Dewey Beach police department votes to unionize

Members of the Dewey Beach Police Department voted to unionize Jan. 9, a date recognized as National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

Election results posted on the Delaware Public Employment Relations Board show that Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 22 received a majority of ballots cast in the election. 

Consequently, all full-time and part-time Dewey officers, except the chief of police, are now represented by FOP Lodge 22 for collective bargaining purposes.

Mayor Bill Stevens said the vote is not an indication of any negativity between the town and department.

“As a matter of fact, the relationship internal to Dewey has never been stronger,” Stevens said. “As the mayor, I support the police department’s decision.”

Stevens said he was raised in a household where both parents were members of a union.       

“My personal opinion is that a union provides our officers with an additional tie to the Town of Dewey Beach while also being part of something much bigger than Dewey Beach,” Stevens said. “We will have to negotiate their collective bargaining agreement over the next few months.”

Dewey Beach Town Manager Bill Zolper referred to the Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Employment Relations Act, which applies to public employers who have at least 25 employees, and allows officers to organize and bargain collectively.  

The Public Employment Relations Board administers the general provisions of the Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Employment Relations Act. 

Zolper said he used his 30 years of experience in law enforcement, combined with Police Chief Constance Speake’s recommendation, to determine the town needs 13 full-time officers to provide public service and safety. 

When these positions were authorized, he said, the town passed the threshold of full-time employees needed to allow officers to unionize.

“I can’t run a town based on limiting the number of people who work there,” Zolper said.

Right now, Zolper said, the department has nine full-time officers, including Speake. When two officers currently in the police academy join the force this spring, the department will be staffed with 11 full-time officers.

Zolper said the two open positions are currently posted, but recruiting has been tough.

Police Chief Constance Speake said she supported the officers’ decision, noting that being part of a union will help with recruiting and retaining officers.

Most police agencies belong to either FOP or Teamsters organizations, Speake said, because such groups elevate the professionalism of officers and provide career security.

Right now, she said, she is waiting for the unionized officers to meet, decide what they will be seeking in the collective bargaining, and set a date to meet with her and town officials to begin negotiations.

Lewes Police Department Sgt. Jamie Locklear is president of FOP Lodge 22. Locklear said Dewey Police Department’s situation is unusual because the officers don’t have any issues with the town, and definitely not with their new chief, that led to the vote.

First, Locklear said, the lodge will finish up paperwork and other formalities before sitting down with officers to begin the collective bargaining process. The town would like discussions complete by April 1 to fit in with its budget year, Locklear said, but rushing the process will not be beneficial.

The FOP will help ensure that Dewey police salaries are consistent with those of neighboring agencies, Locklear said. A three-year contract is typical for officers, he said.