SJPA Responds To Commission Complaint

The Saint John Police Association learned a complaint was filed against by the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners through the media.

The commission says the association has failed to negotiate in good faith and make reasonable efforts to get a collective agreement.

It says the union only took part in face-to-face meetings for about two hours.

SJPA president, Constable Duane Squires, says he was speaking to Saint John police chief Stephan Drolet and the commissions’ chief negotiator James LeMesurier on Friday afternoon and the complaint wasn’t mentioned.

“Nobody in the negotiating room are the people that are speaking which is fine. I understand that Ed Keyes is the spokesperson for the police commission as the chair but, I see it a little differently than he’s portraying it, that’s all,” Squires said.

Squires says in January on a day set aside for talks, the parties exchanged proposals and requested to return after lunch for discussion and were told no as they had appointments.

He says the association believes they never intended to negotiate with them.

Squires said they want to negotiate the best they can but, they also have to consider the health and wellness of their members.

“And how I described it to my members and to the members of the members of the police commission negotiating committee was that their proposal was disgusting,” Squires said.

SJPA Media Release: Response to Complaint https://t.co/9v0X0NQ1iw

— SJ Police Assoc (@sjpoliceassoc) March 7, 2020

As a long-serving police officer, Duane Squires says he’s concerned about sustainability as the youngest member of the negotiating committee who will be around the longest.

“I want the Saint John Police Force to be the best it can be, I believe it is the best police force but, when you get hung up on certain aspects of what you believe to be an issue from people who are not police officers, I believe you have a difficult time understanding it,” Squires said.

The Saint John Police Association takes issue with what they call the arbitrary wage escalation policy that is tied to assessment-based growth in Saint John.

They claim this makes it impossible to conduct negotiations on wages adding nowhere in the country are wages for police officers tied to growth assessments.

Squires says it can take 26 or 27 years to become a sergeant meaning the person with four years on the job is making the same as the person with 25 years’ experience.

He says the wage escalation policy of 1.36 per cent for 2020 “isn’t going to cut it.”

On March 3rd, The Saint John Police Association requested Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder convene an arbitration board and informed the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners of this request.

Squires said he now hopes Minister Holder doesn’t allow this complaint to interfere with their request.