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Morton, Joseph

Critics glad same-sex plan is out Omaha World Herald, April 15th 2004

LENGTH: 568 words

HEADLINE: Critics glad same-sex plan is out The police union drops the benefits from contract talks, but the issue may resurface.

BYLINE: By Joseph Morton

SOURCE: WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

BODY:

    Critics of same-sex benefits for Omaha city employees welcomed news Thursday that the police union was dropping such benefits from a proposed labor contract.

    Supporters of the proposal for limited benefits, meanwhile, said the move is a slap in the face for gay and lesbian officers who want the same benefits that their married colleagues receive.

    Sources familiar with the contract negotiations said police union leaders dropped their request for the benefits Wednesday.

    The move comes amid concern that union members might reject the contract when they vote next week if the agreement includes the benefits.

    But a homicide sergeant who wants the benefits said there was no consensus against the proposal and criticized union leaders for backing down from their initial position.

    "The union (negotiating team) did not have the courage to stay on course," said Sgt. Michele Bang, a 10-year Omaha police veteran who lives with her longtime female domestic partner.

    A tentative agreement negotiated by the union and Mayor Mike Fahey would have allowed officers with same-sex domestic partners some medical and funeral leave for their partners and their families.

    Union President Tim Andersen declined to comment until after union voting on the contract closes next Friday. Fahey has said he will not discuss the contract until it is finalized.

    The City Council, which must approve the contract, has been divided on the benefits issue.

    Councilman Chuck Sigerson, who opposes the benefits for financial, legal and moral reasons, had asked the union to remove the same-sex benefits from the proposed contract.

    "I'm not sure if it was my request or a lot of people's requests, but the bottom line is - it was the result we wanted," Sigerson said when told of the union's decision.

    Officer Virgil Patlan said the Omaha Police Department is "a pretty conservative department." He said most officers oppose the benefits.

    "It's a moral issue - we would be recognizing the lifestyle," Patlan said. "They're already getting equal pay, and we get the same benefits. It's just that there is a recognized order that marriage is between a man and a woman."

    Councilman Marc Kraft, who supports the benefits, said union leaders dropping the issue was worse than if they had never included them in the contract. The issue is going to surface again and again, he said.

    "It's an issue whose time has come, and it's the right thing to do," Kraft said.

    Kraft said the council might investigate whether it can address the issue with an ordinance.

    At regularly scheduled union meetings Tuesday, Sgt. Bang said a couple of members raised questions about the benefits, but there was not a consensus against the proposal.

    Officers who have talked to Bang either asked questions about the benefits or expressed their support, she said. None told her they oppose the benefits.

    Bang estimated that those affected by the benefits make up at least 3 to 4 percent of the police force and on average have served 10 years with the department.

    "We're talking ninety to one hundred thousand dollars of our dues have gone to this union," Bang said. "We deserve the same representation as everybody in the union."

    Bang said she and other officers will discuss leaving the union or going to the legal system to pursue the benefits.

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