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Local 733 Adds Another Unit Of Peace Officers in Pascagoula

May 2001 IBEW Journal

It was not an ordinary organizing campaign. When 108 of the 118 deputy sheriffs in Pascagoula County, Mississippi, signed IBEW representation cards, Sheriff Mike Byrd said okay let's bargain, but the union had to hold back to verify the proper authority on county budget issues.

Actually, says Local 733 Business Manager W. D. Chico McGill, the event was unorthodox even before that. Instead of McGill making a pitch to a group of workers on the benefits of a union, McGill said, "I had the distinct feeling I was being interviewed to see if I'm the kind of business agent they want." Obviously, the deputies weren't starting from square one to ponder the issue of a union. McGill guided them through the process of getting a majority to sign IBEW recognition cards.

Most of the explanation lies in the fact the County's deputies are the third group of peace officers in the county to be represented by Local 733 in organizing efforts using McGill's slogan of "the common interest of aiding and adding to the public safety."

McGill told the local newspaper that the deputies "don't feel anyone is being treated poorly." The reason for an IBEW voice is to play a role "in training and getting up-to-date equipment." Formal negotiations had not started at the end of March, but a joint committee is establishing the groundwork by studying common practices in other contracts for county employees.

In addition to the police officers in the cities of Moss Point and Gautier, Local 733 also represents a unit of city workers in Moss Point.

Local 733 represents workers in the giant Litton Industries shipyard and was a major player in a historic new contract between the AFL-CIO Metal Trades and the Avondale shipyards. Quite unlike Sheriff Byrd, management at Avondale set records for the number of illegal labor practices during the six-year struggle for a union at Avondale before new owners took over and recognized the union in November 1999.