23 Mar 2011 If the Fraternal Order of Police is Not a Union, Someone Forgot to Tell Its Members

A telephone solicitor from the Fraternal Order of Police told me today that the FOP is not a union (details here).

Apparently, quite a few local “lodges” of the Fraternal Order of Police didn’t get that memo. Many of them are under the impression that the FOP is, in fact, a union.

You be the judge.

Main page of Arizona Fraternal Order of Police website:

The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a full service law enforcement union. The benefits of membership include access to the best legal plan available to law enforcement, aggressive employment representation, effective political relationships at the local, state and national level and a reputation for taking care of our membership. Make the right choice… The Fraternal Order of Police.

Main page of Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police website:

Welcome to the official web site of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Lodge #3. FOP Lodge #3 is the Union that represents the close to five thousand (5,000) active and retired police officers of the Baltimore Police Department.

About us page of Chicago Fraternal Order of Police website:

…in November of 1980 when Chicago Police Officers citywide elected Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge No. 7 as their collective bargaining agent. At this important milestone John Dineen was President and James Lis was Recording Secretary.

Hard work and determination led to negotiating the first contract in history for Chicago Police Officers when on August 19, 1981 the collective bargaining agreement was signed and ratified.

When our first contract was ratified Chicago Lodge No. 7 became the Union for 8,202 officers.

The website for the District of Columbia Fraternal Order of Police begins:

Welcome to the Website of the D.C. Police Union

This website has been designed for the hard working and dedicated members of the District of Columbia Police Union, Fraternal Order of Police, Metropolitan Police Department Labor Committee (FOP). The FOP is composed of the approximately 3600 police officers, detectives and sergeants of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.

The main page of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police website says:

We are the labor union for Police Officers in the City of Philadelphia. The Fraternal Order of Police represents 14,600 Active and Retired officers of the Philadelphia Police and Sheriffs Department. We vigilantly protect, promote and improve the working conditions, legal rights, salary compensation, pensions & benefits of Philadelphia police officers.

This union continually works to ensure the city provide our police officers with the best training, equipment and support, enabling them to complete this very dangerous job. We provide a voice for our officers who are indeed the thin blue line.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council website gets right to the point:

“We’re Your Union!”

Maybe the Fraternal Order of Police is not a union. Maybe all those websites are lying.