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2006
POLICEPAY INDEX WHO
IS NUMBER 1? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT
2006 OUTLOOK FOR NEGOTIATIONS - ORDER
A COPY TODAY (it is free) 2006
POLICEPAY Index Just Released! * Austin, Texas is highest paid police department
out of 200 largest cities in United States * New Orleans is still the lowest paid department
* 'Old South' is lowest paid region * New York City police officers remain toward
bottom of the list, ranked 157th out of 200 From PRN Newswire, January 31, 2006 OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ --
POLICEPAY.NET has released the 2006 POLICEPAY Index, ranking the 200 largest
cities in the United States based upon police compensation. This index uses a
total compensation methodology that breaks down an officer's pay and benefits
over a 30-year career into a per hour rate that allows each location to be
accurately compared. Produced by Ronald J. York, President of POLICEPAY.NET and a
well-known accountant and labor negotiator, this index provides an accurate
representation of police wages and benefits across the country. Over the
years, our index has become widely used by government agencies and police
unions for determining market values, individual police recruits looking for
a department to apply to, and reporters covering stories regarding police
wages and benefits. The full 2006 POLICEPAY Index is available at no charge for
download at http://www.policepay.net/
, or can be requested by email at editor@policepay.net ,
or by fax at (405) 234-2245. Custom data reports are also available for
members of the media upon request to compare individual types of
compensation. POLICEPAY.NET is the nation's leading collective bargaining
consultant for police associations. We have been serving associations all
across the nation since 1987 providing collective bargaining services. In
addition to services for individual police unions, we also own and maintain
the Web site http://www.policepay.net/
, the leading resource for police compensation data available anywhere. CONTACT: Charles Wonsey POLICEPAY.NET, Inc. (405) 234-2235 FAX:
(405) 234-2245 charles@policepay.net http://www.policepay.net/
Website: http://www.policepay.net/ City gets key
ruling in pension fight ''It does say it is in violation of
state law, which is key for us because it basically
backs up what we have been saying from Day 1,'' said Mayor Ed Pawlowski. Police union wants contract talks to continue The process
has been in binding arbitration for almost two years. Prospective retirees
are concerned about a proposal by the city that would require retirees to pay
part of their health-insurance premiums. From The Providence Journal, February 1,
2006 NEWPORT -- Police officers and retirees who met until late last
night want to see ongoing talks with the city continue in hope of ending a
protracted contract dispute, according to the union president. But some of
the city's proposals are of such concern to the members that they aren't
ready to abandon the binding arbitration process that has been under way for
nearly two years. About 40 members of Newport's Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 8
-- which has about 85 active members -- met at the Elks Lodge behind closed
doors for more than two hours last night to listen to union officials
describe the status of talks with the city. Negotiations were revived in
December after the hiring of Edward F. Lavallee, a
former civilian police administrator, as city manager, according to Detective
Christopher Hayes, the union president. "The general consensus is that we are going to come back to
the city with a couple of more ideas and continue the dialogue," Hayes
said. "Nobody wanted to abandon the process and just stick with
arbitration." However, said Hayes, many of the prospective retirees remained
quite concerned about proposals that future retirees be required to pay a
share of their health insurance premiums. The members, he said, are more
accepting of contributing -- for the first time -- to the cost of their
health insurance while they are employed, but not when they are retired and
on fixed incomes. That's one reason, he said, that members were reluctant to
cancel or postpone an arbitration session to be held Feb. 9. It will be the
second hearing on resolving salary and benefits for fiscal 2005, which ended last
June. "If they can't resolve anything before the next arbitration
meeting we will continue with arbitration," said Hayes. "We are
keeping the door open for negotiations." Hayes said that retiree premium sharing appears to be "a
priority" of the City Council, which is facing a hefty unfunded
liability for retiree heath coverage. But, said Hayes, the issue remains
"a concern for us." The union has been working without a contract since July 1,
2002. The city has been demanding that the union share the cost of
health insurance, while the union has offered its own premium-sharing ideas
and sought wages more in line with comparable departments. Some nonunion city
employees contribute toward the cost of health coverage and teachers became
the first union in the city to accept premium-sharing. But the teachers only
agreed to the proposal for the school year that began in September. Binding arbitration for the police began more than two years
earlier, in mid-2003. It ended with a decision that awarded the union a 5
percent retroactive pay hike and no premium sharing. The city, meanwhile, won
increased copays on visits to doctor's offices and
emergency rooms and the establishment of a cap on accrued prescription drug
expenses for each member. Arbitration on fiscal 2004 ended last September, with the police
winning a 4 percent retroactive pay hike and continued free health coverage. New Castle
police contract goes to binding arbitration From THE JOURNAL NEWS, February 2,
2006 NEW CASTLE — After more than a year of negotiations and a failed
effort at mediation, the town police contract appears headed for binding
arbitration. The contract for the 42 members of the department expired at the
beginning of 2005, but the Police Benevolent Association and the town have
been unable to agree on raises and contributions to medical benefits. Police officers and their family members came to a recent Town
Board meeting to protest the lack of progress. "The offer that has been extended to us is well below what
neighboring and surrounding communities have seen fit to pay their
officers," PBA President Steven Heady said in an interview. Department members currently don't contribute to the cost of
their health coverage, and the town wants them to pick up some of that expense.
Town Administrator Gennaro Faiella
said health costs have gone up 10 percent or more in recent years and this
year increased 4 percent. "I think the health care is the sticking point," Faiella said. Spiraling health-care costs have contributed to contract
disputes with public employees around the region, from the Transport Workers
Union that went on strike in New York City in December to the sheriff's
deputies' union in Putnam County. Officer Chad Golanec said the contract
problems are disheartening because the union members feel they are asking for
the going rate and the town has the ability to pay. Only a handful of
department members own homes in Westchester because others can't afford it,
he said. "We've got guys who drive two hours," Golanec said. Annual department salaries vary, according to the 2006 budget,
from $123,367 for the chief to $92,645 for lieutenants to $79,302 for
detectives. Police officer salaries range from $51,744 to $74,116. Union members said they also feel they are treated unfairly. For
instance, officers found they were not eligible for a monthly $40 subsidy for
a gym membership that was offered to town employees. They said they feel
their concerns about the cramped police station have gone unheeded. The
police station is in the bottom floor of Town Hall at 200 S. Greeley Ave. "The police are obviously a very low priority," Heady
said. Faiella, however,
said the town has been working on improving the building for more than two
years and will soon request proposals to investigate expanding the current
building or building a new headquarters nearby. All members of the department, including the chief, are part of
the union. The first arbitration session is tentatively set for March. |
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