There is a fable of unknown origin about a scorpion and a frog. The scorpion wants to cross a stream but cannot swim; the scorpion asks the frog for a ride a ride across the stream. The frog is doubtful because he fears that the scorpion will sting him. The scorpion assures the frog that he won’t sting him because if he did, they’d both die.
Of course, the frog accepts the scorpion’s assurances and allows the scorpion to ride on his back across the stream. Before reach the opposite shore, the scorpion stings the frog, and as he is dying, the frog asks the scorpion “why?” The scorpion replies that it is in his character, and they both die.
Police unions all over America, including here in Anchorage, are living out this fable, but with the Democratic Party.
The Alaska State Troopers’ union, from its formation in 1979, used the State’s management like the cabin boys on a Greek freighter.
By the late 1980s, we at the State of Alaska were tired of it, resolved to effectively confront them, and were pretty successful at it.
Anchorage, on the other hand, kowtowed to the police unions.
In my last years with the State, the Troopers would flop down the Anchorage cop contract and say, “We want what they have,” and we’d say, “Well, go to work for them.”
That’s changed a bit in the last decade or so since there is nobody left working for the State who knows what they’re doing.
I think it is accurate to say that the cop and firefighter unions own the MOA government. The brazen stupidity of Anchorage’s AO-37 gave Alaska’s unions power and influence they didn’t even have in their glory days during the pipeline construction days. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is their boy; they own him.
But now, in mid-stream, the Berkowitz administration is threatening to sting the cop union. Berkowitz and his Assembly lackeys want to rein in the cops and limit their “use of force.” Berkowitz and his liberal allies want to turn us into Portland or Seattle, where the police are just bystanders to mob violence.
In urban America, the communists, excuse me, Democrats have repudiated their previous alliance with the cop unions. In my working days, I always assumed that if I could get the cops, the supervisors, and the guys who drove the orange trucks under contract I could handle the rest of them. I think the Democrats are going to get a lesson about that.
There is no way that cops are going to support Joe Biden and that is going to trickle down into down-ticket offices. The Democrats have made their bed with the Antifa and BLM crowd, and the cop unions aren’t in that club.
Bill Evans is the prominent conservative/Republican opposition to the Leftist/unionist contenders for mayor. Evans is widely thought to be the architect of AO-37. Now the unions/lefties have a tough choice. They hate Evans, but they now have to confront the fact that the lefties will throw them under the bus.
Cop unions all over America have to confront this conundrum; they’ve been kicked to the curb by every Democrat governor and mayor in the country. I wrote the section in my book (see below) about cop and correctional officer unions about 15 years ago, and I said all a Republican had to do was promise them that they wouldn’t put a criminal justice professor or a lesbian social worker in charge of them; I don’t think that has changed.
The Democrats have managed to turn every cop in America into a Trump supporter. Their unions will stay in the Democrat fold at least publicly, but they’re gone too.
My rule in dealing with lefties in my working days was, “Let them be themselves.” I think it was a good “frog and the scorpion” rule.
Art Chance is a retired Director of Labor Relations for the State of Alaska, formerly of Juneau and now living in Anchorage. He is the author of the book, “Red on Blue, Establishing a Republican Governance,” available at Amazon.
I sure hope the tea leaves you are reading are correct Art!
No, you were correct using communists. Remember back in the 40s and 50d when we hunted down the liked of Henry Fonda, father of Hanoi Jane and exposed communists in our ranks? The people are the same, they just changed the names of the club.
I hope you are right, Art, but fear otherwise. I attended an interview of candidates for the Anchorage Assembly by the Police Union in 2000. The experience was quite interesting: Not a single question put to the candidate related the criminal justice. All related to labor issues. The cops may figure that the tide will turn in their favor eventually. And support Biden, Beltrami and whoever else, regardless.
And, BTW: All lives matter. If this statement offends or “triggers” someone, that is their problem, not mine.
The union will; the members won’t. The union leaders really like to fly first class and go to AFL-CIO conventions and such. They are pretty well divorced from their membership.
Interesting argument, but flawed. Trooper union has supported Rs regularly and they still put the social worker in charge
They’ve sometimes supported Rs. They were still a part of the GGU until after Hammond’s second election so they didn’t have an independent voice. I’m pretty sure they supported both Sheffield and Cowper. Don’t know who they supported when Hickel won, but I doubt it was Hickel, likely Croft, but we got along with them OK during Hickel. They were so thick with Knowles they didn’t need a contract or a grievance procedure, they had the Commissioner’s Office direct lines. The union itself backed Ulmer, but the membership bolted it and formed an independent pro-Murkowski group. After that I lost interest but somewhere in Palin Jim Duncan and Jake Metcalfe turned them into an AFSCME local and tried to make them the armed wing of the Democrat Party. That blew up in the last election when they bolted from the AFL-CIO and AFSCME and endorsed Dunleavy, and I’m pretty sure Dallas Massie had first right of refusal on any appointments, and they seem to like the current commissioner despite the fact that she has more than a few internal enemies.
Art, trade unions all across America have always tried to keep their members in line by voting Democrat. But Trump’s victories in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio in 2016 shows that union members like to split from the union bosses and vote for the best horse. Hillary Clinton was more like a pig. Joe Biden is more like an ostrich. Cops are always going to support the law and order candidate. Who do you think the trade union members will go to this fall?
The unions will endorse Biden and their members will vote Trump. Public employee unions other than cops and COs will endorse Biden and the majority of their members will vote for him or not vote at all. Some cop unions have already endorsed Trump and others will or not endorse at all, but the majority of their members will vote Trump.
Always a pleasure to read your articles. MRAK is blessed to have you as a regular.
I don’t pity Anchorage citizens; they voted for these evil people, so you reap what you sow. Let Anchorage fall into turmoil and let people get to see communism first hand, but leave it in Anchorage.
Actually, they knew what they were doing. They wanted this.
No, we did not but the lazy conservative base in Anchorage wouldn’t get of their dead a—es and vote, hence Berkowitz leading the clown show.
Art:
It’s been a couple of decades since you and I were in the same room to talk about issues of the day.
I work for 8 western states today, including AK DPS.
No legislature or municipality has changed a law. The expectation is the Public wants to be safe. Yet, those who would be 1st to dial 911 are taking away the few tools law enforcement has to have a fighting chance of maintaining social order.
Ken Bischoff
Former State Finance Director and Administrative Services Director at the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
Good to hear from you again, Ken. The geniuses on the MOA Assembly want to change the MOA use of force policy. I don’t know when you were last in Anchorage but much of it has become unfit for human habitation. I don’t go north of Northern Lights unless I have to and usually I’m armed if I do.
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