So You Joined PBA Just For Legal Defense Benefits?
Tommy Simpson, Director of Organizational Services - west region, SSPBA
Aug 23, 2012
If you are like many officers who joined PBA just for the Legal Defense Benefits and are not active in the association you’re missing out. As so wisely said by someone before me “Having PBA membership just for legal defense benefits is like having a Porsche that you only drive in 2nd gear, you’ll never realize what it can really do.” While the legal defense benefits of PBA membership are first rate in every respect, PBA is a whole lot more than just legal defense. If you’re serious about wanting to make positive changes in your work environment and benefits, listen up.
Southern States PBA is made up of several different divisions or states. Each division is made up of multiple chapters. Each chapter, division and the parent association each have an elected board of directors. These boards at each respective level provide leadership, coordination, unity and resources to PBA members.
A primary mission of PBA is to improve officers pay, benefits and work environment while also improving the law enforcement profession. This is actually the initial purpose for which the association was founded. Like it or not, everything about law enforcement is effected by politics. Most anything you may want to change about your department will involve politics. Want better pay, better equipment, take home cars, better retirement , a real promotional system , better health insurance or a different city court judge, it all requires either the spending of government funds , the passage of new legislation or both. Politicians, our elected officials control both the legislative process and the spending of government funds on the city, county, state and federal levels. This is precisely why PBA encourages its membership to engage through their PBA chapter in the election process of their elected officials. This is the most successful way to address these types of problems.
PBA has refined a professional process by which PBA chapters can screen and endorse political candidates for public office. Candidates are personally screened based on issues of importance to the members of the respective chapter. PBA will upon a chapter’s request teach this process to chapter boards and members, aid in the actual conduct of the screenings, provide the facility and all related expenses for the screenings. After the screenings are conducted and the chapter has made a decision on those candidates they wish to endorsed, PBA notifies the candidates, runs endorsement ads for the candidate’s campaign and when appropriate makes a contributions to a candidate’s campaign. The PBA chapter works to expand the vote base for their chosen candidates by members communicating with friends and relatives asking them to vote for the endorsed candidates. In a coordinated effort with the candidate, chapter members can also work in the candidate’s campaign, taking on assigned tasks such as erecting signs, passing out literature or manning telephone banks. Once candidates are elected chapter leaders then have elected officials they can work with to resolve the problems and they should contact those officials requesting to do just that.
No doubt the current state of the economy is not the ideal conditions in which to seek improved benefits but it is a great time to build the organization, unity and political relationships so you’re ready when the economy improves. It is also a great time to work toward keeping the benefits you have or to push for improvements that do not require the expenditure of additional money, say like “Officers Rights…Due Process” or other policy changes. The elected officials may very well be receptive to doing this to keep employees appeased in a time when they can’t give them other benefits. The bottom line is, things can be changed in a positive way through this process. I know because I’ve personally been a part of doing it numerous times. Does it take a little time and effort? Yes, but show me what’s worth having that doesn’t. Besides what will you have another year from now if you do nothing?
There is immense power in numbers and unity and when you add a little effort to that, you have the recipe for success. So contact a board member of you local chapter and get involved. If you don’t know who to contact call 1-800-233-3506 and ask.
REMEMBER … Everybody thought somebody would do it but then everyone realized nobody did!
Southern States PBA
