Posted on 10/03/2005 6:53:06 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
San Francisco Police Commissioner Joe Veronese has called for a city attorney's investigation into possible misuse of public funds after learning that Police Officers Association President Gary Delagnes was getting a roughly $100,000-a-year police salary while working full-time for the union.
Delagnes countered by going down to City Hall on Friday and demanding that Mayor Gavin Newsom fire Veronese.
"The money that was being paid to Delagnes to do union work could have put two more officers on the streets,'' Veronese said, adding that he wanted the money paid back.
No way, shot back POA boss Delagnes, who insisted this is just payback for the POA's beefs with the commission.
"It's a common practice in all big cities,'' Delagnes said of the city paying his salary.
And indeed, mayoral spokesman Peter Ragone confirmed that leaders in other city unions stay on the payroll as well.
Maybe, but last Wednesday, Veronese publicly called for a city attorney's investigation into the practice. "The bottom line is that Delagnes is being paid police money for political activities."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
in know a couple of places where certain high union officials are paid their salary but allowed to spend full time on union activities - it's in their contracts.
this is not unheard of, neither is grandstanding on a long term practice.
maybe the commish is positioning himself for Mayor,, they've had a police chief become mayor before.
FRank Jordan comes to mind.
The shower guy
Many police in Jacksonville, FL make more money moonlighting in uniform than they get paid.
$70k total gets tossed around as a total figure.
That's the way it was done in the steel mills, the union presidents got a fulltime paycheck from US Steel (e.g.) yet spent their whole days on union business.
If the contract between San Francisco and the police union allows union officers to attend to investigating and processing grievances on city time, its really not unreasonable or an abuse to think that the president of the union would spend virtually his whole day every day on union business in a city as large as SF.
he's posturing for something. but this union practice is not uncommon and his using it fopr political gain is gonna end up hurting him, i think.
It is a common practice.
That doesn't mean it isn't illegal.
If it is in a Collective Bargaining contract you will have a hard time doing anything about it.
CB contracts usually have preemptive clauses in them that override all state statutes and laws.
I think it's time to start working on putting specific limitations on these types of contracts.
Yep.
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