By Jim Cline
In a recent blog article, we cited the recent difficulties involving the City of Mountlake Terrace and its police department. Although many of those issues involved Assistant City Manager Scott Hugill, a fair number of the issues involved Police Chief Greg Wilson. In a decision just released by PERC hearing examiner Robin Romeo, Wilson was found to have committed numerous ULPs.
The decision covers a number of important areas, including some precedent-setting issues. We will provide you a more detailed description of all the important rulings in an additional blog article, in the very near future. The Guild’s post hearing brief, which contains a number of the details is posted here.
The major violations issued against Wilson included:
- Unilaterally withholding pay step increases;
- Unilaterally changing Collision Review Board procedures;
- Unilaterally using video camera system for disciplinary surveillance purposes;
- Refusing to answer Guild’s questions about how the video system was to be used;
- Refusing to allow Guild representative to speak at Loudermill hearing;
- Refusing to communicate with the Guild’s attorney.
This ULP is only one of many problems for the City. Since Chief Wilson’s arrival, the City was forced to settle a large retaliation lawsuit after losing in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, provided Sgt. Mark Connor nearly a year and a half of front wages after he presented a wrongful discharge grievance, and was found to a wrongfully discharged officer Tam Guthrie and ordered to reinstate him with back wages.
The City of Mountlake Terrace also has two other pending ULP complaints involving numerous allegations of unlawful unilateral changes and Guild retaliation. More information about those pending ULPs is contained here. As we ended our last blog entry on the City of Mountlake Terrace: “Obviously, more will be heard about Mountlake Terrace and its managers in the months ahead.”
