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The
Police Negotiator's Handbook
Power, Influence,
& Persuasion
How to Get It. How to Use It.
by Ronald J. York
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION
The Police Negotiator's Handbook,
by Ron York, POLICEPAY.NET president
 The book that every
Negotiator needs
is now available.
This book
is presented in the six stages of Negotiations.
Stage
One – Research Evidence
Stage
Two – Develop Argument
Stage
Three – Create Key Relationships
Stage
Four – Generate Public Support
Stage
Five – Plan Strategy
Stage Six –
Negotiate Deal
Negotiations are about persuasion.
If you want a
handbook that is brief and to the point,
Click here to order
County,
deputies agree on pay issues
Contract - Both sides hope the
tentative pact will keep deputies from transferring to Portland
From The
Oregonian, July 25, 2007f
After two years of battling, Multnomah County's sheriff law enforcement
deputies have tentatively agreed to a three-year contract in a deal the
county hopes will encourage more deputies to stay put.
The county's offer gives retroactive
raises of 11 percent for deputies and 14 percent for sergeants for the past
two years, adding about $1.2 million to the payroll, said Travis Graves,
human resources director. The deal also provides a 2.7 percent raise in
January, until the deal expires next July.
Deputies voted unanimously last week
to back the county's latest offer, though neither side has finalized the
deal.
The deputies would be in the middle
range of pay for law enforcement officers in the region, said Graves, though contract details remain under wraps.
The sheriff's 75-person law
enforcement operation provides police services to unincorporated Multnomah County as well as river patrol, civil
service and limited investigative functions.
In recent years, the operation has
weathered shrinking territory, budget cuts, leadership turmoil and continuing
uncertainty about its future. County leaders including District Attorney
Michael Schrunk and Ted Wheeler, chairman of the
board of commissioners, have questioned whether money could be saved by
paying the cities to take over those roles.
The two-year contract battle had been
headed for arbitration for the second time when the agreement was reached.
County leaders hope the new contract
will provide the necessary incentive for some of the deputies who had applied
to the Portland Police Bureau when it began recruiting from their ranks in
June to stay with the county.
The prospect of losing a large number
of experienced deputies has worried county leaders and raised questions about
whether they will need to scale back services.
Mark Herron, one of the 33 deputies
who initially applied, said he expected to stay with the county now that the
contract appears settled. Seven deputies also pulled applications and more
are expected to do so, said Herron, who is vice president of the Multnomah
County Deputy Sheriff's Association.
"You should see the bright,
shiny faces around here," he said. "A large weight has been lifted,
and morale is bouncing back."
The county board, which is currently
negotiating another nine contracts, will vote on the pact at its Aug. 9
meeting.
"It's been a long time
coming," Herron said. "We believe we've reached a fair and
equitable deal."
Springfield police supervisors reject contract offer
From the Republican, July 23, 2007
SPRINGFIELD -
Police supervisors and the city are rethinking bargaining strategy this week
following the rejection last week of a contract proposal.
The 68-member unit turned down the offer by an undisclosed margin on Friday.
They are the only union of 28 in the city that has yet to negotiate and
settle a pact under the Springfield Finance Control Board.
Members of the Springfield Police Supervisors Association refused to comment
on the vote yesterday, and the union president, Lt. Edward H. Geier Sr., was unavailable.
But Police Commissioner Edward A. Flynn expressed disappointment, saying he
is unsure what will happen next.
"That contract would have made them the highest paid unit in the
city," Flynn said.
"I don't know exactly what the burr in their saddle was, but it's
disappointing. They're going to have to sort this out with the negotiating
team," he said.
Attorney Marshall T. Moriarty, who represents the union of police captains,
lieutenants and sergeants, said he will meet with leadership tomorrow to
discuss the next steps.
"We're going to meet, discuss our options, and what is
available as a next step. We're going to try to get the matter
resolved," Moriarty said.
Control Board Executive Director Stephen P. Lisauskas
was unavailable for comment.
The contract would have given the police supervisors pay increases totaling
14.5 percent over eight years, but the first two years - dating to early 2004
- would have included no raises.
If approved, supervisors would get 2 percent raises for the fiscal year that
began July 1, 2006, and 2.5 percent raises for each of the five subsequent
years, including the fiscal year that began this month.
Since Jan. 1, 2003, captains have been earning between $1,375 and $1,456 per
week, lieutenants between $1,175 and $1,244, and sergeants between $1,004 and
$1,063. These figures do not include extra duty pay, overtime and Quinn Bill
payments for those with advanced degrees.
Under the contract, base pay of captains would rise retroactively to $1,402,
for lieutenants to $1,198 and for sergeants $1,024, in the fiscal year that
began July 1, 2006.
The contract would also have allowed mandatory drug testing of supervisors,
but only under a controlled process for supervisors whose balance, walking,
speech or attitude are deemed questionable. Random testing would have been
prohibited, as it is now.
Positive tests would trigger mandatory rehabilitation and random urinalysis
for one year. Those who continue to test positive would be subject to
termination.
The contract proposal would also have allowed the city to implement the
recommendations of a consultant's report, to consider participating in a
regional lock-up facility, and to create a joint public safety dispatch
system, that could be away from Police Department headquarters and would not
have to be staffed by members of the supervisors' union.
Lauderhill police to vote on city's final pay raise offer
From the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel, July 23, 2007
Lauderhill police are
demanding bigger paychecks, but city officials say their timing is bad.
Forced to slash $3.8 million from the city budget this upcoming fiscal year,
officials aren't willing to offer police what they offered during failed
negotiations last year.
The union's contract expired in October, and for nearly a year, Lauderhill police and
city officials have been unable to agree on how much more money officers
should get.
The police union, representing more than 100 officers, will vote within the
next two weeks whether to accept the city's final offer: keeping a "step
plan" that increases salaries 2 percent to 5 percent a year, depending
on how long officers have been with the force. The offer also added a 3.8
percent "cost-of-living" salary increase and included bonuses of
$2,000 to $4,000, also tied to years of service.
The offer is significantly less than what the union wanted: an 18 percent
increase for sergeants' total payroll and a 19 percent increase for officers'
payroll.
"It's disheartening," said police Sgt. Michael Bigwood,
the union's president, who said he thinks the city could offer more money.
"Officers get the feeling the city's administration and commissioners
themselves don't care about the welfare of the officers and their
families."
Richard Weiss, the lawyer for the city, said the city's offer was for a
"substantial" amount of money.
The average increase for the 103-person membership would equate to more than
$7,000 an officer, he said. But union members doubted the offer would produce
an increase that high. Weiss said the city would provide paperwork this week
detailing increases officer by officer.
It's a tough time for contract talks, but cities should find the money to pay
police, said John Puleo, a state Fraternal Order of
Police representative who is helping Lauderhill
police. Sunrise
police renewed their contract recently with 5 percent salary increases, Puleo said.
"Cities have been hesitant to negotiate, waiting to see how tax reform
affects them," he said. If the Lauderhill
police union doesn't accept the city's offer, it likely will declare an
impasse and seek state mediation, Bigwood said.
During the past year, low pay and uncertainty about their finances have
lowered officers' morale, union officials argue. Some officers are
considering relocating to better-paying agencies, Bigwood
said. Economic consultant Lawrence Jessup, hired by the union to study
salaries last year, found Lauderhill officers'
pay was among the lowest for South Florida
police departments.
Because the contract was supposed to be approved last year, it would expire
in October and more negotiations would begin. The city is waiting to see
whether voters in January approve another state property tax plan that could
further strain city finances.
Puleo said the city should consider using some of
the millions of dollars it has in reserves, but Weiss said that wouldn't be
"fiscally responsible."
"Why keep it in reserves?" Puleo asked.
"Pay the officers."
Public safety employees to pay
more for health insurance under new contract
From the Burlington Free Press, July 25, 2007
SOUTH BURLINGTON — Police employees will receive a 9.14percent raise over
three years and fire employees will receive nearly an 8.5 percent raise in
three years — over the 2005-2006 salaries — under a recently agreed-upon
union contract.
Employees of both departments will pay more toward
their health insurance
premiums, City Manager Chuck Hafter
said. Employees paid what worked out to be about 6 percent of the premiums
through a formula based on a percentage
of base salaries, and now employees will pay a
uniform 10 percent of premiums.
The contract, which runs from July 2006 to June 2009,
is not as lucrative for employees as the last three-year contract was, which ran from 2003-2006. During
that contract, police employees saw a total of a 12.5
percent raise over their
2002-2003 salaries; and fire employees saw an 11.4
percent raise over the period.
Under the new contracts, a starting police officer
makes $36,465 in the 2006-2007 year, and $38,122 in the final year. A
middle-level sergeant makes $49,178 in the first year and $50,664 in the
final year.
A starting firefighter salary is at $31,308 in the
first year of the contract, and a starting salary is $33,134 in the final
year of the contract. In addition to raises, employees receive higher pay for
years of service. For example, a captain listed as grade 13, at step 20 with
12 years of service the first year of the contract, will make $52,139 the
first year of the contract and $59,445 the third year.
Neither fire nor police union representatives could
be reached for comment.
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