Sergeants can vote on police union effort

A decision last week by Minnesota’s Bureau of Mediation Services clears the way for Hutchinson police officers to begin voting this week, through a mail ballot, on whether to join Twin Cities-based Teamsters Local 320.

Those ballots are being mailed Thursday, Oct. 9, to 14 licensed officers and four sergeants. Police have until Oct. 21 to return them to the Bureau. Results should be known Wednesday morning, Oct. 22.

Local 320 asked the Bureau to declare Hutchinson Police Services’ four sergeants ineligible to be part of the union. At an Aug. 19 hearing, union lawyer Paula R. Johnston tried to build the case that sergeants were supervisory personnel and should not be included in the bargaining unit with officers they supervise.

Testimony by Police Chief Dan Hatten and Sgt. Joseph Nagel showed sergeants had mainly advisory roles in such areas as officer discipline and commendation and thus should be considered doing jobs essentially the same as officers.

In the opinion released last week, Bureau hearing officer Josh Tilsen agreed with the city that sergeants should be included if the union goes forward.

Read more in the Oct. 9 Hutchinson Leader.

(Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at davis@hutchinsonleader.com.)