PPOA Board Member
Sergeant, LASD
tromo@ppoa.com
Greetings, PPOA members. This month, I want to talk about what I believe are the important responsibilities of being a PPOA Board member. Our number one responsibility is to the members we represent. We cannot be afraid to disagree with Department leadership if they are violating our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Peace Officers Bill of Rights or negatively impacting our working conditions, salary or benefits. Having aspirations to promote to a higher rank should not be a reason to be on the PPOA Board. In fact, the opposite is true. As a union leader, you should be resigned to the fact that you will have to bang heads with Department management so often that when promotion time comes around, you will be remembered as the person who will most likely not be on the promotional list.
We must encourage open communication with our membership, we must ask for member involvement and we must train members to become our future replacements and lead the union on the PPOA Board. To do this as Board members, we should always stand up for our members, be transparent and be available to our membership. I pride myself on knowing I have and always will work toward fulfilling these principles.
Many of history’s greatest union labor leaders sacrificed greatly for speaking up on behalf of working members and fighting for many of the rights and benefits that those of us on the line enjoy today, including:
- Overtime pay
- Holiday pay
- Sick pay
- Workers’ compensation benefits
- 40-hour work weeks
Lately, union membership is dwindling on a national level. We must remind each other if we do not maintain an active union membership, we could lose some of our benefits and labor protections.
“Those who forget the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.” Many of us have heard that quote in some fashion throughout the years. Unfortunately, many of our current county supervisors and Department managers are forgetting the mistakes of the past and are taking us down a path where our union members and the public will suffer the consequences. We must not be silent. It is our responsibility to hold the line and make sure our members and the public we serve are protected.
Additionally, I want to take a moment to thank the Unit 612 members who came in and spoke to the Board last month in applying for the vacant Board seat. Your presentations, enthusiasm and experience spoke volumes of who you are. I hope all of you stay involved and participate with the association business and again in the PPOA Board open election process in September 2023. You all had impeccable qualifications, and I was impressed with your dedication.
In closing, please remember to keep PPOA informed on the situations in your units from Custody, Courts, Patrol, Detectives, Administrative, Special Operations or any other bureaus. You all face a new era of law enforcement, and PPOA should be here to protect you.
As always, feel free to contact me at (714) 745-7947. I am more than willing to carry your message forward.
Stay safe.