Police union collective bargaining agreement
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A collective bargaining agreement (CBA), in the context of police union contracts, is a contract between a state, city, or other governing entity and a police union to establish rights, protections, and provisions for law enforcement officers. CBAs can determine a variety of departmental procedures including, but not limited to, the arbitration process, training standards, and the steps to investigate and/or punish an officer for misconduct. CBAs also establish wages and benefits for police officers. [1][2]
According to an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population, 26 states and 80 cities had police union agreements as of December 2021.
Background
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements. Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
CBA expiration dates
Police CBAs typically include an expiration date, however, CBAs that have reached an expiration date are still viewed as being in effect until a new agreement has been negotiated. CBAs establish a set of legal standards for the parties involved, which often cannot be deviated from without an agreed-upon change in contract. When a CBA expires, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), “almost all the terms of the expired contract continue while the parties bargain.”[3]
Maps
Map of states with statewide police union agreements
Map of cities with citywide police union agreements
Summary of findings
Ballotpedia's analysis of state and city union policies produced the following key takeaways (as of December 2023):
- There are 26 state CBAs and 79 city have police CBAs
- There are 22 states and 21 cities that do not have police CBAs
- There are two states and one city in which the request for information on police CBAs was denied or information could not be verified
CBA expiration dates
Police CBAs that have reached an expiration date are still viewed as being in effect until a new agreement has been negotiated. Ballotpedia’s analysis of police CBAs in all 50 states and the top 100 cities by population featured the following information about CBA expiration dates, as of December 2023:
- There are 12 state CBAs and 23 city CBAs that remain in effect after the agreement’s expiration date (as of March 2024)
- There are five state CBAs and 24 city CBAs that are set to expire in 2024
- There are eight state CBAs and 25 city CBAs that are set to expire in 2025
- There is one state CBA and seven city CBAs that are set to expire in 2026
Results
The tables below include each state and city in alphabetical order and indicate those that have police union agreements. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
Results by state
| State | police-cba |
|---|---|
| Alabama | NO |
| Alaska | YES |
| Arizona | NO |
| Arkansas | NO |
| California | YES |
| Colorado | NO |
| Connecticut | YES |
| Delaware | FOIA DENIED |
| District of Columbia | YES |
| Florida | YES |
| Georgien | NO |
| Hawaii | YES |
| Idaho | NO |
| Illinois | YES |
| Indiana | NO |
| Iowa | YES |
| Kansas | YES |
| Kentucky | NO |
| Louisiana | NO |
| Maine | YES |
| Maryland | YES |
| Massachusetts | YES |
| Michigan | YES |
| Minnesota | YES |
| Mississippi | NO |
| Missouri | NO |
| Montana | YES |
| Nebraska | YES |
| Nevada | YES |
| New Hampshire | YES |
| New Jersey | YES |
| New Mexico | NO |
| New York | YES |
| North Carolina | NO |
| North Dakota | NO |
| Ohio | YES |
| Oklahoma | NO |
| Oregon | YES |
| Pennsylvania | YES |
| Rhode Island | YES |
| South Carolina | NO |
| South Dakota | NO |
| Tennessee | NO |
| Texas | NO |
| Utah | NO |
| Vermont | YES |
| Virginia | NO |
| Washington | YES |
| West Virginia | UNKNOWN |
| Wisconsin | YES |
| Wyoming | NO |
Results by city
See also
- States and cities with police union agreements
- Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city
Footnotes
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