Longtime police advocate became labor relations chief
He was well known, respected among police rank and file.
Tom Stribling, a longtime lawyer for the police union in Austin who became the city’s acting chief labor relations officer, died Tuesday at age 60 after an illness.
Val Escobar, executive director of the Austin Police Association, said he was wellknown and highly respected among the Police Department’s rank and file.
“We’re still in shock,” Escobar said.
Stribling, who served as the legal counsel for the police union beginning in 1993, handled everything from high-level labor negotiations to personal injury cases of officers while working for private law firms and the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
“(During) his time as a CLEAT attorney, he was one of the biggest officer advocates I have ever known,” Cedar Park police Chief Sean Mannix said. “He was also a part of the negotiation teams that have made the Austin Police Department as successful as they have been at putting together good contracts that work to the benefit of the officers and the city.”
Stribling left CLEAT, and in 2011 he became the ombudsman at Austin’s labor relations office, where he was tasked with negotiating from the other side of the table from police officers.
“He was unparalleled in the amount of passion and energy that he brought to doing his job,” Mannix said. “That goes from looking out for officers during the Internal Affairs (investigative) process to working with city employees in his new role.”
Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday said that, even though he and Stribling didn’t always see eye to eye, Stribling always acted in the best interest of the city and public safety, and was always fair.
“He definitely was a family man,” interim Austin police Chief Brian Manley said. “I know he was very proud of his family.”
Manley said he got to know Stribling during meet-andconfer negotiations around four years ago. He said Stribling had a good sense of humor. He said that, while they shared a few laughs together, he recognized that Stribling was deeply committed to the city and police officers.
After more than five years with the city, Stribling was tapped in January to serve as the chief labor relations officer after Deven Desai, who previously held the post, was appointed interim police monitor.
“Not only did he help the APA achieve its goals over the years, but then we had to bargain against him over the past two contracts,” Casaday said. “He was just as ferocious.”
John Stribling, Tom’s 28-year-old son, said his father did his best to keep working hard up until the end.
“We’ve had a huge outpouring of support from his current and past co-workers. Lots of city officials called yesterday and came to visit him in the hospital,” he said. “I think that level of support speaks to how much people respected him and liked to work with him.”
Outside of work, Stribling was a big fan of history and enjoyed reading, camping and hiking with his family.
Stribling married his wife, Mary, in 1978 and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law a year later. He had three children: John, Callie and McKenzie Stribling.
John said his father was proud that both Callie and McKenzie had recently graduated from college, and that he had been looking forward to celebrating John’s upcoming wedding.
Casaday said a memorial for Stribling will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Austin Police Association Headquarters at 5817 Wilcab Road.