Seattle Police Officers Guild Statement Regarding the Termination of the Federal Consent Decree

Seattle Police Officers Guild Statement Regarding the

Termination of the Federal Consent Decree

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Consent Decree over the Seattle Police Department has thankfully come to an end. The line officers and sergeants of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) emphatically welcome Judge Robart’s decision to terminate this 14-year long saga. President Mike Solan said, “The weaponized financial grift that is the Department of Justice Consent Decree process is finally over. It’s over for the cops, the citizens, but also for those who profited from this process. Seattle’s taxpayers no longer must bear the financial DOJ Consent Decree burden, now over 220-million-dollars. With the Consent Decrees overly burdensome policy restrictions put onto Seattle’s police officers, these policies have had a detrimental impact on Seattle’s public safety. According to the latest FBI crime statistics, Seattle is now the 4th most dangerous city in the U.S. To be clear, SPOG supports DOJ Consent Decrees, but they must be reformed. We are excited that our national group UCOPS is leading the charge of reform with the DOJ Consent Decree process, and we are excited to be working with the DOJ Civil Rights Division to make the necessary reforms last.”

SPOG is proud of our rank-and-file members, who are the backbone of the Seattle Police Department. Despite the years-long noise of the Consent Decree process, they showed up to work every day, adapted to the ever-changing policies, and continued to fight hard to protect those who live and work in the City of Seattle in the parameters allowed. Despite losing half of the police force, the Seattle Police Officers Guild is still the largest police labor union in the Northwest.

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Workers File Wage Theft Class Action Against City of Seattle

For Immediate Release:

WORKERS FILE WAGE THEFT CLASS ACTION AGAINST CITY OF SEATTLE 

The lawsuit is brought on behalf of nearly 14,000 City employees

February 13, 2025 | Seattle, WA

Three unionized workers have initiated a class action lawsuit against the City of Seattle for wage theft. Their claims arise out of the City’s implementation of a new payroll system powered by Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY), which rolled out in September 2024 for all the City’s nearly 14,000 employees. The workers allege that for the past five months, the City has routinely issued paychecks and pay statements that are inaccurate and have resulted in thousands of employees being underpaid or, at times, not paid at all. In addition, employees are not receiving leave time or benefits due to them in a timely manner. Repeat errors include:

• Failure to pay for all hours worked
• Failure to pay for overtime hours
• Incorrect pay rates
• Incorrect and excessive wage deductions
• Incorrect leave accruals and deductions
• Incorrect withholding of deferred compensation
• Failure to properly transmit deferred compensation

According to the workers, these ongoing payroll problems have caused significant disruption, financial challenges, and stress. City employees have been forced to spend hours identifying and attempting to correct the errors with their paychecks. They have also faced considerable financial strain due to not being paid on time or in
full.

The workers maintain the City knew or should have known that the transition to Workday would likely cause widespread wage violations. Numerous state and local governments have encountered similar problems with Workday over the last several years, including the state of Maine, the state of Oregon, the city of Baltimore, and
the city of Los Angeles.

The workers bring claims under Seattle’s Wage Theft Ordinance, which requires the City to pay all compensation owed to employees on established pay days. They also bring claims under Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, which requires the City to maintain accurate records of the leave benefits that employees earn.

The workers seek to have the City fix or replace the Workday system. They also want an independent accounting of all wages and benefits earned and paid since the system was implemented. Finally, they want to recover all unpaid earned wages along with interest and liquidated damages for the City’s wage theft and leave violations.

Plaintiff Nathaniel Hunter, one of the three workers who brought the lawsuit, is a member of Professional & Technical Employees Local 17 (PROTEC17). He works as a Senior Engineering Specialist Supervisor with the Drainage and Wastewater Department. Plaintiff Travis Stanley is a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 27 (IAFF Local 27), and he works as a Firefighter with the Seatte Fire Department. Plaintiff Aaron Dalan is a member of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), and he works as a Sergeant with the Seattle Police Department. The three workers seek to represent a class defined as “[a]ll persons who are or have been employed by the City of Seattle at any time From September 3, 2024, through the final disposition of this action.”

“One of our core values as a union is to ensure wages are paid properly and on time,” said Karen Estevenin, Executive Director of PROTEC17. She continued: “We’ve been working with the City to correct these wage issues for months and too many employees are still left  without answers and without correct pay. PROTEC17 supports the action that these City of Seattle employees and union members have taken to correct this injustice and to ensure that everyone -whether in a union or not -is paid correctly for the important work they do. We are hopeful that this will alleviate much of the stress and frustration that employees have been dealing with over the last few months and will bring resolution to all people working at the City of Seattle.”

According to IAFF Local 27 President Kenny Stuart: “Seattle Fire Fighters show up to work every day to save lives and property in our City. We have a dangerous, stressful job and shouldn’t have to worry about paying our bills or supporting our families because of incorrect paychecks and missing benefits. These problems have gone on for too long and they need to be fixed immediately. The City depends on us and we should be able to depend on our
paycheck.

SPOG President Mike Solan said, “All City of Seattle employees expect the city to properly compensate them for the work they do for our diverse Seattle community. It is mind numbing to witness that same employer fail to meet those reasonable expectations of compensation due to the city’s misguided migration to Workday. SPOG fully supports this class action lawsuit against the City of Seattle and hopefully, all city employees will find closure for their families.”

AFSCME Council 2 President/Executive Director Michael Rainey said: “The city’s ongoing payroll issues have profoundly affected hardworking public service workers who provide essential services to the citizens of Seattle every day. These employees depend on accurate and timely paychecks. These failures of the new payroll system have resulted in frustration and significant financial hardship, as workers are left to resolve paycheck errors themselves and deal with late or incomplete payments. The City of Seattle is responsible for ensuring their payroll systems function for their employees—not against them. Addressing this issue in a prompt and accurate manner is more than just correcting paychecks; it’s about safeguarding fundamental workplace rights.

“Teamsters Local 117 stands with our Labor allies and all workers on this issue,” said Paul Dascher, Secretary Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. “Every worker should be able to rely on being compensated appropriately and timely by their employers as required by law. The City of Seattle needs to get their act together!”

“IBEW46 members deserve to be paid correctly and on time,” said Sean Bagsby, Business Manager/Financial Secretary of IBEW 46. “They have been affected by Workday issues for over 5 months, draining time and energy better spent on serving city residents.”

Dale W. Cannon, Secretary/Treasurer and Business Manager of Laborers, LiUNA Local 242 said: “Workday has been nothing short of a nightmare from the day it was initiated. Consistently our members have not been paid correctly for their work in keeping the City of Seattle operating. The City has failed to correct their systemic errors, resulting in non-payment of wages, sick leave, holiday pay, shift differential, retirement pensions, deferred comp and Union dues to each of the represented Unions. Laborers Local Union 242 stands in firm solidarity with all Unions and our City of Seattle members who have been economically impacted by Workday.”

“Since the inception of Workday our members haven’t been paid correctly,” said Steve Kovac, Business Representative for IBEW 77. “This system wasn’t tested by city employees or departments. It was never run in parallel; every other new system does this to check for problems. Seattle IT has a whole group that does testing of new systems, and they were not used in this process. We have had members denied home refinancing because of incorrect and incomplete pay stubs. Members deferred comp and child support payments were not
made on time, leading to members being told they were if default and threatened with legal action. Pay stubs with so many entries and abbreviations that members have no idea what they have been paid for. All of the hard-working city employees to need to be paid properly and on time. Members reached out to file wage theft complaints against the city only to be told that city employees are not covered by the wage theft laws the council enacted.”

A copy of the class action complaint that was filed in King County Superior Court is attached. Representing the workers are Toby Marshall and Elizabeth Adams of Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLC and Richard Myers of Bennett Hartman LLP.

UNION CONTACT INFORMATION:

AFSCME Council 2
Michael Rainey, President/Executive Director
425-303-8818
C2Everett@Council2.com

International Association of Fire Fighters Local 27
Kenny Stuart, President
kstuart@iaff27.org

IBEW 77
Steve Kovac, Business Representative
206-471-8520
stevekovact@ibew77.com

LiUNA 242
Dale W. Cannon, Secretary/Treasurer and Business Manager
dale@laborerslocal242.com

PROTEC17
Deidre Girard, Communications Director
206-328-7321 ext. 130
deidre@protec17.org

Seattle Police Officers Guild
Sean Kelly, Media Relations
media@seattlepoliceofficers.org

Teamsters 117
Paul Zilly, Communications Director
Paul.Zilly@Teamsters117.org

Seattle Police Officers Guild Statement Regarding Uniformed Officers Being Banned from the Seattle Pride Parade

The Seattle Police Officers Guild once again strongly disagrees with the decision to ban uniformed Seattle Police officers from marching in Seattle’s Pride Parade.  In response SPOG President Mike Solan said, “SPOG members took an oath to serve our entire community equally and without discrimination.  It’s a shame to see that the commitment to equality and inclusion doesn’t flow in both directions.”

Solan added the following on the banishment of uniformed Seattle Officers from Pride events, “Banning uniformed Seattle Police officers from Pride events is disgusting, bigoted, discriminatory and contradicts our community’s beautiful inclusive LGBTQ message. SPOG LGBTQ members serve our community with distinction and pride. They value inclusiveness and demand respect not only for proudly being LGBTQ but for serving our community as police officers. Anyone that believes in their banishment has no place in Seattle and does not believe in the inclusive LGBTQ message. To date, close to 600 police officers have left our agency. The bigoted decisions banning uniformed officers from Pride events do not aid in stopping this mass exodus of cops. All we ask as SPOG members is some reasonable messaging of support from our elected officials and people in positions of power/influence. Police are fantastic human beings especially SPOG members.”

The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild represents officers and sergeants within SPD. They are currently working under an expired labor contract now 2.5 years and counting. It’s time the city delivers a fair and competitive labor contract. The Seattle community cannot stand to lose more of our professional police officers. Public Safety continues to be at risk.

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Seattle Police Officers Guild Statement Regarding the Compliance Agreement Filed with the Department of Justice

Today the joint compliance agreement filing between the City of Seattle and the Department of Justice memorializes the significant steps that SPOG members have taken to make the Seattle Police Department the model of public safety reform and the most transparent police agency in the country.

In response, Seattle Police Officers Guild president Mike Solan commented: “Despite losing almost 600 officers since 2020, we’ve done the hard work required and now it’s time for Mayor Harrell and the City Council to do their part and deliver a fair and competitive contract to our officers.  This will ensure the retention of our current officers, and the ability to recruit the finest candidates for future policing careers in Seattle.”

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Statements from City of Seattle Leaders on Memphis Police Video

Seattle – Today, City of Seattle elected and public safety leaders released the following statements regarding video released of the beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

Statement from Mayor Bruce Harrell:

“The appalling, egregious, heinous beating death of Tyre Nichols is devastating – for his family, for his community, and for all of us. Unconscionable violence has no role in policing and is in direct opposition to keeping people safe. This is the kind of event that compromises and erodes trust in law enforcement not just in Memphis, but in cities and communities across the country. While the officers responsible have been terminated and charged, additional investigations and actions must create further accountability. Proactive, preventative measures, like those we have pioneered in Seattle, must be at the forefront of reform, not an afterthought when tragedies like this occur. I am proud that our Seattle Police Officers have openly rejected this injustice and violence.

“We feel for Tyre’s family and for the people of Memphis, and we are committed to ensuring something like this does not happen in Seattle. The last several years in Seattle and Washington state have demonstrated our commitment to equitable and constitutional policing and diversified responses, along with showcasing how deliberative legislative action and community engagement can advance those goals.

“George Floyd’s murder was an inspiration for my run for mayor, based on a belief that unjust force, racism, and bias in policing can and must be eradicated by elevating true public safety for all communities through an embrace of human dignity, accountability, and innovation. We work with officers every day to ensure a culture that embodies de-escalation, respect, and community values. We are also advancing solutions to diversify emergency response and ensure all people get the care they need. This work must continue in our policies and in our practice.

“There is always room to learn, grow, and improve – and it is always the right time to stand against injustice. I encourage Seattle residents to continue pushing for true safety and accountability in systems of policing across the country, recognizing that this vision is best realized through thoughtful dialogue and peaceful demonstration.”

Statement from City Council President Debora Juarez:

“The death of Tyre Nichols stands in opposition to everything we aim to achieve in a trusted and effective police department. My Council colleagues and I stand united with community members across the city, dedicated to guaranteeing constitutional, accountable policing in Seattle. Nothing is more critical to driving real accountability for officers and our department than a strong and comprehensive accountability system. Working with the mayor, SPD, our accountability offices and partners, and our Seattle community, we will continue pursuing necessary reforms and creative new ideas to deliver transparency, safety, and fairness for every Seattle resident. As we lament Tyre’s unnecessary and tragic death, I welcome continued reflection and ongoing conversation with our community to further move SPD forward, so this kind of police violence cannot happen here.”

Statement from Chief of Police Adrian Z. Diaz:

“I have been monitoring the recent death of a community member in Memphis, Tennessee. This incident has caused great concern at the police officer response and was so horrific the Memphis police chief immediately terminated the officers involved. What happened to Tyre Nichols should not have happened, and I grieve his loss. 

“The Seattle Police Department still has work to do to ensure the equitable treatment of all people. However, I also want to highlight the significant progress this department is making to be responsive to community needs, address public safety, and hold officers accountable for their actions. I am committed to having the right policies, procedures, training, and accountability processes in place to ensure what happened to Mr. Nichols never occurs in our city because of changes we’ve made within SPD.

“Across the department, we are 100% focused on providing equitable public safety services for all people. Use of Force by SPD officers decreased 48% in 2021 compared to 2015. Complaints to the Office of Police Accountability fell by 50% in 2022 compared to 2019.

“SPD also acknowledges the vision of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s One Seattle requires fair public safety, and our policies reflect the recommendations by members of the community and our accountability partners, including the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of Police Accountability, and the Community Police Commission.

“Everyone at the Seattle Police Department understands people may be inspired to voice their on-going concerns about the criminal justice system in Memphis, Tennessee and throughout our country, and we support the First Amendment rights of everyone. SPD simply requests that, if you gather, please do so peacefully while respecting the rights of others.”

Statement from Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan:

“The Seattle Police Officers Guild is outraged at the actions of these Memphis officers. Their egregious acts of violence are not only disgraceful, they are categorically not policing. This incident is in complete opposition to everything we stand for.

“SPOG members take an oath to protect and serve, and we live that oath every day by treating all residents of Seattle with respect, equity, and genuine care.

“As officers, we aim to fight injustice, and wish we could have stopped or prevented this terrible crime. But instead our role is now to speak out against this injustice, and then let our actions speak even louder than words.

“We have embraced the many changes within SPD meant to prevent a death like Tyre Nichols’ from happening here, and we will continue to uphold our high standard of conduct with true professionalism.

“We know this incident has devastated the citizens of Memphis and we wish them strength as they begin a difficult journey to heal as a community.”

Joint Press Conference Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2022
Contacts: Mike Solan, Mike Mansanarez, Dennis Folk
mail@seattlepoliceguild.org, mike@kcpog.com, dennis.folk@kccguild.org

Joint Press Conference Announcement

Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: King County Administration Building (Plaza) 500 4th Ave. Seattle, WA 98104

The Seattle Police Officers Guild, King County Police Officers Guild and the King County Corrections Guild will be addressing the public safety crisis that is engulfing Seattle and King County. Representing over 2000 public safety officers, they will layout a direct course of action that will lead to a significantly safer Seattle and King County region.

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SPOG’s Response to the Pride Parade’s Ban of Uniformed Officers

The Seattle Police Officers Guild strongly disagrees with the decision to ban uniformed Seattle Police officers from marching in today’s Pride Parade.  In response SPOG President Mike Solan said, “SPOG members took an oath to serve our entire community equally and without discrimination.  It’s a shame to see that the commitment to equality and inclusion doesn’t flow in both directions.”

Solan added the following on the banishment of uniformed Seattle Officers from Pride events, “Banning uniformed Seattle Police officers from Pride events is disgusting, bigoted, discriminatory and contradicts our community’s beautiful inclusive LGBTQ message. Our LGBTQ members serve our community with distinction and pride. They value inclusiveness and demand respect not only for proudly being LGBTQ but for serving our community as police officers. Anyone that believes in their banishment has no place in Seattle and does not believe in the inclusive LGBTQ message. To date, close to 500 police officers have left our agency. The bigoted decisions banning uniformed officers from Pride events do not aid in stopping this mass exodus of cops. All we ask as SPOG members is some reasonable messaging of support from our elected officials and people in positions of power/influence. Police are fantastic human beings especially SPOG members.”

The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild is the largest police labor group on the Pacific Northwest. We represent line officers and sergeants.

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Open Letter to Mayor Harrell to Address Seattle’s Violent Crime Wave

Seattle’s Public Safety, at a Tipping Point
Open Letter to Mayor Bruce Harrell

Public safety in Seattle is at a tipping point. As politicians realize their support of defunding the police was short sighted, we as a community are now dealing with the inevitable results. Sadly, in just two years, our city has lost almost half of its police officers. This grim reality has unfortunately spawned an alarming rise of violent crime. Each day, the citizens of Seattle are left to deal with the fallout of shootings, homicides, robberies and violent assaults as the scales of justice hang in the balance.

Moreover, our entire state is dealing with the reality of Seattle’s crime wave as our violence has spread to other communities. To address this alarming crime wave, our state’s politicians are now rewriting last year’s police reform laws to reflect a more moderate interpretation. While not perfect (when viewed by a reasonable officer), this is positive news.

Mayor Harrell’s promise to get control of Seattle’s public safety dilemma is also positive news. His commitment to hitting the “reset button” with the city council is politically sound and the right thing to do. We, as the city’s police officers, fully support his endeavor. As our police budget is in the hands of the council, Mayor Harrell’s success is ultimately tied to our success. Wouldn’t this then ultimately lead to Seattle’s success?

Success is what we all should strive for in our community. It is blatantly clear that Seattle is desperate for more qualified officers. The mayor must act immediately to tip the staffing scales. Equally as important to recruitment is Mayor Harrell voicing public support for our current officers. This act alone would have a profound positive impact for retaining those officers and improving morale among the rank and file. Failing to do so will be considered as more of the same from City Hall and the unprecedented loss of officers will continue to increase as will the city’s violent crime.

The overwhelming majority of Seattle police officers conduct quality policing. We take great pride in our service to Seattle; knowing that we are national law enforcement leaders in crisis response, de-escalation, training, accountability and reform. In fact, in early 2020, just before George Floyd’s murder, SPD was considered by Mayor Durkan to be a “model of police agency reform” and formally requested the DOJ to lift the Federal Settlement Agreement. Unfortunately, soon thereafter, politics prevailed over public safety, and City Hall rescinded their termination request and started Seattle down our current path of violence.

It is with all of this in mind, that I invite Mayor Harrell to open the lines of communication with SPOG; to begin charting a new path of collaboration and to put public safety before politics. Together we can remedy Seattle’s public safety crisis.

Seattle is worth saving. Wouldn’t you agree Mayor Harrell?

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K9 Officer JEDI EOW 1-5-22

The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild mourns the loss of one of our own. Yesterday K9 Officer Jedi was stabbed to death protecting his partner, other officers and our community from a person in crisis armed with a knife and a machete. Just minutes before Jedi’s death, the suspect had broken into two homes near the Seattle Police Department’s South Precinct. During Jedi’s attempted apprehension of the suspect, Jedi’s police handler was also stabbed. Thankfully he will make a full recovery.

 

SPOG’s President Mike Solan said the following on Jedi’s passing, “Jedi and his partner were an incredible police canine team and were an asset for our officers and our community. For the past five years, they’ve apprehended countless violent criminals, protected our officers and the public from harm and were lauded as one of the best Seattle Police K9 teams in SPD’s history. Losing a K9 officer is a gut punch especially given all that our members have endured in the past two years. Jedi’s loyalty to his partner was pure, real and humbling. There is no doubt that he saved the life of his partner yesterday. Rest in peace Jedi, you will forever be part of our pack and you died a HERO.”

 

If you would like to donate in Jedi’s honor, please donate to The Retired Seattle Police Canine Fund:  http://www.retiredpolicedogs.com/ The Retired Seattle Police Canine Fund is a 501(c)(3) who distributes monies and services for the care and maintenance of retired Seattle Police Canines.

K9 Officer JEDI EOW 1-5-22.

Police Unions Launch Website to Expose the ACLU’s Negative Impact on Public Safety

Police Unions Launch Website to Expose

the ACLU’s Negative Impact on Public Safety

ACLU-Watch.com will catalog their anti-victim, pro-criminal agenda

 

Seattle, WA – The old ACLU was once a strong defender of our nation’s sacred first amendment, often taking unpopular clients and causes to prevent censorship and protect the freedom of expression. Unfortunately, today’s ACLU appears to be more interested in protecting and expanding the rights of sex offenders, murderers, thieves and molesters while attempting to curtail the rights of victims who are seeking justice.

 

ACLU-Watch.com is populated with actual positions the ACLU has taken, such as:

 

  • Opposing a law in Ohio to require those that masturbate in view of or expose themselves to children to register as a sex offender, or
  • Opposing a law in Nevada to increase penalties for child sex crimes, or
  • Supporting California’s Proposition 47 that has fueled the smash and grab thefts captured on video, removed the court’s ability to order rehabilitation for habitual drug offenders and changed many felonies to misdemeanors, or
  • Opposing a law in Michigan to extend the statute of limitations for both civil and criminal cases of sexual assault against children, or
  • Opposed a law in Pennsylvania to expand victim rights and allow children to testify via video and allow witnesses with autism to testify outside a court setting, or
  • Supporting California’s Proposition 57 that the ACLU told voters would only apply to non-violent offenders seeking early release from prison. In fact, Gregory Gadlin, convicted of forcible rape, forcible child molestation and assault with a deadly weapon is now eligible for release under Proposition 57 provisions.

 

“ACLU-Watch.com is designed to expose the very real and dangerous positions, policies and programs the ACLU is promoting. Our research validates that the ACLU has lost its way and is clearly more interested in zero bail, reducing felonies to misdemeanors, lowering accountability for drug offenses and fighting for the rights of molesters, murderers, and thieves instead of victims and law abiding residents,” said Mike Solan, SPOG President. “Voters beware, if the ACLU is behind a law or ballot measure where you live there is a high likelihood that it won’t make you safer,” Solan added.

The website will be updated with new categories and new material from virtually every state in the union. The ACLU-Watch project is funded by the San Jose Police Officers Association, Los Angeles Police Protective League, San Francisco Police Officers Association, Seattle Police Officers Guild, San Diego Police Officers Association, Sacramento Police Officers Association, and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.

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