The POLICEPAY Journal

Thursday, April 27, 2006

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Matt Barnard, Editor   matt@policepay.net    (405) 234-2235    

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POLICEPAY.NET

DALLAS METRO TOTAL COMPENSATION SURVEY

LOS ANGELES, CA

City, Police Near Accord on Raises

DALLAS, TX

OKs Keep Council Busy

PHOENIX, AZ

Phoenix Reaches Agreement

ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Albuquerque Police Approve New Contract

MEMPHIS, TN

Mayor Herenton Informs Unions Not To Expect Pay Raises

COLUMBUS, GA

City Employees Might Get Pay Raises

SCHENECTADY, NY

City Seeks Public Safety Labor Pacts

                                             BACK ISSUES OF THE JOURNAL

 

NEW DALLAS/FORT WORTH METRO WAGE SURVEY

 

POLICEPAY has just released a new wage survey for the eight largest cities in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.  The survey uses the latest model developed by POLICEPAY.  The new model calculates the value of pension plans and retiree health insurance.  This is the most comprehensive model that we have ever used.  The Dallas/Fort Worth survey shows Plano to be the best paid department in the survey.  Arlington is at the bottom.  You can see the entire survey and documentation by clicking the link at the top of the POLICEPAY.NET homepage.  In addition, you can learn how you can obtain this same type of survey for your agency

 

City, Police Near Accord on Raises

Villaraigosa hints at a three-year pact bumping up LAPD pay by more than 10%. Bratton says the deal would help him recruit more officers.

From the LA Times, April 27, 2006

 

Los Angeles police officers would see their pay increase by more than 10% during the next three years under a contract offer made by city officials, who said Wednesday that an agreement is close.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would not discuss details, but hinted at the offer in addressing more than 200 police officers from the Southeast Division during an inspection at the Police Academy.

 

"I think you will be hearing from the Police Protective League soon," he said. "It's very important that we not just say we support you, but that we do as much as we can to compensate you well."

The mayor is chairman of the city's Executive Employee Relations Committee, which met Tuesday to finalize an offer to the police union.

An agreement with the city's police union would be welcome news for the mayor, who last week submitted his proposed budget to the City Council and who is pressing for an increase in trash fees to pay for expansion of the city's police force.

It also might help dampen expectations that other public employee unions would receive higher wage hikes — expectations raised by a whopping package given to workers at the Department of Water and Power and sought by other unions in the months since that deal was cut.

City Hall sources said the city and police union are close to agreement on a contract that would give the city's 9,200 police officers a 3% pay raise July 1, a 3.5% increase July 1, 2007, and a 3.75% boost a year later.

"From what I have been told, they are close," said Police Chief William J. Bratton, who stood next to the mayor during the academy speech Wednesday.

Bratton said a good contract would make his job easier.

"From a selfish standpoint: The happier the cops are, the better, and if they get the deserved pay raise, it will make it easier for me in recruiting because it will make us competitive," Bratton said.

The city has been unable to attract enough police candidates to meet its hiring goals this year, and department officials say they are having trouble competing with law enforcement agencies that pay higher salaries.

The mayor's just-released budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1 calls for the police force to expand by 135 officers.

But Villaraigosa told the police officers Wednesday that even if the city is able to add 1,000 new officers over the next five years, Los Angeles still would have fewer officers per capita than other major cities, including Chicago.

A police union representative declined to comment on the talks.

"As far as I know, the league is still at the table, and whatever they do is under a blanket of confidentiality," union spokeswoman Jude Schneider said.

The city also is negotiating a new contract for its 3,400 firefighters.

Reaching agreement with the police and firefighter unions would take a lot of the pressure off the mayor, said political scientist Jaime Regalado, director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State L.A.

"It's very important. It would give him some cover," Regalado said, noting that city architects and engineers have been publicly pressuring Villaraigosa for the same raises — at least 19% over five years — that the quasi-autonomous DWP recently awarded its union employees.

"If he gets the firefighters and protective league settled, it takes much of the thunder away from the engineers and architects."

Typically, the police and firefighters receive bigger pay raises than most other city workers. For the last three years, the public safety workers received raises of 2%, 3% and 4%, while blue-collar city workers received a total of 6.25% over three years in a contract that expires next year.

The mayor's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year includes $55 million more for police salaries than this year's budget, although some of that would go toward paying for additional officers.

 

OKs keep council busy

Dallas: Action approved involving police, tickets, market, Junius Heights

From The Dallas Morning News, April 26, 2007

 

Police recruiting bonuses. Farmers Market improvements. New parking ticket collections. And the largest historic district yet.

 

The Dallas City Council gave its unanimous approval to all four high-profile cases on Wednesday, in a day devoid of much debate or drama.

 

The police incentive plan will offer $10,000 bonuses to new officers – a move officials hope will give the Dallas Police Department leverage to bolster its ranks.

 

"Every year our city loses around 160 officers just by attrition," Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia said. "We need young recruits. That's where our challenge has been. And I'm glad to see we're not shy of that challenge."

 

City officials acknowledge the department is about 600 officers short. And police associations have long argued that low pay – Dallas ranks ninth among the 10 largest cities in North Texas in starting pay – hampers the department's ability to recruit.

 

Dallas' crime rate is the highest among U.S. cities with more than 1 million residents.

 

Under the proposal, which goes into effect this month, recruits would receive a one-time $6,000 bonus after graduating from the department's 32-week academy. They'd receive another $4,000 after serving on the force for 82 weeks.

 

Police Chief David Kunkle is doing a great job with the staff he has, council member Angela Hunt said. The last year has seen a 19 percent reduction in homicide, she said, and a 5 percent reduction in all other crime.

 

"We know, from talking with residents and with police officers, that we need more officers on the street," she said. "If that means we need to increase police salaries, we must do that."

 

Chief Kunkle said Wednesday that he was pleased with the council's decision.

 

"I believe it will provide a better opportunity to increase our applicant pool, which is the key to hiring more police officers," he said.

But not everyone agrees the incentive plan is the solution to Dallas' police shortage.

 

Police associations, whose members haven't had raises in a year and a half, said the incentive pay does nothing for veteran officers.

 

Phoenix Reaches Agreement

Contract: Tentative Agreement

From the PLEA, April 21, 2006

 

1st Year Economics

4% across the board wage increase effective on July 3, 2006

Honor Guard and Police Choir uniform allowance

Optional (officer's choice) conversion of uniform allowance at 17 years of service seen as monthly salary increase for a total annual payment of $925 

Pro-rated longevity and payment prior to entering DROP

Increase comp bank to 185 hours

Ability to donate comp time

.6% increase in health and dental 

 

2nd Year Economics

4% across the board wage increase effective July 2, 2007

Increase comp bank to 190 hours

If the City"s General Fund revenue growth over the 06/07 fiscal year is 10.5% or more than the 05/06 fiscal year, an additional across-the-board wage increase of .7% will be effective on the pay period beginning October 22, 2007

If the City’s General Fund revenue growth over the 06/07 fiscal year is 12.5% or more than the 05/06 fiscal year, an additional across-the-board wage increase of 1.3% will be effective on the pay period beginning October 22, 2007

Estimated .6% increase in health and dental

 

Albuquerque police approve new contract

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 21, 2006

Albuquerque police approve new contract

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - Albuquerque police officers have overwhelmingly approved a contract that does not include pay raises, but instead lowers the amount officers contribute toward retirement.

The contract between the city and the Albuquerque Police Officers Association will go into effect July 1.

Only 59 of the 475 officers who voted were against the two-year pact, the union's president, Pete Dwyer, said Thursday.

Officers' contributions toward their 20-year retirement will decrease from 16.3 percent to 10.1 percent in the first year and to 4.01 percent in the second year. The city will make up the difference.

"It means more money in our pocket," said Dwyer, who called the agreement "one of the better contracts that we have had."

If the city had not picked up the retirement contributions, the union would have sought a wage increase, he said.

Officers received raises totaling 8.7 percent over two years during contract negotiations in 2004.

The new contract also calls for captains and lieutenants to end their membership in the union in 2008.

The pact also will let officers take squad cars home if they live outside Bernalillo County.

 

Mayor Herenton informs unions not to expect pay raises
From wmctv.com. April 25, 2006

 

It's a tough, dangerous job being a Memphis fire fighter or a Memphis police officer. It's an even tougher job when you know you aren't getting a raise.

 

Michael Williams with the Memphis Police Association says, "He has proposed that we go two years without a raise."

 

That he is the Mayor of Memphis who told representatives from the city's 22 unions no raises. The mayor wants a pay freeze for the next two years that after months of negotiations by union leaders. Michael Williams with the Memphis police association says officers and negotiators fell duped by the city.

 

Williams continues, "So all along they kind of knew what they were going to do or the mayor knew what he was going to do."

 

And now the mayor doesn't have to deal with it because instead of mediation the city council has to vote for the city's best offer or the unions best offer small raises or no raises for the 22 unions.

 

Memphis City Councilman E.C. Jones says, "Personally I don't feel the administration did their job by sending all of these to the city
council to make a decision."

 

The council does not like the position it has been put in.

 

Councilman Carol Chumney says, "Unfortunately our hands are tied in the impasse hearings. Because we cannot come up with an alternative plan. We either have to pick the union side or the mayors side. Our hands are tied on that it's a no win situation."

 

City Councilman Tom Marshall says, "We believe and treasure our firefighters and our police officers and all of those who work for the city of Memphis and its very unfortunate we're placed as a council in this position between choosing the no tax increase pledge that the council has made versus no rate increase for those who work for the city of Memphis."

 

Tom Marshall calls it a quagmire a quagmire city employees might not like being caught up in.

 

City Employees Might Get Pay Raises
From wtvm9, April 25, 2006

 

The final report by the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia was presented to Columbus City Council Tuesday morning, and it came with some good news.

 

Under the mayor's proposed budget for 2007, "Every employee in the government would get some kind of pay raise," said City Manager Isaiah Hugley. 

 

For many, the raise would come from longevity.

 

"If they've been here 1 to 3 years, they would get a 2.5%  increase for longevity," Hugley said.  "If they've been here 4 years or longer, they would get a 5% increase for longevity."

 

But the big winners would be entry level public safety officers, who, on top of longevity, would also receive more than $3,000 a year than they do now.

 

"An entry level police officer, deputy marshall, deputy sheriff, or firefighter walking in the door would be $28,528," Hugley said.

 

The pay increases would cost the city 7.2 million dollars to implement.  City leaders say the money would come from revenues like sales taxes, and a smaller workforce.

 

"By cutting some of the positions that was presented, we'll be able to save money to have money to give these people at least something of what they deserve," said Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff.

 

Columbus leaders say the salary increases would help them be more competitive.  They also say this is just the first step to brining city pay up to where it should be.  City Council has to approve it.

 

City seeks public safety labor pacts

New contracts are sought with Schenectady police and firefighters

From the Times Union, April 26, 2006

 

With City Council passage of new five-year pacts with its blue-collar unions, the city will now turn its attention to getting new contracts with the police and firefighters unions.

 

Mayor Brian U. Stratton is expected to sign the contracts with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Civil Service Employees Association, which have been without contracts since 2004.

 

"It's team work, it's a team work effort and they have certainly done their parts," Council Finance Committee Chairwoman Barbara Strangfeld said of the unions' decision to accept contracts that would require new hires to pay 20 percent of their health insurance premiums, a first for city employees.

 

Though he has declined to discuss open negotiations with the firefighters and police officers, Stratton has said he wants both unions to make similar agreements to cut the city's spending on employee health insurance.

 

But, historically, the police and firefighters have made far fewer concessions in negotiations, in part because they can both rely on binding arbitration to settle contract negotiations with the city. Neither CSEA nor AFSCME enjoy such power. And, traditionally, arbitrators have been reluctant to make wholesale changes in contracts.

 

Firefighters have been without contracts for more than a year and the Police Department's pact expired in December.

 

Negotiations are just beginning with the police. The firefighters union has already declared negotiations at an impasse, and those talks appear to be heading to an arbitrator. Stratton says he is hopeful a deal can be reached before an arbitrator is asked to take action on a new contract.

 

Meanwhile, the pact with AFSCME calls for no pay increases for 2004, the first year of the contract, and a $300 lump-sum payment for 2005. Its members would receive 2 percent pay raises in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

 

The CSEA contract includes a $250 bonus for 2004, a $500 bonus for 2005 and 3 percent increases in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

 

 

 

 

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