WPPA By-Laws Create New Division
By Gordon E. McQuillen – WPPA Director of Legal Services
At the 2005 Convention, WPPA Delegates adopted a series of By-law amendments, some of which recognize the increasing numbers of civilian employees who have chosen the WPPA as their bargaining representative. In addition, the WPPA, Inc., Articles of Incorporation were amended to reflect necessary changes in the way we do business.
According to the new By-laws, the WPPA’s mission includes the representation of civilian employees who are in police-related employment with municipalities in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Along with the amendment which acknowledges the broader base of the parent organization, the By-laws now clarify the standards which the WPPA will review before agreeing to represent civilian employees: the size of the proposed local associations, the geographic proximity of the proposed local to existing locals, and, most important, whether the law enforcement officers employed by the same municipality are WPPA members.
The By-laws also now call for the creation of a new WPPA Division, to parallel the services now offered to members in the Law Enforcement Employee Relations (LEER) division and Supervisory Officers Relations Division (SORD). The new division will be known as the Civilian Employee Relations Division (CERD), which will have its own committee to address issues that are unique to the civilian members of the WPPA.
Perhaps the most significant amendment to the By-laws was an historic change in the composition of the WPPA Board of Directors, increasing the number of directors from the long-standing 28 members to 29, with one seat on the Board designated as being for a representative of CERD. The By-laws also called for the appointment of the first CERD Director of the Board by the WPPA President for a one-year term. Thereafter, the CERD members will elect their Director in the same manner as other Directors are elected.
At the close of the 2005 Convention, WPPA President Dave Mahoney appointed Bobbi Hicken as the CERD Director for a one-year term.
Ms Hicken is a dispatcher in Fond du Lac County. She began police dispatching in 1997 at the North Fond du Lac Police Department. In 2001, North Fond du Lac consolidated its dispatch services with those of the City of Fond du Lac and she became a city employee. In 2004, the City of Fond du Lac further consolidated its dispatch services with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department. Once consolidated, the county allowed the dispatch employees to break away from the jail union and start their own union. In the spring of 2004, Ms Hicken was elected president of the newly formed union, the Fond du Lac County Dispatchers Association. Since that time, the union has established by-laws and settled their first contract.
Prior to becoming a police dispatcher, Ms Hicken was a paramedic for Gold Cross Ambulance in the Fox Valley. She is married to John and they have two children, Bryce (5) and Allison (2). In her spare time, she enjoys camping and boating with her family. “I am very excited about this position and hope to represent the non-sworn on the WPPA Board of Directors to the best of my ability,” said Ms Hicken.
