To Members of the DSABC:
I know there is a lot happening at the moment that affects all the important work you’re doing. Between dealing with COVID-19 and now all of the political and civil unrest sparked by the incident in Minneapolis on May 25th, I know how important it is to keep an open line of communication with you on all of the major issues and initiatives we’ve been actively following and working on.
Collective Bargaining.
We have started the collective bargaining process and will sit down to bargain on June 24th. We are very optimistic as we head into negotiations and our early feedback has been that the current political climate will not in any way negatively impact the process. Rest assured that we’re monitoring the situation and have been speaking with key county officials to ensure your hard-earned rights are protected.
Benefit Fund
I want to let you know that we have begun the process of launching the Benefit Fund, which will include giving it a new name to make it more appealing to the community and donors, and developing new programs to benefit both deputies and their families, as well as deserving members of the larger community. This process has just started, but we believe it’ll go a long way in demonstrating to the community and political leaders that deputies take service to community seriously.
New DSABC Headquarters
On June 4th, the DSABC officially moved our Administrative Offices to a new location: 9200 Broadway, Ste. 106, San Antonio, TX 78217. This new space is easily accessible from Loop 410 and will save the association money. We ask for your patience as we continue to move in, but we believe that the space will be ideal for our team as well as to host large gatherings.
Grievances
There are three new grievances that we are aware of and that we are working on:
- Improper firing of a Deputy
- Denial of holiday time
- Attempt to make a Deputy pay restitution for a vehicle crash
Rest assured that we are following these cases closely and will report back on the results of our work, ensuring the rights of these deputies are maintained.
New Staffing
Thanks to your help and a push from citizens all across the county, our #KeepBexarSafe campaign, which we launched earlier this year and which raised public awareness of the critical staffing shortages at the Bexar County jail, pushed the Sheriff to action. The campaign and billboard we ran laid out the problem in clear terms: The staff shortages at the jail (over 200 at the time) were causing deputies to be overworked and being put in danger. It asked the community, “Are we safe?” Now, I’m pleased to report 24 Cadets will graduated on June 12 and a class of 34 starts today.
Next Union Meeting
There will be a Union Meeting at our new office location on June 24th at 5 pm. As noted above, the new address is 9200 Broadway Ste. 106.
Remember, we’re all in this together. We wear the same uniform and we speak in one voice, just as our motto states: “One Badge. One Voice.”
Stay safe and remember we always have your six!
In Solidarity,
Jeremy Payne
President