Several local businesses have threatened to stop helping sheriff’s deputies raise money for charity because some of the officers have decided to unionize.

Every year the Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff’s Association donates money to groups such as Hospice, The Women’s Center and Idaho Drug Free Youth. This year the association donated $10,000 to such organizations, said Lt. Nile Shirley.

But when more than 80 sheriff’s employees announced earlier this month they had joined the Service Employees International Union, some business owners said they would no longer help the deputies raise money, Shirley said.

Shirley, former president of the deputies’ association, said people have confused the association with the union. The two are separate entities.

Detective Ted Nordgaarden, vice president of the association, said only individual deputies have joined the union. The association has not voted whether to affiliate with the union.

But, “A lot of people aren’t positive on unions,” Shirley said.

“If they’re going to withhold money … it doesn’t hurt us directly,” Nordgaarden said. “There is not a profit made by us when we have these benefits.”

Instead, he said, there will just be less money for the charity groups the association gives to.

, DataTimes