Jeffrey Hirsch, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The reasons have a lot to do with the nature of unions as representative of workers’ views, as well as the importance of protecting their right to bargain.
Police organizations in the United States have become political players in the election. This is due to politicians’ responses to the Black Lives Matter and anti-police brutality movements.
George Floyd’s death has thrust police unions into the spotlight amid a growing recognition that they are not part of the U.S. labor movement but a narrow interest group pursuing their self-interests.
Across the United States, police are shielded from both public and departmental accountability by multiple layers of contractual and legislative protections.