ODB Memo
                             

Dallas Police/Fire Coalition Deeply Troubled By Greater Dallas Chamber Position on Pay Referendum

Dallas, Texas ? The Pay for Excellence Coalition of Dallas police and fire employee associations, including the Dallas Black Fire Fighter?s Association, the Dallas Hispanic Fire Fighter?s Association, the Dallas Fire Fighter?s Association, the Dallas Police Association, the Dallas Police Patrolman?s Union, the Latino Peace Officer?s Association and the Texas Peace Officer?s Association, is deeply troubled by the potential release of a position statement by the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce (GDCC.) The GDCC Position Statement illustrates how far out of touch big business in Dallas is with the community at large.

Forty-three thousand (43,000) men and women who live, work and own businesses in Dallas signed their names to the petition calling for the Referendum. These are Dallas taxpayers and voters. These are concerned, active citizens who have taken the position that Dallas public safety must be robust and that it requires competitive pay today.

"The Chamber is completely out of touch with what?s going on," said Glenn M. White, President of the Dallas Police Association (DPA). "Dallas Police and Fire Departments are increasingly understaffed with little hope of competing for new recruits. The vast majority of people see that dwindling public safety manpower is adversely affecting the entire city, including business. Even the Mayor said getting back to basics is the key to economic growth. What?s more basic than public safety," asked White.

The police and fire coalition united in its historic competitive pay initiative almost one year ago, with the specific goal of making Dallas pay competitive, resulting in a prosperous environment in which to do business. With chronic understaffing, in both police and fire departments, Dallas will never realize its full potential as a great corporate home or a world-class city, if the most basic of city service (police and fire protection) is not aggressively addressed immediately.

A draft copy of the GDCC Position Statement was obtained by the police and fire Coalition and is attached. This draft statement contains numerous statements that draw attention away from the core issue of competitive pay and that are inaccurate or misleading. To accurately address and clarify the issues, the Coalition has drafted the responses attached.

The police/fire coalition will continue a positive and informative campaign stressing the importance and urgency of competitive pay between now and May 4^th. Dallas is, in fact, in a bidding war with suburban public safety departments as well as state and federal agencies, for the best and brightest public safety professionals. This is one war Dallas cannot afford to lose. Competitive Pay is vital, it is attainable and it is affordable.