Austin, TX – The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) is calling on Orange County leaders to resume collective bargaining negotiations with members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, arguing that an ongoing legal dispute in neighboring Jefferson County does not prevent Orange County from negotiating a new agreement.
In an Aug. 17 statement, CLEAT said Orange County has cited pending litigation involving the Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Jefferson County as justification for refusing to bargain on a new collective bargaining agreement.
CLEAT disputes that position.
According to CLEAT Executive Director Robert Leonard, the Jefferson County case stems from a dispute over the exclusion of detention and corrections officers from the collective bargaining process.
“To set the record straight,” Leonard said, “CLEAT responded with legal action on behalf of our local association in Jefferson County after the Sheriff took it upon herself to exclude detention/corrections officers from the collective bargaining process; a right they’ve enjoyed for decades in Jefferson County.”
CLEAT said that case is currently before an appellate court and maintained that it has no bearing on collective bargaining involving Orange County employees.
The association also addressed claims circulating on social media concerning dispatchers. CLEAT said Texas Local Government Code Chapter 174 covers employees operating in a law enforcement capacity and argued that dispatchers have not been parties to collective bargaining agreements, even when permitted to belong to local law enforcement associations.
CLEAT is now publicly urging Orange County officials to return to negotiations.
“Orange County needs to follow the law, get back to the table, and bargain a new contract,” Leonard said.
The statement represents CLEAT’s position in the ongoing labor dispute. No response from Orange County officials was included in the release.