The Michigan State Police Troopers Association (MSPTA) was elected the exclusive labor representative of troopers and sergeants of the Michigan State Police in 1979. The election was held as a result of a constitutional amendment approved by the Michigan electorate in 1978 that gave troopers and sergeants the constitutional right to engage in collective bargaining with their employer.
The MSPTA has negotiated approximately eight collective bargaining agreements in the succeeding years. Two contracts were reached through the process of binding arbitration.
The MSPTA is responsible for administering the current collective bargaining agreement from the standpoint of its members, which includes, among other things, participation in a number of contractual labor/management committees.
It represents members, groups of members, or the entire membership in the grievance process which can culminate in binding arbitration when disputes are not resolved early in the grievance process. It also represents members who face discipline or termination to insure that the process is administered fairly, consistently, and in a manner that provides “due process” to the accused member.
The MSPTA also assists members who become disabled from the performance of their duties. In that process, it works closely with the member’s worker’s compensation attorney to protect the members’ contractual rights in the disability pension process.
The MSPTA works on a day-to-day basis with the Department of State Police in dealing with new or unusual issues that affect working conditions, and to ensure that disputes over interpretations of the collective bargaining agreement are resolved before anyone is negatively affected.
The MSPTA is a non-profit corporation organized under Michigan law. It is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code as “a labor organization of workers who have combined to protect and promote the interests of the members by bargaining collectively with their employers to secure better working conditions.”
