Orange County and the Sheriff’s Office Employee Association reached a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this month. This week the union representing the association has requested the Orange County Commissioners Court to take action against Sheriff Lane Mooney for his transferring two deputies involved with the collective bargaining agreement to work in the Orange County Jail.
Executive Director Charley Wilkison of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas or CLEAT claimed Sheriff Mooney acted against the spirit of the new contract. Wilkison stated, “The sheriff has effectively disrupted this union’s operation and ability to represent its members by banishing local union leaders to the county jail in assignments that were newly created by the sheriff with the intent to punish the association president and treasurer by segregating these individuals to a lockdown environment.” Union President Dustin Bock and Treasurer Donathan Warner took active parts in the negotiations for the approved contract.
Sheriff Mooney refuted all the claims of retribution made by CLEAT concerning his transferring Bock and Warner to the Orange County Jail. He insisted vehemently the moves were not done out of retaliation.
The sheriff said the statement by CLEAT was typical of their history of bashing people when the union representatives do not get their way. Mooney reminded, “If you recall they did the same thing during the collective bargaining negotiations and again they’re using the same bully tactics now.”
Mooney refused to discuss any internal action or reassignments within the Sheriff’s Office. Mooney did elaborate that he transferred Warner to the jail to take care of some issues there the Sheriff’s Office had at that time. Mooney said he was going to return Warner to his previous position on the street, but Warner has since left the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for a position with another law enforcement department.
County Judge John Gothia was asked by KOGT whether he would take any action in response to the letter from CLEAT to prevent the sheriff from transferring employees in the Sheriff’s Office. “CLEAT and their group I’m assuming that they know that we, myself and the Court, have no say so over any elected official including the sheriff in how he runs his department or where he puts his people or how he moves his people,” Gothia replied.
The judge indicated he and the Commissioners have jurisdiction over the budget of the various county departments, but have no authority over department personnel. Gothia added, “At some point we’ll sit down and talk to CLEAT about that, but they know that we don’t have that say so, I think that’s more just a media ploy used to try to get what they want.”
The new approved contract is for two years starting on December 8, 2021 through September 30, 2023. There is also a two-year grace period for future negotiations to renew the contract at that time.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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