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Fed Up With Negotiations Failure? Are
you wondering why you are failing even though you are doing all the things
the "big boys" do or following the advice of the negotiations
"experts?" The answer is easy. They are wrong - plain and simple.
Alright,
that's "kickin' their butts." The only
problem is - it does not work. If it did, New York and Philadelphia
would be the highest paid departments in the country.
In
case you did not recognize this method, it is the trendy "interest
based" or "win-win" method. It is actually good stuff. The
only problem is that it usually fails for police associations. It is too
tempting for the city to "jump ship" and retreat to positional
bargaining after you "drop your pants." When you finally end up in
arbitration, the city has every document, idea and concept that you have, but
you have little or nothing from them. Under the "expert method,"
negotiations are nothing but a deposition of you by the city. 50 more cops in city's '07 budget From the Commercial Appeal, June 1, 2006 On the final day of hearings for the city's 2007 operating
budget, Memphis officials approved changes that would put 50 new cops on the
streets, hike the cost of an ambulance ride, reopen three public swimming
pools and close The Pyramid. During the day-long budget wrap-up session Wednesday, a Memphis City
Council committee also voted to stop funding operations at the Mid-South
Coliseum at the end of December. The full council is expected to take a final vote on the city's
$505.6 million operating budget Tuesday. Council members made the biggest change to the police
department's budget by voting to add 50 police officers at a cost of $2
million. Police director Larry Godwin's original $185.2 million budget
proposal called for 22 officers to staff the new Hickory Hill police precinct
scheduled to open in July. But council members, concerned about escalating crime rates in
the city, voted for 50 more officers. "We've got to send a message to the men and women criminals
that Memphis is the wrong place to take up your career," Councilman Jack
Sammons said. City finance director Roland McElrath
said the $2 million likely will come from the projected surplus that will
replenish city reserves. Officials also are considering revenue expected from
red-light cameras to be installed next fiscal year, although no revenue
projections have been tagged to that project. Godwin said 50 officers is the number
he could quickly train and get on the streets. The department already has two
recruit classes scheduled for July and January 2007. The additional officers would
raise the city's total complement to 2,094. Council member Carol Chumney voted
against the budget, saying 22 officers could be reassigned from "desk
duty" jobs, including the DARE program and the police boxing facility. "We can't afford to just keep hiring officers." She also questioned what hiring new police officers would do to
morale when the city recently rejected granting pay raises to current cops. Godwin said morale is good within the department and "I
don't have officers sitting in just clerical positions." When it came to the fire department's $119.5 million budget,
council members weren't so accommodating. They had earlier instructed fire
officials to find $1 million in the budget to implement the next phase of a
plan to improve the management of emergency medical services. After a lengthy discussion, council members endorsed Fire
Director Richard Arwood's plan to do that by
increasing the ambulance fees charged patients by the city-run service from
$400 to $600. An additional per-mile fee would double from $6 to $12. As for the budgets of two of the city's public facilities, the
council committee voted to shutter The Pyramid on Oct. 31 and stop funding
the Mid-South Coliseum on Dec. 31. The October closing at the Pyramid would accommodate the last
scheduled event, the Blues Ball that month. A shutdown would maintain the heating and air-conditioning and
security, resulting in a $668,500 annual operating loss compared to a $1.2
million loss to keep it fully operational. Chief financial officer Robert Lipscomb said he didn't believe
shutting down the facility would affect plans by Bass Pro Shops to move in,
although he said that could take another two years. The committee vote to stop funding the Coliseum at the end of
the year comes after Shelby County government's decision not to fund its 40
percent of the facility's operations next year. The county still owes the
city $300,000 for the last three years. That vote was contingent on the administration presenting
recommendations for the facility at the first council meeting in December,
possibly even transferring ownership to Memphis City Schools for basketball
games, graduations and other functions. Unlike The Pyramid, most council members favored keeping the
Coliseum open. Likewise, council members, angered over numerous park cuts,
restored funding to keep three swimming pools open Gooch, Tom Lee and Fox
Meadows at a cost of about $170,000. Some council members also were concerned that some community
centers will be closed on Saturdays during the summer, but late Wednesday
they had not found a way to keep them open. Council members also briefly entertained keeping open the Davy
Crockett golf course, which officials say lost about $300,000 last year, but
couldn't find a way to pay for it, either. Officers
protest in support of better contracts McALLEN — As many as
90 officers with the McAllen Police Department picketed City Hall late
Tuesday afternoon to protest what they describe as the city leadership’s
"intentional failure to engage in positive, meaningful and constructive
contract negotiations." Mayor Richard Cortez was not to be outdone, though,
calling a preemptive news conference earlier in the afternoon to decry the
police union’s demands for better compensation and benefits as too costly for
the city. The city and its roughly 260 officers have been at loggerheads
in the contract negotiations since early April, despite attempts at breaking
the impasse through voluntary mediation. The administration and the McAllen Police Officers’ Union aren’t
even in agreement about what the police officers are demanding, let alone
whether those demands are fair, reasonable and affordable. "We’re not requesting a 6 1/2 percent pay raise," said
union president Sgt. Michael Zellers, refuting the figure the city provided
during the mayor’s news conference. "What they’re giving you is not the
facts." Zellers said the union lowered its demand for annual salary
increases over the next two years to 4 percent — provided the city would be
willing to compromise on retirement benefits — which officers see as the more
important issue. McAllen police officers earn an average $5,199 pension, which is
$1,471 less than the average when compared to nine other comparable Texas
cities, according to the union. Of these cities, which include Brownsville,
Laredo and San Antonio, more than two-thirds contribute 7 percent toward the
pension, while less than one-third, including
McAllen, contribute 6 percent to it. But city officials maintain that it would be unwise to provide
more parity, even disputing whether such comparisons with other cities are
valid. Indeed, while the union has tended to base its demands on
comparisons to other cities, the McAllen administration has approached the
negotiations with an eye more toward how little it can spend on compensation
and benefits without driving up attrition to an unacceptable level. "We wanted to make sure that those who work for the city
had enough compensation and benefits that we wouldn’t have a very high
attrition rate, meaning we wouldn’t have a lot of people leaving because they
weren’t properly compensated," Cortez said. "I’m happy to report
that if you go by experience, our attrition rate in the police department is
really very low." Another of the city’s top criteria, Cortez said, is whether the
benefits and compensation are attractive enough to recruit new police
officers to fill vacancies in the department. "Every time we have a new training class here in McAllen,
we have more candidates than we have positions to fill," he said.
"That’s a good sign. That means that people view McAllen as a place
where they want to be trained, and it’s a place where they want to start a
career in the law enforcement business." Cortez was blunt in his criticism of other cities that he said
have incurred substantial unfunded liabilities by yielding too much to their
police officers. "Other municipalities, out of their great desire to please,
have made wrong decisions to a point that they have encumbered their cities
for future generations simply to pay for a bad decision," he said.
"It would be idiotic for us, in the city of McAllen, not to learn from
the past and make it a component of our decision-making process." McAllen police investigator Guadalupe Chapa, a 13-year veteran
of the department, was among the 90 officers who made up approximately
130-150 people who marched in front of City Hall carrying signs with slogans
such as "Keep our cops in our city." He stressed that the police officers will continue to serve and
protect the public regardless of how long the contract impasse may last and
said they are seeking security for themselves and their families. He added
that tax dollars are being used to train officers who turn around and leave
the department in short order for jobs with better compensation and benefits. "We’re getting a lot of officers that are just using
McAllen as a training base," he said. "They up and leave because they don’t have a future,"
chimed in his colleague, Sgt. Julian Loredo, a
17-year veteran of the department. "When an officer has worked for the same city for some time
— more than four of five years — then you truly get the benefits of having
that officer’s training and experience," Loredo
added. "If we’re just a stepping stone and we only provide good officers
for other cities, then where’s the benefits for the
citizens of McAllen?" There’s a safety element to consider as well, Zellers said. "The citizens are ultimately going to the pay the price,"
he said. "The last time Border Patrol started a recruitment campaign and
a hiring process like they currently have going, we lost 16 officers in one
month. "When you lose that many officers, it’s that many less
patrolling the streets, that many less patrolling
the neighborhoods, and crime is going to go up. When the citizens call for
assistance, it’s going to take us longer to respond." As it stands now, the city and the officers have framed their
dispute in terms of promoting fiscal responsibility versus ensuring public
safety. Police officers said they are counting on public pressure to prevail
on city leaders to accede to their demands. If not, they will file suit
against the city. "It’s the next step," City Manager Mike Perez said
with an air of resignation. "We’re kind of sad that it’s going to that
point, because we would have liked to have worked something out, but there’s
such a difference between what they’re asking and what the (City Commission)
can put on the table." Police
receive $3,000 boost, no one else From the Culpeper Star Exponent, May 31, 2006 From police lieutenants to police officers, 39 members of the
Culpeper Police Department will receive a $3,000 boost in salary with the new
fiscal year, beginning July 1. That’s in addition to a 2.5 percent
cost-of-living raise and the potential for a 4 percent merit raise. At the same time, the rest of the town workforce will not
receive the $2,000 flat increase proposed by Town Manager Brannon Godfrey in
the original budget. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire - police officers are saying
they’re underpaid,” said Town Councilman Chris Snider at Tuesday night’s
budget work session. “I don’t see any other town employees in here.” Other employees in town departments (public works, light and
power, etc.) will get an extra 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise (5 percent
more altogether) in FY07 and the possibility for 4 percent more in a merit
raise on the anniversary date of their hiring. Culpeper Town Council decided as such at Tuesday night’s budget
work session after about an hour of discussion on the issue. Council
considered both sets of additional pay raises an interim measure, pending a
full-fledged pay study based a “living wage” concept. In the meantime, town leaders approved the extra pay boosts in
an effort to bring Culpeper’s salaries more in line with surrounding
localities. Town police received more, however, because of the nature of
their jobs coupled with the pay competition from just up the street at the
county Sheriff’s Office. The request last week from Police Chief Dan Boring was for a
$4,000 across-the-board increase. He was out-of-town on training, but a
roomful of officers showed up at that budget session to speak their minds
about how they can make thousands more by changing the color of their
uniforms and taking a job with the county sheriff. It was standing room only again at Tuesday’s meeting as members
of the police force crowded into the small town hall boardroom. Under Tuesday night’s action, only two police captains and the
chief will not receive the $3,000 flat increase. Not all council members
seemed to agree with the flat raise for the 39 officers, but the measure
passed nonetheless. “There’s been a lot of talk about police officers and how
they’re underpaid, and I agree with that,” said Town Councilman Tom Huggard. “But it’s not just our police officers, it’s our
entire staff. Our other employees might have a pretty valid argument that,
‘I’m worth more too,’ and then we’re into a rather large amount of money.
What about the rest of the staff?” He advocated for an additional percentage raise increase for all
employees, including police, in FY07 and the completion of an updated pay
study as soon as possible. Town Councilman Billy Yowell, on the
other hand, felt the $3,000 pay raise for just the police force was
justified. “I think the police officers are more visible,” he said. “They
have to have a lot more training and are in harm’s way.” Mayor Pranas Rimeikis
warned against entering into “a salary war” with the Sheriff’s Office, but
still supported the raise for police officers. “And exclude everyone else,” he said. Director of Public Works Bobby Thornhill,
meanwhile, pointed out that about 50 percent of his staff (about 20
employees) make less than $30,000 per year. “When you give a percentage raise, the rich get richer and the
poor stay poor,” he said. “The poor are the ones I’m concerned about.” Thornhill said his
employees would certainly appreciate the cost-of-living raise. “But when
you’re making $20-$25,000 a year, that’s less than 10 bucks a week. You can
hardly buy three gallons of gas with that.” Assistant Town Manager Noah Simon said the updated pay study -
intended to bring all town salaries to the living wage level - would be
completed “by this time next year.” Still, Town Council is not obligated to adopt the results of the
study or implement the suggested competitive raises. Town Councilman-elect Steve Jenkins pointed out as such. With
all the growth in town, he said, there should be no question about the
increase demand on police services. “What does this study cost and is there a commitment on the part
of the town to follow the study?” Jenkins asked. “Or is it just another study
to sit around and debate?” RICHMOND
POLICE AGREE TO CONTRACT From
The Sun, May 28, 2006 RICHMOND - A multi-year contract giving Richmond police union members raises has been ratified. The pact between the
International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 425 and the town was
reportedly completed last week but has yet to be officially signed. Town officials would not give out any specifics of the contract
or release it to the public until it has been signed save for percentage pay
increases and pensions. According to Town Councilor Jason Proulx,
starting July 1 (the first day of the new fiscal year), officers will receive
a $2,000 pay increase plus 1 percent of that total amount the first year. For
example, Chief Raymond Driscoll, the highest paid of the 14 officers,
currently makes $56,000 annually. The $2,000 will be added to make it $58,000
and then adding one percent of that number will give him a salary of $58,560
this upcoming fiscal year. The second year will see a 3.75 percent increase and the third
will include a three percent hike plus a 22-year pension with no cost of
living increase - a provision which is being negotiated in many police union
contracts. By the end of the three-year contract in 2009, Driscoll will have
a salary of $61,978 with the 22-year pension plan. Driscoll confirmed the details Tuesday. "I think it's a fair contract," said Proulx. "Personally, I would have like
to have given the police more money. We have a decent police force." Driscoll said he was pleased with the outcome. "I think it's a great contract," he said.
"Negotiations have been going on for a few weeks, so it went fast. "It doesn't affect me that much, mostly the rank
and file officers." Cpl. Michael Lawing, who was the lead
officer during the negotiations, could not be reached for comment. Town councilor Henry Oppenheimer, who was also involved in
negotiations, said Tuesday that he had "nothing to say about the
contract until it's signed," and councilor Jennifer Anderson also said
Friday that she couldn't' comment. A beginning probationary officer, who currently makes $27,500 a
year, would see a first-year increase to $27,795 based on the contract
percentages. After three years, that officer would receive $31,840. Longevity
also adds to the salaries, but those details would not be obtained. Specifics
on how much officers pay into their health insurance and their co-pays could
also not be received. The pension plan does not include COLA, or a Cost Of Living
Adjustment. That is a periodic change in wage or benefits designed to
compensate for the effects of inflation, according to the American Heritage
Dictionary. The cost of living is based on the Consumer Price Index that is
updated monthly by the U.S. Department of Labor and are
capped at three percent in Rhode Island. Police in the state pension plan can retire at age 55 with 10
years of experience and at age 50 with 20 years experience. Richmond is facing a tight budget year with a proposed overall
budget of $20,598,346 - $16,902,823 of which is going to the Chariho school system. Of the $3,695,523 projected
municipal budget, just over $1.1 million is going to the police department,
pay increases included. "The new contract doesn't really affect the budget this
year or next year," said Proulx. "With
the monetary issues we already have, this contract is like a needle in a
haystack." He said that though the town council approved of the pay raises,
it's not set until voters approve it at the Financial Town Meeting on June 12.
The police, like all town departments, are line items in the budget that is
approved or rejected by the taxpayers. Proulx also said
that the pension plan, which is provided by the state, is down from the
current 25-year plan the police have. He said town employees put eight
percent of their annual salary into the retirement plan. "Putting more money into a lower year retirement system actually puts the town at a higher financial responsibility," Proulx said of the 22-year pension plan. "The percentage may even go up another percent next year." |
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