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The
Employer's Handbook for Public Safety Negotiations Negotiating Without Confrontation and Crisis by Ronald J. York
POWER, INFLUENCE & PERSUASION POLICE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY OCTOBER 25 & 26, 2007 Health
Insurance Inflation Declines Again By
Ron York, POLICEPAY.NET, Inc. For the fourth year in a row, the inflation rate
for health insurance premiums has declined, according a report released by
The Kaiser Family Foundation. The latest inflation rate is 6.1%, which
is down from 7.7% for last year. The new number is well below the peak
of 13.9% in 1999. However, the inflation rate for health insurance
premiums is still considerably higher than the rates for both general inflation
and wages. According the the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, the inflation rate for medical services is currently running at
4.3%. This means that other factors account for 1.8% of the total rate
increase. Most of this can be attributed to increased utilization and
increased amounts being siphoned off by plaintiff attorneys. The reports shows that the average premium for a family plan
policy is more than $1,000 per month. A single plan is slighly less than $400 per month. To read the
entire Kaiser report, go to the following web page. http://www.kff.org/insurance/7672/index.cfm Gables,
police union agree on contract From the After working for nearly two years with no contract, police
officers in Long-stalled negotiations between the city manager and the Coral
Gables Fraternal Order of Police ended Tuesday when city commissioners
approved an 8 percent raise for officers -- 5 percent retroactive to July 1
and another 3 percent beginning Oct. 1. ''That's about 19 months without a pay increase,'' said FOP
president Eugene Gibbons. He had wanted a raise for each of the three years, but got
nothing for the 2005-06 fiscal year. ''That was the year we took back our money'' in relation to the
cost of living increase, Gibbons said, referring to $821,000 worth of pension
contributions that were returned to officers last year. The union had agreed to contribute 5 percent to the city's
pension plan with the understanding that the contributions would also be
applied to the cost of a mutually acceptable cost-of-living increase improvement
for the union -- which never materialized. Then the union sued to get its
money back and settled with the city in February 2006. ''So we conceded no pay raise for that year. Both sides
compromised and came to an agreement,'' Gibbons said, adding that the city
''backed off'' its demand that officers contribute from their pay to the
pension, as all other city employees now do. The union, for its part, also dropped its wish to have a
cost-of-living increase worked into the pension. ''We didn't get everything we wanted, but we believe that these
are fair pay increases for the cost of living and will keep us up competitive
with surrounding municipalities,'' Gibbons said. Despite the signed contract, the parties could be back at the
negotiating table within a few weeks. The city can reopen discussions about
the pension contribution as early as October, Gibbons said. ''The FOP has never, ever said they would not contribute to the
city pension plan,'' he said. ``The problem is,
there is a law that says that if we do, we should receive a greater benefit. ''The question is, what's that benefit,'' he said, adding that
the city risks losing about $1.4 million in state supplemental retirement
money for police officers and firefighters because the firefighters agreed to
pay a pension contribution for no added benefit, which violated that
greater-benefit law. ''The state is withholding all of our money, the fire and the
police money, because we are all in the same fund,'' Gibbons said. ``Until
the city is willing and able to give a greater benefit, we're pretty much at
a stalemate. But we're hoping that when the city opens up the negotiations,
[it will] be in the spirit of good faith.'' Police say no on new contract terms From the Monitor,
September 7, 2007
Orange cops
nearing pay raise Their union is confident the sheriff will approve new contracts
by Sept. 23. From the
From NEW CASTLE - Newly hired police officers will have to pay for a
portion of their health insurance costs under a contract just completed with
the town. The old contract expired at the beginning of 2005 and the long
negotiations have generated bad feelings among the officers and led to
several police protests, including one outside the home of Sen. Hillary
Clinton and former President Clinton. The negotiations ended up in binding
arbitration, and the outlines of the agreement were reached in April. The
final approval came yesterday. The new contract will run until the end of 2009 and includes 3.9
percent raises for the first two years and 3.95 percent for 2007-2009. Officer Steven Heady, president of the 42-member union, said
neither side likely feels like a winner, but each can probably live with the
agreement. "It's obviously a decision that probably both sides are not
entirely happy with," he said. The union had hoped to avoid contributing to health insurance
and the town was hoping for smaller pay raises. New officers will have to pay
12 percent of the cost of their health insurance once they reach the level of
grade 1 patrol officer, which Supervisor Janet Wells said usually takes four
years. They will have to continue paying during retirement. The town will
continue to pick up 100 percent of the cost for current officers. In 2007, the annual salary of a grade 1 officer is $83,170, with
entry level officers making more than $30,000 less. Health insurance would
cost an officer $1,600 a year for a family at this year's rate. Under the new contract, officers will also have to work an
additional four hours this year and another "plug-in" day on top of
their regular schedule next year. The days, which will total four next year, are often used for training. Wells said she is relieved the contract has been settled. The
final terms were the result of good compromises, she said. "We think the contract is very responsible," she said.
The police have gotten some support from residents over the
years of negotiations. Richard Fisch, a lawyer who volunteers
with the Chappaqua Fire Department and the ambulance corps, said the officers
he knows are somewhat satisfied with the contract. He said the "We're very lucky to have a wonderful Police Department and
a wonderful police chief," he said. Health insurance costs have been one driver of budget increases
in Wells said the town tries to keep benefits comparable within the
town and with nearby towns and felt it was important the police pay part of
the health costs. "We did feel strongly about this because our other
employees are doing this," she said. In March, Local CSEA President Stephen Coleman,
the town's environmental coordinator, said he thought it was fair the police
will have to start paying a portion of health costs. "The fact that the police are starting to do that is really
just indicative of the times," he said. Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, corrections personnel get
raise From the A 14-percent pay increase will go into effect for Jefferson
County sheriff's deputies as of Oct. 1 and guards at the Jefferson County
Correctional Facility get an 8-percent bump in the terms of a new four-year
pay package agreed to by the employees and the county. All that's left is the formal signing of the contract, which
should occur within the next couple of weeks, William "Ike" Eichelberger, Jefferson County Sheriff's Association
president, said. The association on Wednesday voted 163-6 in favor of an offer
from Jefferson County Commissioners that would give deputies a 32 percent pay
increase over a four-year period, Eichelberger
said. Once the contract is signed, deputies will get a 14 percent
increase for fiscal year 2007-2008. They will get 8 percent more the next
year, and a 5 percent increase for each of the following two years. Correctional officers will see a 23 percent increase in the same
period, gaining 8 percent the first year. They will get increases of 6, 5 and
4 percent respectively the next three years. The group had been striving for parity with Commissioners had rejected a previous contract drafted by a
committee appointed to negotiate with the sheriff's association by a 3-2
vote. That proposal was for a 28 percent raise for deputies over three
years. Commissioners Eddie Albert, Waymon
Hallmark and Mark Domingue agreed the deputies
deserved pay increases, but disputed the amount offered. Deputies and committee members returned to the bargaining table
to craft a deal acceptable to all the commissioners. Eichelberger said the
contract offer won't put deputies on par with the larger local departments,
but he and other deputies can live with it. "It doesn't solve all our problems, but it's a gigantic
step in the right direction," Eichelberger
said. 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,
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