I think so many people don’t understand the use of binding arbitration. I spent about a year and a half on the San Jose Police Department. I then resigned to take a more stable job, since San Jose, like other cities, can’t manage their finances and was going to start laying off police officers.

Police officers can’t strike, nor would you want them to. Binding arbitration is a tool that keeps them from striking or, for the layman, abandoning their job of protecting you until reaching a labor agreement. There are alternatives, such as using lawyers in the courts and creating an even longer, drawn-out process, not to mention costing more for both parties.

Someone is bent out of shape because the starting salary is $75K? Really? How much would someone have to pay you to listen and write down in detail for your report how the 12-year-old sitting in front of you was raped by her uncle for the last three years? Or take photos of a young woman who was shot in the face because she was in the wrong place? Or how about conduct a welfare check on a tenant for someone, only to find she has been dead about four days in her bathroom? And, of course, ultimately, who wants to deal with degenerates on a daily basis? Imagine if almost everyone you came in contact with and talked to straight bold-faced lied to you? It gets old. Trust me.

The police department, as well as fire department, is an insurance plan. You pay for it every month, and, yes, the premiums are high. You could get a cheaper rate, but who really wants to wait longer for help to arrive when they are being raped or their house is burning down around them?