take them into consideration. A professor of police studies at

2011: 1972: 1587: 1429: 1394: 1228: 822: 764: 1106:"Why a Local Labor Council Is Threatening to Expel the Seattle Police Guild" 2061:

Johnson, Bruce C. “Taking Care of Labor: The Police in American Politics,”

1907:"Collective Bargaining Rights and Police Misconduct: Evidence from Florida" 695:

Have Faith in Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches and Messages, 2nd ed

1941: 1925: 1217:"Officer who ignored NYPD's 'courtesy cards' receives $ 175K settlement" 80:

The history of police labor organization in the U.S., under the hand of

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include a large number and patchwork variety of organizations. Of those

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unions which conduct labor negotiations on behalf of its police members

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The longest continuously operating police union in the country is the

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Law enforcement non-governmental organizations in the United States

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with affiliations to organized labor. The IUPA chartered with the

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Scheiber, Noam; Stockman, Farah; Goodman, J. David (2020-06-06).

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to a night patrol shift after he ticketed a friend of NYPD Chief

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declared that the strike was a "crime against civilization", and

1522:"Police unions face lobbying fights at all levels of government" 1495:"How Union Contracts Shield Police Departments from DOJ Reforms" 2089:

Annals of the American academy of political and social science

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Police Unionism: Power and Impact in Public-Sector Bargaining

1160:"Writers Guild Joins Calls for AFL-CIO to Expel Police Union" 446:. By the 1970s police were unionized in every major US city. 2115:

Russell, Francis. “Coolidge and the Boston Police Strike.”

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Barker, Kim; Keller, Michael H.; Eder, Steve (2020-12-22).

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public-sector employees the right to collective bargaining

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public-sector employees the right to collective bargaining

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has a national scope, and is a member organization of the

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Slater, "Labor and the Boston Police Strike of 1919," 244

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Slater, "Labor and the Boston Police Strike of 1919," 243

667: 57:, with about 20,000 members, which is among that 20% of 1871:"Fraternal Order of Police endorses Trump in 2020 race" 1029: 633:

Hoover, Larry T.; DeLord, Ronald G. (23 October 2006).

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Police Unions in the United states tend to endorse the

1083:"As Protests Grow, Big Labor Sides with Police Unions" 577:. Charles C Thomas, Publisher, Limited. p. 179. 510:

have begun to reexamine the nature of police unions,

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