Blue flu

History

The term itself{{cite journal |url-access=subscription

In the United States blue flu work stoppages have been used many times:

• In 1919, one of the first strikes by police officers in the US (which was legal at the time) was stopped by then-Governor Calvin Coolidge using the state's militia.
• During the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, the blue flu was a ubiquitous and highly effective tactic in Baltimore, Memphis, San Francisco, Cleveland, New Orleans, Chicago, Newark, New York and many other cities.
• In 1971, between January 14 and January 19, around 20,000 New York City police officers refused to report for regular duty partly in response to dismissal of a lawsuit that would have increased pay for both police and firefighters, and entitle them to back pay up to the point of their last negotiated contract.
• In 1981, from December 23 to December 24, officers of the 1700-person Milwaukee Police Department conducted a work stoppage, citing disregard they claimed city officials showed for the police.
• In 2020, from June 17 to 20, an undisclosed number of officers of the Atlanta Police Department staged a sick-out to protest the criminal charges brought against the officers involved in the killing of Rayshard Brooks.
• In the Republic of Ireland on 1 May 1998, 5,000 Gardaí (police) reported sick; public order was maintained by putting the Irish Army on standby and removing Gardaí from training and administrative work. It is illegal in Ireland for police to strike or form unions.

Reasons

Some of the common reasons for these actions are:

• Disciplinary actions that they feel are unjust,{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times
• Deadlocked contract talks,{{cite news
• Work conditions perceived as unsafe.{{cite web |publisher=Vox Media

Sometimes the proclaimed reason masks something else, such as when enforcing an unpopular decision is claimed to be a contract violation.{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times

In the view of police abolitionist Josie Duffy Rice, blue flu can be the result of calls for police accountability or a perceived public critique of policing or police culture of any kind, in an attempt to blackmail the public into abandoning attempts at police reform and/or removing public officials who advocate accountability.

In popular culture

In Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu, a novel based on the TV series Monk, the main character is given a chance to return to his city's police force during a labor dispute. It's distasteful to him that "he'll be a 'scab'."{{cite web |author-link=Lee Goldberg

The idea of the Blue Flu was referenced in the Babylon 5 episode By Any Means Necessary in 1995, with respect to a labour strike.

In Barney Miller, a sitcom about NYPD detectives in a Greenwich Village precinct, the two-part episode "Strike" depicts a "blue flu" strike.

References

References

1. Spears, Richard. (2008). "McGraw-Hill's Essential American Slang". McGraw-Hill.
2. Cox, Steven. (2013). "Introduction to Policing". SAGE Publications.
3. "blue flu". [[Cornell University]].
4. Rampell, Catherine. (January 8, 2015). "NYPD should go ahead and strike". [[The Washington Post]].
5. (1 July 2020). "What is the 'blue flu' and how has it increased police power?". The Washington Post.
6. Shepherd, Katie. (June 18, 2020). "Atlanta police call in sick to protest murder charge against officer who shot Rayshard Brooks". The Washington Post.
7. (June 18, 2020). "Atlanta police shortages continue for second day".
8. Brennan, Cianan. (October 2016). "Looking back: Here's how things looked the last time the gardaí went on strike".
9. (December 12, 2016). "Review will recommend that gardaí can join trade unions".
10. Hennessy, Michelle. (August 7, 2016). "Factcheck: Is it illegal for gardaí to go on strike?".
11. Rice, Josie Duffy. (August 25, 2020). "The Abolition Movement". [[Vanity Fair (magazine).