DSS Grievance

If anyone keeps track of the General Orders, especially during Exam time, the Department amended one about the District Operations, Field Lieutenant, DSS and Operational Lieutenant Duties. We still don't know why they got rid of the Desk Sergeant (and all acting Desk Sergeants), but now the Department appears to be eliminating the Lieutenant rank and the meaning behind it. The Sergeants are again grieving the out-of-grade provision:

• OT: Sergeants' association filed a grievance about the new DSS order. Sergeants received an email from Ade. Ade mentioned how sergeants won the DSS acting of out-of-grade grievance and the city is attempting to circumvent that decision. One would think the fact that our contract recently passed city council and the changes was never mentioned during negotiations would also be an issue.
  
  How does the city negotiate a contract for a year, then even before the new contract takes effect, changes the roles and responsibilities of a sergeant? Why does any union sit at the table with the city?
  
  If it ain't broke don't fix it. Everything was fine before the idiots started changing our department. Never should have changed the desk sgt and watch commander positions! Since that was done we have had nothing but problems. New sergeants have no experience to guide them, what a shame.

We got an e-mail from someone on the Lieutenants Board of Directors. It seems Gulliford admitted during a recent meeting that the only reason for this changing of the Sergeant duties is that Rahm is pissed the Sergeants dared to win their grievance and ordered that no one is to ever receive out-of-grade pay again. That includes acting Desk Sergeants, acting FTO's (hence the order detailing unattended PPO's to Sergeants and Desks) and ET's (no more crime lab pay). Lieutenants already lost their out-of-grade opportunities and Captains (XO's) don't get anything for acting up as Commanders anymore.

At the meeting, it was also revealed that every exempt there agreed that this was a bunch of bullshit, but no one wanted to buck Rahm and McJerseyShore, so they're eating it. The feeling was also that the "squad policing" concept is doomed, but no one dares speak up against a program that sucked so bad, New York discontinued it 10 years ago.

Great examples of leadership we got here.