El Paso County Sheriff's Officers Association

El Paso County Sheriff’s Officers Association

In 1978, this organization was originally formed under the name of the El Paso County Deputies Sheriff’s Association, (EPCSDA). It was formed to improve the benefits and working conditions of the certified peace officers of El Paso County Sheriff’s Department. Members of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association, (EPMPOA) had recently joined a newly formed police union known as Combined Law Enforcement Association, CLEAT. Under Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes Article 5154 c-1 (now codified as Chapter 174, Texas Local Government Code) law enforcement officers were entitled to collective barraging if so approved by a majority of voters of the last general election. Under collective barraging, a contract with the County of El Paso, Commissioners Court, (CC) officers would be able to negotiate for better wages and benefits. In 1979 the newly formed EPCSDA set out to gather the required amount of signatures to get this item on the next general election. The required signatures were gathered after many hours of walking door to door pleading our case. We spoke at many civic organizations, church groups, labor unions, and any group that would give us the time to address their membership. The public was not aware of the conditions that we were working under and the amount of money that had to be invested by newly appointed deputies. A new deputy was required to purchase his uniform, and a righter to cover the county vehicle. By the time you purchased your weapon, leather gear, car insurance, uniforms you were easily indebted to the tune of $1,500.00 and your first monthly check was around $500.00 before taxes. In those days you had no overtime, no holiday pay, and no shift differential, none of the other benefits we enjoy today. Oh yea you got comp time, but you could never take it, always short of personnel. The Association accomplished the task and proceeded to CC to request that a referendum be placed in the next county general election. The citizens of El Paso County would then be able to cast a vote as to whether we should have collective bargaining. The petitions were presented in open court at the regularly scheduled weekly meeting of the CC as required by the statue. A favorable response would get the item on the next general election. Instead the County Judge and CC refused our petition and refused to recognize our Association. After consulting with our CLEAT attorneys we were informed that our only recourse was to obtain a ruling from a district court ordering the CC to accept our petitions and to place the referendum on the ballot. A hearing was held and the association prevailed. As you can imagine the membership was ecstatic, but short lived. The members of CC were not happy with the decision from the 243rd District Court and appealed it to the 8th Civil Court of Appeals. When we formed the Association we did not have 100% support of the deputies’ to go forth. In the 60’s and maybe earlier the department was comprised of many military retires, so pay was not a high priority, they had a retirement check coming in and the little the county paid was just enough to meet their needs so rocking the boat was not on their agenda and besides it was an easy way to get terminated. We had no job security and getting fired was easy. Politics being the way they were it was not uncommon to be fired without a reason being given; so to the few of us that didn’t have a retirement check had our hands full. We had to convince those that had a second income coming in and those that were dependent on their job to get on the band wagon. We were told many times that we were barking up the wrong tree and that we were looking to get terminated. A few of them did not want to associate with us and we knew that we could not count on their support. In the time it took us to get to district court we lost members and when the CC appealed the decision well that too took a toll on our membership. Those that left were dishearten and felt that we were wasting our time and their money. The staff at CLEAT had warned us that this might happen but we never envisioned that it would go to this extent. The meeting place that we used was the large party room at a place called Rocky’s on Alberta Street. When we first
started meeting the group was small and as the momentum built the attendance grew. When we gathered all the signatures we needed the hall was packed and then we went before CC. The blow we got dealt at CC was big, the membership started to dwindle. The first meeting after the decision we got a very good showing, they all wanted to hear what went wrong and what our next step was going to be and what was CLEAT going to do. As the months went by the attendance at the monthly meetings grew smaller and smaller to the point that we did not even go inside; we met in the street in front of Rocky’s. A great deal of time it was just the President, Vice-President and the Secretary / Treasurer. After almost 2 years our case made it to the Court of Appeals and we prevailed once again. The argument that had been waged by CC was that we were not policemen, we were deputies, El Paso County was not a city and therefore we were not entitled to the provisions of Fire and Police Employees Relations Act, Art.5154 c-1. The Court of Appeals of Texas, Eight District, El Paso concluded that the act was applicable, as counties were included in the phrase “cities, towns, and other political subdivisions” as used in this act. Under Texas law, counties are political subdivisions of the state. Under Tex.Rev.Stat.Ann.art 5154 c 1&3(2) the term “policeman” means each sworn certified full-time paid employee who regularly serves in a professional law enforcement capacity in the police department of any city, town, or other political subdivision within the state. The Association won the right to get the issue on the ballot; we still had to convince the public to vote for our cause. The Mayor of the city of El Paso, the County Judge and Commissioners, the daily papers the El Paso Times and the afternoon paper The Herald Post were all against us. We continued in our mission and won the right. It took the better part of a year but we got our first contract in 1982. That first contract was for one year and it established our Association as the sole bargaining agent for the Sheriff’s deputies, it provide for an evergreen clause; giving us time to negotiate a new contract should the existing contract expire. The Association then set its sights on getting better working conditions for its members. The Association board started talking to Sheriff’s candidate Leo Samaniego in 1986 about the officer’s rights and working conditions. The Sheriff’s contract mainly dealt with IA investigations, Promotions, Grievance procedures, and discipline. Leo Samaniego agreed to sign a contract with the Sheriff’s Deputies Association if he won the election. Leo Samaniego was elected to Sheriff of El Paso County and signed a CBA with the Association that same year. In 1991 the Association realized that its strength lay in the number of members it had. So Detention Officers were encouraged to join the Association. The Association felt that in order to better serve its entire membership equally it needed to make a change. In 1993 The El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputies Association became the El Paso County Sheriff’s Officers Association. The Association became better, bigger and stronger than ever before. Thanks in part to the foundation that had been laid over 30 years ago by a few dedicated deputies that felt they deserved better, but also to all the past and present members who continue to believe that living and working conditions can get better with a little hard work. Since its humble begins in 1978 with only 60 members to the present with over 800 members strong, the Association has proudly worked hard in getting its members the best contracts with both the County of El Paso and the Sheriff of El Paso County.