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Patrolmen union has
tentative settlement From
the Republican, August 10, 2006 The
agreement, reached on Monday, is not final until ratified by the union
membership, said Kevin B. Coyle yesterday, the lawyer for the International
Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 364. A
contract ratification vote is scheduled at police headquarters on Aug. 18, by
written ballot, during the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Union members will
receive a contract summary before the vote, and the union has scheduled an
informational meeting with the membership on Aug. 16. The
union has approximately 375 members. The
agreement was reached between the union's six-member bargaining team and
representatives of the control board, Coyle said. Coyle
and Philip Puccia, executive director of the
control board, declined to release any details of the contract proposal yesterday.
"We
certainly are optimistic and hopeful that the agreement reached by the city
and the bargaining team will be ratified," Puccia
said, declining further comment. Puccia has stated that contract settlements would not
be reached with any union unless members agreed to drop all legal action
against the control board over a disputed wage freeze and changes in health
insurance. The
control board continues to have unresolved contracts with some unions
including the Springfield Education Association, representing teachers, and
the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 648, representing city
firefighters. The
president of the firefighters union recently said the sides were close to a
settlement. Thomas M. Scanlon, president of the patrolmen's union, also
stated two weeks ago that the sides were close to an agreement. Negotiations
continue with the union for the teachers, who have been without a contract
since 2002. A fact-finder's report aimed at solving the contract impasse was
delivered to city officials last week. The
report's recommendations, prepared by mediator Leslie Williamson, are
nonbinding and will not become public until Monday. The
control board has resolved contracts with unions representing more than 2,000
city employees, including Public Works and Parks employees, clerical workers,
school paraprofessionals and cafeteria workers. The
patrolmen's contract expired on June 30, 2003. City and school employees have
been under a wage freeze for three years, except for those settling
contracts. The
contract impasses with various labor unions have included disputes over the
wage freeze and the changes in health insurance that were imposed by the
control board. The
control board was created by the Legislature and Gov. W. Mitt Romney in July
2004 to address Police soundly reject
contract offer From
the Times Members
of the Albany Police Officers Union on Thursday voted 191-3 against the
offer, which carried annual raises of 3 percent, 3 percent, 3 1/2 percent and
4 percent. Mayor
Jerry Jennings said Monday that the contract was "more than a very fair
offer agreed to by the union's leadership. I am not sure what is going on
here." The
offer stemmed from negotiations done through the state Public Employment
Relations Board after the union declared a contract impasse in January. The
union represents about 272 officers and sergeants. "Now
it is up to the (state) arbitrator what happens next," said Police
Officers Union President Christian Mesley declined
comment Monday. Calls
to the state Public Employment Relations Board for comment were not returned. Under
a five-year contract that expired Dec. 31, police received no raise for 2001,
3 percent raises in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and a 5
percent raise in 2005. Officers with at least 10 years on the job don't
contribute to their health insurance and are not required to make co-pays for
doctor's visits. Prescriptions
have a $2 co-pay. About
1,000 city workers, or about two-thirds of the work force, are covered under
12 union contracts, all of which expired Dec. 31. None has been settled. Prison employees to get
raises August
07, 2006
Hevesi’s office has been facing increasing
criticism for the amount of time it’s taken them to process the long overdue
payments. Republican challenger Chris Callaghan late last month called Hevesi’s administration “inept” over the length of time
it’s taken to calculate pay, and the union representing the officers said
October is still too long. Hevesi said a total of 2.3 million paychecks over the
past few years have to be individually recalculated to determine exact back
pay due. He said temporary staff was hired and overtime authorized to make
that happen as quickly as possible. Police seek higher pay
than proposal includes From
While
the community has experienced great growth and prosperity, it has fallen
behind on compensating police officers - MPD Det.
Bill Anderson A
representative from the Midland Municipal Police Officers Association
informed the City Council Tuesday that the Midland Police Department will not
be able to reach full staffing levels without a higher raise than has been
proposed for next year's budget. The
$63 million proposed general fund budget includes a 5-percent market
adjustment to the police pay plan, as well as a 5-percent step increase that
would apply only to officers who meet certain criteria such as favorable
evaluations and longevity requirements. City officials have said that 90
percent of officers meet the criteria. MPD
Det. Bill Anderson suggested the City Council
consider providing a 10 percent-market adjustment in order to help retain
veterans and entice potential recruits to join the department. Police Chief
John Urby told the Reporter-Telegram in a phone
interview after the meeting that the department is currently short 10
officers and will lose another 10-year veteran in the near future. "While
the community has experienced great growth and prosperity, it has fallen
behind on compensating police officers," City
Manager Rick Menchaca acknowledged the current
level of pay for police officers is below the state average of $37,522 for
cities with populations between 75,000 and 200,000, but the proposed market
adjustment would bring the base salary for Menchaca added the 4-percent turnover rate for
police officers is fairly low compared to other police departments throughout
the state, an indication that the salary level in "I
think the question is what is the turnover rate for officers with 10 years
(or more) of experience," District 3 Councilman Scott Dufford said. "If they're turning over in vast numbers,
we're not competitive. If they're staying, then we are." District
1 City Councilwoman LuAnn Morgan stressed the importance of retaining veteran
officers, in part because of the benefit of having officers with several
years of experience, but also because the city has dedicated resources to
further their education and for them to achieve higher levels of
accreditation. "We
invest a lot in training and accreditation and I'd hate to invest that in our
employees and have them go to another city," Morgan said. Morgan
and other members of the City Council requested more information regarding
which officers are leaving and other data pertinent to the subject prior to
agreeing to the request for a 10-percent market adjustment. The City Council
voted unanimously to approve the proposed budget, which will have to be voted
on a second time on Aug. 22 in order to be finalized. Council members
indicated that they will further examine the possibility of providing a 10
percent market adjustment prior to the next meeting. "This
item will be looked at, there are certainly adjustments that could be made
between now and the next meeting," Midland Mayor Mike Canon said. From
The
program, which will start in the spring of next year, will pay all sworn personnel
an additional $350 a year in bonus pay for obtaining an associate's degree
and $700 a year above their normal salaries for earning a bachelor's degree. In
a released statement, the city said that "the program is expected to
improve recruitment efforts for new officers and help the City retain current
officers." The
city has allocated a total of $350,000 allocation for this extra police pay.program. The
bonuses will be in addition to normal police officers' salaries. A |
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