The Ada County Sheriff's Employees Association will meet Tuesday to discuss forming a union, said Jaimie Barker, the association's president.

''We will discuss the merits and the drawbacks as a group and look for some consensus for what it is we want to do,'' Barker told The Idaho Statesman. ''This union talk, right now, it's just talk. I'm certainly not closing my ears to the topic and I'll let the association drive that.''

Last week, commissioners in Ada County, which includes Boise and its suburbs, unanimously approved a measure that defines all 1,600 county employees, including sheriff's deputies, as ''at-will employees.''

At-will employees can be fired without cause.

When governments or private companies adopt an ''at-will'' system, they maintain better control over their work force, said Bill Nichols, an attorney in Nampa.

''You have an employee who maybe they just do the bare minimum and their personality has a negative impact on the rest of the work force, but you just can't get rid of them,'' Nichols said. ''That's where at-will employment comes in as a tool for management to improve the work force. To some extent, it's a severe one.''

During the heated commission meetings on the at-will debate, Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney said other local police agencies aggressively recruit his deputies.

The diminished job security will influence Ada County's deputies to leave for other police forces, he said.

''I will offer process and protection to my employees,'' Raney said. ''They work hard, they risk their lives for the people of Ada County and they deserve the respect of a supportive leader.''

Barker said an attorney for the sheriff's employees association is working to come up with an amendment to the at-will ordinance that would allow an exception for the sheriff's office.

''My personal feeling is I work for Gary Raney, he's my boss. I know that Gary Raney is more on our side than not on our side,'' Barker said. ''Setting up an adversarial relationship with him would be ridiculous.''

Even if the sheriff's employees unionize, the Ada County commissioners are not required to recognize their union.

Under Idaho law, only firefighters and teachers are allowed to unionize without recognition from the local municipalities or district, Nichols said.

For other public entities the union must be approved by local government.