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Police
groups: Better pay needed
The presidents of six Dallas police associations plan to ask
Mayor Laura Miller and the City Council to hire more officers and boost their
pay to become more competitive with other departments, according to a letter
obtained by The Dallas Morning News. The letter will be presented in a news conference in front of
Dallas police headquarters on Tuesday afternoon. It marks a rare unified
effort among the associations, which have had a contentious relationship in
recent years. The letter cites ongoing understaffing at the department, which
some say resulted from city budget cuts and high turnover rates among sworn
personnel, as a major reason for the city's high crime rate. In addition, the associations blame staffing issues on the
department's pay scale. According to a comparison chart provided with the
letter, Dallas ranks ninth among the 10 largest cities in North Texas for
officer starting salaries. "Low pay makes recruiting and retention challenging,"
the presidents state in the letter. "Pay for recruits and most veteran
officers’ falls far below that of competing agencies in the D-FW Metro area –
and in Texas." In an effort to become more competitive, Dallas City Manager
Mary Suhm last week proposed a plan that would
offer $10,000 bonuses to police recruits. The recruits would receive a
one-time $6,000 bonus after graduating from the 32-week police academy, and $4,000 more after 82 weeks on the force. The police associations – whose members haven't had raises in
about 18 months – said the recruit bonus program neglects veteran officers
and still leaves new recruit salaries below other area cities’. "The plan is only a band-aid – and short-term at
best," according to the letter. The associations are asking the mayor and council to: • Raise pay for all sworn positions over a three-year
period, bringing Dallas police salaries to the top spot in North Texas. They
cite Plano officers as the best paid, averaging $47,102.00 to start. • Rework the existing Education Incentive Pay Plan to
include rewards for state-recognized training and education beyond
traditional post-secondary education. • Reverse a 2004 change in how overtime pay is calculated. • Freeze employee health premiums. The associations are
unhappy with rising health insurance costs, which they say have reduced or
eliminated any benefit from salary gains or supplemental pay. Councilman Steve Salazar, head of the city council's public
safety's committee, said he's open to what the police associations are
proposing. “I think we should be looking at giving raises to our uniformed
and civilian employees,'' he said. “I'm interested in starting a dialogue to
see how we can work it into the budget.'' Suhm said Tuesday
she agrees with the idea that the department should be among the most competive in the area. "I really think the first step are
the bonuses," she said. "I said previously we’re going to look at
what we can do to become more competitive as we develop the budget. Some of
their suggestions are some of the things we’re looking at.’’ Ms. Suhm said she'd like to reinstating a tuition reimbursement program for all city
employees. "There are other things that can be done," she said.
"I agree with them on the general issue that we need to be competitive.
I think there’s certainly a good possibility that some of this will be done,
because some of it we’re already looking at." Other public safety officials are often forgotten in the debate
over whether to increase police pay and benefits, said Capt. Mike Buehler,
president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, which represents a
majority of Dallas Fire-Rescue's roughly 1,600 firefighters. "Year after year, we do more with less. It's as if we're
being punished for doing a good job," Capt. Buehler said. "If
anyone deserves a raise, it's fire fighters. But once again, the squeaky
wheel is getting the grease." In the letter, the police associations cite the recent dip in
Dallas' crime rate as proof that officers are still working hard despite
their concerns. "Your police officers continue to put their lives on the
line, working for low wages and with rising health-care costs – yet crime is
on the decrease," they stated. "We expect the council to
demonstrate the same level of commitment." Ms. Suhm said the City Council would
vote on the recruit bonus program in two weeks. $38 million in increases
proposed for police, fire From the UNION-TRIBUNE, April 11, 2006 Mayor Jerry Sanders plans to spend nearly $38 million to better
equip and staff San Diego's Police and Fire departments. For fiscal year 2007, which begins July 1, Sanders proposes a
$24.2 million increase to the police budget, along with an increase of $11.6
million to $13.6 million for the Fire Department, he said yesterday. The proposal arrives as both departments face attacks from
within for underfunding, and as Sanders tries to
solve the city's financial mess. The police union went on the offensive yesterday with a TV
commercial and a news conference. The message: The public is at risk because
officers are leaving, fed up with working for less to help bail the city out
of a pension deficit of at least $2 billion. And when Fire Chief Jeff Bowman announced his resignation last
week, he said it would take years for the city to raise enough money to fix
its broken Fire Department. “This budget is our starting point to stabilize the city and
begin to give public safety the resources they need to do their jobs,”
Sanders said yesterday. His plan augments current public safety budgets covered by the
city's general fund: $344 million for police and $163 million for fire.
Property taxes and sales taxes supply most of the general fund. The additional funds the mayor is proposing include $8.6 million
for police overtime, something the department is forced to cover by leaving
positions open, Sanders said. Police also would see $6.4 million for 46
community service officers and 50 supplemental positions. The department has
had to make cuts in other areas to fund the positions. For the Fire Department, the mayor set aside $6.2 million for
new trucks and other fire equipment, and $4 million to $6 million for
upgrades to fire stations. The proposal, which Sanders plans to formally unveil today at a
2:30 p.m. news conference, doesn't include money for pay raises. “This budget does not focus on salaries,” Sanders said. “It
focuses on honest assessments of overtime, getting more funds for vital
equipment and infrastructure.” While the mayor still needs the City Council's support, he sees
this as a small victory. So does Police Chief William Lansdowne, who called
the increase “good news.” The chief said this is the first step in a three-year plan to
rebuild the department and allow it to compete with other police agencies. He
also said the increase gives the department the financial flexibility it
needs to grow. The city has about 1,900 sworn officers, and it should have
2,100. Lansdowne said he's had to sacrifice buying new equipment to
keep from reducing the force. “This year, I will be getting both – I'm getting new police cars
and not losing community service officers,” he said. The department faced losing the community officers last year,
but cut new car purchases to keep the positions, which Lansdowne said are
critical. The officers serve as translators for police in refugee-dominated
communities. They also run after-school and Neighborhood Watch programs, and
they assist police in the field. In his budget request to Sanders, Fire Chief Bowman asked for a
$50 million increase, mayoral spokesman Fred Sainz
said. “Given the city's financial situation,” Sainz
said, Bowman wasn't expecting the mayor to find an extra buck for the Fire
Department, even though Sanders pledged to make public safety his top priority.
“This is going further than Jeff (Bowman) expected,” Sainz said. Bowman deferred comment to Assistant Fire Chief Tracy Jarman, who oversees the department's budget. “I'm pretty optimistic,” said Jarman,
who is considering applying for the chief's job. “I really think the mayor is
trying to address some of our long-standing issues.” As for benefits and wages, police and fire unions are in
negotiations with the city. But Sanders said city employees would not see an
increase this year because of San Diego's financial position. The mayor said he is committed to creating fair, competitive and
sustainable compensation packages. Over the next year, his office plans to
review salary and benefits for every city employee. “When the city returns to the bargaining table with police and
fire next year, it will be that structure that will serve as the starting
point for negotiations,” Sanders said. Police Officers Association President Bill Nemec
would not discuss current salary negotiations. “The fact remains we are critically understaffed,” Nemec said. “And the shrinkage is going to get worse.” On an average night, there are only 67 officers on duty to
protect 1.3 million San Diego residents, Nemec
said. Police officials released figures that show night staffing
ranges from 99 to 117. And the mayor called portions of the union's
television ad “intentionally misleading.” “Current police officer staffing levels are sufficient to keep
the public safe,” said Sanders, who was San Diego's police chief from 1993 to
1999, capping a 26-year career with the department. Although the city is protected by one of the smallest police
forces in the nation – about 1.6 officers per 1,000 citizens – Lansdowne said
San Diego rose a notch last year to become the sixth
safest in the country. The department is set to hire up to 50 new officers in the next
nine months from two police academy classes, and it is working on plans to
improve retention, the chief said. In 2005, 38 officers left the department for other agencies,
police spokesman Dave Cohen said. So far this year, 17 have resigned.
From the Toledo Blade, April 11, 2006
"I have a huge concern when the city puts a dollar figure
in front of safety," union president Gregg Harris said after crinkling
up a copy of the order and throwing it on the floor. Toledo Police Patrolman's Association leaders cited a brawl
outside the University of Toledo Student Union and a large disturbance on
Vance Street during the weekend as examples of situations where more officers
are needed. They urged residents to call Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's
office to voice their concerns on the matter during a news conference at the TPPA hall that was attended by about two dozen officers
and firefighters who attended to support their police brethren. The move does not affect police command officers or
firefighters, who have a daily minimum staffing
level of 103 in their contract. Police officers and firefighters have been
working without contracts since Dec. 31 and are trying to negotiate new ones
with the city. Mr. Harris said former police Chief Mike Navarre created minimum
staffing levels, which were changed by Chief Jack Smith at the beginning of
the year. He said the union was satisfied with the levels, which Chief Smith
eliminated last week. Mr. Harris said the union is looking at putting minimum
staffing levels in its next contract. Chief Smith said officers were moved and staff levels adjusted
after a quarterly review of field operations shifts. The moves were made
because of retirements, promotions, transfers, and reassignments. The chief said police will look at staffing levels each quarter
and make adjustments based on the number of officers a first for the force.
Changes could be made when the current police class and pending communication
operators class graduate. Chief Smith said the union's claim that the moves put people's
safety at risk is "nonsense." He said officers will be recalled if
necessary or they could work 12-hour shifts if there is an emergency. Chief Smith said he met with Mr. Harris last week to explain
what he was doing and why. Mr. Harris said he tried to reach the chief Friday
on his cell phone and office phone to discuss the matter, but did not receive
a return call. Union leaders said officers daily were asked to work voluntary
recall to meet the staffing levels for various reasons, such as to fill in
for colleagues who were sick or on vacation. Recalled officers are paid
overtime. City Councilman Frank Szollosi helped
make overtime a budget issue this year when he accused the mayor of allowing
excessive police and fire overtime spending. He said the city was on track to
spend more than $5 million on overtime in 2006, when the budget allows only
$3.5 million. So far this year, city overtime spending is on track to exceed
both 2005 and 2004, according to figures for the first seven pay periods of
each year. Union leaders yesterday called Mr. Szollosi
a "big mouth" and an "idiot." "It's unfortunate that discourse can't be civil," Mr. Szollosi said, adding that he has supported police with
his votes. "Tough questions about the public's money, I think, are
appropriate." Chief Smith said he is working on a call-back system for
officers who have to appear in court after their shifts end. He said 52
percent of overtime is court time. He wants to have the system in place by
May 1 or June 1. Nonetheless, union leaders are concerned about incidents, such
as the one at UT, that pull resources, leave parts of the city without
police, and cause hours-long delays in responding to calls for service. Four UT students, all 19 years old, were arrested outside the
Student Union early Sunday after fights broke out inside the building during
a fraternity and sorority event attended by hundreds of people. The four
students and a 16-year-old Cleveland boy were charged with disorderly
conduct. Mitchell White, a freshman in the college of arts and sciences,
also was charged with resisting arrest. Keith Fitchpatric,
a freshman undecided on his major, also was charged with obstructing official
business. Also arrested were Terry Priah, a
sophomore early education major, and Christopher Stevens, a freshman business
major. All will be charged with violating UT's code of conduct, said Kaye
Patten Wallace, vice president for student life. Lori Zientara Edgeworth,
UT's director of judicial affairs and Greek life, is leading an internal
investigation, which is expected to conclude next week. She said other
students not arrested could be charged with violating UT's code of conduct
once the investigation ends. UT officials are investigating what prompted the
initial fight. Ms. Zientara Edgeworth
said students charged with any violations will have a hearing in front of a
disciplinary panel composed of UT students or a hearing with her. Possible
sanctions vary from disciplinary probation, community service, and suspension
to expulsion. Daniels announces pay
raise for troopers From The Associated Press, April 8, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS
- Indiana State Police will receive pay raises ranging from 20 percent for
starting troopers to 1.75 percent for top-level positions, Gov. Mitch Daniels
announced Friday during a graduation ceremony for 36 new members of the
force. Salaries
for those referred to as probationary troopers, such as the cadets sworn in
Friday, will go from $31,408 to $37,690 - an increase of $6,282 for the first
year of service. Raises for the next year also will increase by 20 percent,
from $32,760 to $39,312. The
raise percentage will then be less the longer the troopers have served, said
state Deputy Superintendent Larry Larkin. According
to the new pay schedule, which will take effect July 2, troopers' salaries in
their 10th year will increase from $45,994 to $47,604. Other
state law enforcement officers, including the Capitol Police, motor carrier
inspectors, conservation officers, excise police and gaming commission
officers also will receive raises. The last salary increase for troopers was
in 2004. ‘‘We
will never be able to compensate you adequately for the services you provide
or the risks that you will take to protect the rest of us, but we will do our
best. We are determined to,'' Daniels told the recruits, who were sworn in
before a large crowd in the north atrium of the Statehouse. Larkin
said the salary increases for starting troopers will be closer to the average
starting pay of about $41,400 in the four states that surround Indiana.
Indiana has 1,095 troopers but wants to add 210 over the next 18 months, and
Larkin said the raises should help recruiting. ‘‘There
are a couple of police departments in Indiana that still pay more than the
state police, but we are very, very competitive,'' he said. The
Daniels administration said the raises for the troopers and others will total
$5.2 million. The
money will come from a pending lease of the Indiana Toll Road to a private,
foreign consortium. In addition to the companies giving the state an upfront
payment of $3.8 billion to operate the northern Indiana highway and collect
its toll revenue for 75 years, it will pay $6 million annually for troopers
to patrol to road. That
will free up $6 million annually in state money that will be used to fund the
pay raises. The state also plans to provide each trooper with a new laptop
computer and add 250 portable 800 megahertz radios. Capitol
Police will receive minimum increases of 4 percent, and motor carrier
inspectors will get raises ranging from 3 percent to 10 percent. Conservation
officers, excise police and gaming commission officers will receive the same
range of increases as troopers. During
Friday's ceremony, the graduating cadets entered the atrium to bagpipe tunes,
flashing cameras and smiles and tears from friends and relatives. The
graduates had received about 840 hours of training since Oct. 30. State
Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell told the new
troopers that it was time to put their skills to work for the people of
Indiana, and they had joined a profession dedicated to the safety of others. ‘‘There
is much to do. You are sorely needed,'' he said. New
Trooper Jarred Black, 23, of Osgood said after the ceremony that his father
was a trooper and he wanted to be one as well to ‘‘protect and serve.'' He
did not know the pay raise would be announced, but said money was not on his
mind. ‘‘It's
not about the pay,'' he said. ‘‘If it was about the pay, none of us would be
here.'' Unions seek binding arbitration FALL BALLOT MEASURE IS GOAL From the Mercury News, April 11, 2006 Hateful glares and bickering have long been par for the course
during Santa Clara's labor negotiations. Three years ago, the contract talks
got so ugly that the city fired its chief negotiator in response to an
outpouring of complaints about him. Despite the friction, the police and fire union generally end up
satisfied with their contracts; after all, they're among the highest-paid in
Santa Clara County. But the ugliness has got to go, say union officials.
That's why they plan to ask the council today to put a measure on the
November ballot that would allow a neutral arbitrator to make final decisions
on contracts if negotiations fail. But leaders in Santa Clara and other nearby cities such as San
Jose, Palo Alto and Gilroy say using arbitration can result in less
collaboration between management and workers, and cost cities to spend more
than is fiscally wise. If the Santa Clara council votes down the initiative, or if
union leaders don't like the city's version of it, they said they'll organize
a petition drive to put their own measure on the ballot. ``We believe this would ensure us a fair and impartial process,
it would really level the playing field and take some of the contentious
feelings out of the process,'' said Gary Niblock,
president of Santa Clara City Fire Fighters. Under the proposal, the arbitration committee would be made up
of a member appointed by the union and one appointed by the city, and a
neutral arbitrator selected by both groups. After both sides submit their
best offers on various issues -- such as wages, hours and benefits -- the
arbitrator would pick the best offer. This encourages each side to make reasonable offers, Niblock said. Binding arbitration required during a labor impasse in more than
20 charter cities across the state is used primarily by police and fire unions
because they are not allowed to strike. Santa Clara's police officers and firefighters are paid more
than most in the county because their pay is tied to the pay of their
counterparts. For example, this year the pay is determined by calculating the
average pay of their counterparts in Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose and
Santa Clara County. Next year, the pay will be 5 percent above the average. Last year, the city's payroll budget for 145 unionized fire
department staffers was about $17.5 million. For 124 police department
workers, it was roughly $16.7 million. Together, the budgets make up about 8
percent of the city's overall $449.8 million budget and about 27 percent of
its $125.6 million general fund budget. Santa Clara Fire Chief Phil Kleinheinz
was a union officer about 25 years ago when his union considered asking for
an arbitrator. Kleinheinz was in charge of doing
research on the issue and his recommendation which was accepted in a union
vote was against binding arbitration because he believed it sparked less
cooperation and creative thinking. He said an arbitration wouldn't have
resulted in a better solution in the early 1990s when Santa Clara city
managers wanted to give an annual physical fitness test to police and
firefighters. The union didn't want its members to be fired and management
wanted to make sure workers were fit enough for the job. The union agreed to
require that members take an annual test if it were phased in after three
years, allowing workers to get in shape. The city also agreed to buy exercise
equipment and hire trainers. ``No one ever lost a job over the test or even failed the
test,'' Kleinheinz said. ``It turned out to be a
win-win because the citizens were served better and it made for a healthier
group of people.'' An arbitrator, on the other hand, puts the job of managing city
affairs in the hands of an outsider who doesn't fully understand the city and
its budget, said San Jose Employee Relations Director Alex Gurza. In contrast, San Jose added binding arbitration to its charter
in 1980. The charter says that the arbitrator must consider factors such as
what other cities pay their police officers and firefighters, adjustments for
inflation and the city's ability to pay. ``There are times when the city's fiscal condition may be
overriding any other factor,'' Gurza said. ``When
you have an arbitrator making the decision, it's up to him or her to place
more weight on one thing or another.'' Of 31 major contract negotiations since 1980, San Jose has had
to go to an arbitrator only four times. Santa Clara Police Department Chief Stephen Lodge said one of
the drawbacks to arbitration is that an arbitrator isn't accountable to the
public. ``If the city council wanted to give the labor unions some
extravagant benefit and citizens disagreed with it, than the council would
have to answer for it in the next election,'' Lodge said. ``An arbitrator
gets a paycheck no matter what.'' Fayetteville City Council
approves police pay hike From
The Fayetteville Observer, April 11, 2006 Most
Fayetteville police officers will see a 10 percent raise in their May 5
checks. The
Fayetteville City Council on Monday approved new pay plans for sworn
officers. The
council also amended the animal and fowl ordinance, hoping to control backyard
breeding of dogs. Police
officers who attended the council meeting smiled at the unanimous vote on the
pay raises. Assistant
Chief Tom Bergamine said the pay plans will help
the department with two chronic problems: recruitment and retention. The
department’s turnover rate historically is about 10 percent a year. The
department is about 44 officers short, in part because of the annexation that
took effect Sept. 30. Patrol
officers and detectives are being placed on a 13-step plan. Their salary will
increase for each year of service up to 13 years. Police
have lobbied for the plan for several years. Starting
pay for police officers will increase from $29,600 to $32,500. “This
put our starting pay at the top of the heap,” City Manager Roger Stancil said. Pay
raises for patrol officers and detectives are
between 3 percent and 10 percent. Officers getting the lower percentage
raises are making close to what the step-plan proposes. Adjustments
to a separate pay scale for sergeants and above were also approved. Salary
ranges for sergeant, lieutenant, captain and assistant chief were adjusted.
Their raises are about 10 percent. Councilwoman
Lois Kirby asked if the salary brackets are fixed. “Senior
officers don’t want their pay to stagnate,” she said. Stancil said the brackets will be adjusted as the market
changes. Officers would also be eligible for any across-the-board pay
increases such as cost-of-living raises. The
raises for the remainder of the fiscal year can be funded from the
department’s current budget, according to Monday’s council agenda. The fiscal
year ends June 30. The
council has not decided how to fund the raises for the upcoming fiscal year. Stancil has said he can fund the police pay raises and
other city employee raises without increasing taxes. |
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