>????????h Carolina’s State Capital Police Officers voted overwhelmingly recently to join Local 391. With the vote, 40 of the 55 officers who work in Raleigh’s State House in Raleigh became the latest group of law enforcement officers in North Carolina to affiliate with the Teamsters.

Jack Cipriani, International Vice President and President of Greensboro based Local 391, congratulated the group for joining the Teamsters.

“Police officers are joining the Teamsters primarily because they hope the union’s clout in Raleigh and Washington can help them achieve better lives for their families and better retirements,” Cipriani said.

Cipriani, other Local 391 officials and Sgt. Rick Armstrong of the Raleigh Police Department recently met with State Capital Police Officers to welcome them to the Teamsters. The Raleigh Police Protective Association was the first law enforcement group to join the Teamsters from North Carolina. Armstrong is the RPPA President.

“The Raleigh Police Protective Association voted a little over a year ago to join the Teamsters,” Armstrong said. “We saw the difference that the union made for other public employees and wanted some of that power for ourselves. We are already seeing the dividends of our affiliation”

Armstrong said being a Teamster helped get him appointed to the North Carolina Criminal Justice and Training Standards Commission.

“The appointment means a great deal because now I can speak on behalf of my fellow officers and ensure that our perspective is included as we set professional standards,” Armstrong said. “Many of the officers I know were pleasantly surprised to see the appointment because the Police Benevolent Association tried for 15 years to get an officer appointed to the commission and couldn’t get it done. The Teamsters got it done.”

After the Raleigh victory, other departments began contacting Local 391 officials. The local has since added police officers from Apex, Carrboro, Morrisville, Garner, Jacksonville, Wilmington and Leland to their roster.

All the police officers are seeking better retirements and an “Officers’ Bill of Rights” that codifies their personal rights in all aspects of the job. Currently there is no uniform standard in the state for officers’ rights. Without such a standard, police officers risk becoming subject to legal action through their performance of regular police duties.

Although North Carolina law prohibits public workers from exercising their fundamental right to collective bargaining, the Teamsters are committed to lobbying local and state government in improve working conditions for public employees.

Local 391 is the largest union in North Carolina, representing more than 8,000 hardworking men and women across the state.