http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/06/10/cop-union-takes-legal-action-against-city Comments On: Cop Union Takes Legal Action Against City by Dominic Holden en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 19:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

Posted by sugarbear]]> Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:59:51 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Jack N. Dacock]]> Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:46:01 -0700 The Stranger Posted by six shooter]]> Sun, 12 Jun 2011 12:33:52 -0700 The Stranger
@12: But they'll also look at their record of success. Stafford Frey Cooper has lost -- or settled pre-trial for HUGE payouts -- a large number of their cases of late.

Experience at failure, no matter how vast, is not an asset.

(But the real question a REPORTER should be asking is:
"How much has Stafford Frey Cooper donated to the Help the Officer Fund, Fallen Officer Fund and other SPOG related charities over the last few years??")
Posted by Timrrr]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:53:14 -0700 The Stranger Posted by This is retarded]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:45:15 -0700 The Stranger Posted by tigntink]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:26:08 -0700 The Stranger
"Let's see... experience defending police officers: Stafford Frey Cooper: 100 cases; every other firm combined: 0 cases."

Sure, it's a Catch-22, but that doesn't mean they're free to disregard experience. Experience is huge - unless lawyering is somehow different from every other profession.

Would you choose the world's best heart surgeon to fix your ACL?
Posted by Free Lunch]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:42:16 -0700 The Stranger
Need to read the fine print: The contract continues IN IT'S CURRENT FORM until a new contract is signed. One of the trade-offs from not being allowed to strike.


Posted by SPOG Dog]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:12:32 -0700 The Stranger
They's abouts to get laughed outta court...
Posted by Timrrr]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:13:12 -0700 The Stranger Posted by sarah68]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:00:39 -0700 The Stranger
Insurance against lawsuits isn't the same as representation when those suits are filed. In order for SPOG to make that stick, they'd have to provide evidence that their current law firm is demonstrably better at providing legal council than some other firm, which might be pretty difficult, since they've never actually used any other firm to represent them. I would imagine an NLRB adjudicator would have to examine the case records of ALL the firms that have applied to represent SPD to make that determination, and while there's a possibility their chosen firm might come out on top, it's not necessarily a guarantee.

And using a dollar figure (the amount of money provided to the firm) doesn't - In my decidedly layman's opinion - meet that standard.

Also, if you're going to make that assertion, can you actually point to a provision in the IAM/Boeing Agreement that stipulates the union can designate the specific law firm that will represent them - at the company's expense - in any suits brought against them by outside parties?

Well Duh, @7: it's a Catch 22: SPOG says they MUST use this firm, because it's the ONLY FIRM they've ever allowed to represent their members. Therefore, no other firm could possibly be as successful, because they've never been hired to do so before. But that's not the issue. There may be other firms that could be just as successful as SFC in terms of representation, but how would anyone know that if they're never allowed to represent in the first place?
Posted by COMTE]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:29:44 -0700 The Stranger
Stafford Frey Cooper has more experience defending the police than any firm in the city. (How long have they had that contract?) So give SPOG a break for not considering the lowest bidder equivalent.
Posted by Free Lunch]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:20:58 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Swearengen]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:27:29 -0700 The Stranger no less benefits for false arrest insurance than is currently enjoyed."

It says the city can't reduce the benefit from what they had before. And they city wants to offer lawyering worth $800,000 less. You get the lawyer you pay for. Ask O.J. Simpson.

If this was the Boeing machinists being told they had to accept a substitute for services that the contract said would be "no less benefits" then Strangerland would have no trouble knowing whose side to take. But there's a different standard for the cop union contract.
Posted by The Wretched Harmony]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:24:48 -0700 The Stranger Posted by Hawke]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:15:37 -0700 The Stranger
SPOG can't join Holmes' committee without undermining their argument that Holmes' committee violates their contract.
Posted by six shooter]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:41:20 -0700 The Stranger Posted by bitwise]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:16:43 -0700 The Stranger union arguing on the premise of collective bargaining, a decidedly left-wing ideal.

Who's the socialist now, SPOG?
Posted by Baconcat]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:53:54 -0700 The Stranger