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After 15
Months, Brookfield Police Have New Contract
After more than a year of negotiations with Brookfield
officials, the village’s police patrol officers and sergeants have a new
two-year contract. The contract, passed by the Brookfield village board
Monday night and overwhelmingly supported by the police rank and file, ends a
15-month impasse that saw an independent arbitrator called in to try to help
resolve the dispute. The new contract, which will run until April 30, 2007, calls for
salary increases for police along with a change in the employee contribution
for health insurance costs and a one-time seniority stipend for officers who
have worked for the Brookfield Police Department for at least 25 years. The seniority stipend was a main sticking point in previous
negotiations between police and the village. Brookfield police officers
previously were not granted seniority stipends. According to former Village
Manager Dave Owen, police sought stipends initially for officers with at
least 10 years on the force, a request that was subsequently changed to 25
years. But Brookfield officials refused to budge on the issue of the
stipends, and eventually Edwin H. Benn, an independent arbitrator, ruled that
the village’s previous contract with police be extended one year until April
30, 2006 along with a salary increase for officers. In the new contract, any officer who has completed 25 years of
service with the Brookfield Police Department can increase his salary by 2
percent for any one contract year. The stipend option can be used only once,
and will most likely be used as a retirement benefit for senior officers,
whose pensions correspond to their final salary amount. That new benefit is balanced by a provision in the contract that
calls for officers to contribute more for health insurance premiums.
Previously, officers contributed 5 percent of single or family health
insurance premiums. Beginning Sept. 1, 2005, officers will now pay 10 percent
of health insurance costs. "It was a give and take process," said Village
President Michael Garvey. "This will help us reduce expenses for
insurance. It’s been one of our biggest expenses and has been outpacing
increases in revenues. It’s something the board will be looking to do in
negotiations with other union employees of the village and other employees of
the village. It’s a sign of the times." In addition, the contract calls for 4-percent salary increases
for both years of the contract. Under the new contract beginning patrol officers
will make $44,154 retroactive to May 1, 2005 and $45,920 beginning May 1,
2006. The most experienced patrolmen will make $65,081 beginning May 2005 and
$67,684 in 2006. The pay for entry-level sergeants beginning May 1, 2005 is
$70,939, with sergeant with at least two years of experience making $74,884.
On May 1, 2006 the pay for new sergeants will be $73,776, while those with at
least two years will earn $77,837. Police Chief Thomas Schoenfeld
expressed relief that the new contract was ratified by both the village board
and officers. A sergeant himself until October 2004, when he was promoted to
chief, Schoenfeld has been on both sides of the
negotiating table during the contract dispute. "It’s very gratifying to me," Schoenfeld
said. "Certainly, anytime things get drawn out they definitely have an
effect on morale. Like anything you’ve just got to compromise." Rialto Replaces Its
Police Force CITY
COUNCIL: A special meeting is called, and the Sheriff's Department's contract
offer is accepted. From
the Press-Enterprise, September 14, 2005 RIALTO
- City officials voted Tuesday to eliminate Rialto's longstanding but
beleaguered police department and contract for law-enforcement services with
the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The
proposal was approved at a special council meeting by a 4-1 vote after almost
three hours of heated testimony from residents and Rialto Police Department
personnel. Much of the testimony was supportive of the Police Department and
critical of members of the City Council and City Administrator Henry Garcia.
Mayor Grace Vargas voted against the proposal. Early
in the meeting, cries of "Save our police" were heard from outside
the council chamber. The
service proposal -- originally scheduled to go before the council at its next
regular meeting, which is Tuesday -- was added to the agenda Monday in a move
that surprised many, including Vargas. At
a Tuesday morning news conference that included police personnel, Vargas said
she was not notified about the agenda item until late Monday. Vargas
said she didn't think the short timeframe gave residents enough notice, a
sentiment shared by Police Department supporters in attendance. "I
am the mayor, and I feel that I need to have that respect," Vargas said.
At
the end of Tuesday night's meeting, Vargas made an emotional plea to other
members of the City Council and to Garcia to reconsider. "I will fight
until the end to keep my police department at home," she said to a
standing ovation. Other
council members said problems in the Rialto Police Department have gone on
for too long. "What
does home rule mean if you don't have control? And we don't have control
right now," said Joe Sampson, the mayor pro tem. The
Sheriff's Department would provide law-enforcement services to the city for a
proposed $17 million budget, representing a savings to the city of $1.2
million, said Kirby Warner, the assistant city administrator. The city is
considering reducing an 8 percent utility tax passed in 2003 to pay for
public services. Garcia
said a special meeting can be called with 24 hours' notice either by the
mayor or three members of the City Council. Several council members said they
had been intimidated by members of the public and felt that misinformation in
the community warranted holding the meeting soon, Garcia said. A
battle over the fate of the department has been brewing for the past week
since the city asked the Sheriff's Department to prepare the proposal. The
request followed criticism of police leadership in the form of lawsuits and a
police union no-confidence vote against Police Chief Michael Meyers and
Deputy Chief Arthur Burgess. Garcia
previously has said that he believes the Police Department is incurably
corrupt and needs to be eliminated. The
city has received many complaints about poor police service, slow response
times and internal strife, Garcia said. The department continues to focus on
leadership problems rather than addressing crime, he said. "The
department is imploding and has no respect for each other and no respect for
leadership," Garcia said. Department
supporters have mobilized in the past few days, distributing fliers and
collecting hundreds of signatures on petitions seeking to save the department
or to put the issue to a citywide vote. Some
residents said they disagree that police services in the city would improve
if the Sheriff's Department took over. The savings would not make up for the
specialized police services that would be lost, such as the K-9 and drug-enforcement
units, resident Celeste Blair said. "I
realize we have problems in the Police Department, but those problems start
at the top," said resident Margo Wright. "If you bring in the
(Sheriff's Department), there will be no community policing." Meyers
was hired in 1998 to lead the department as it was being investigated by the
Department of Justice over allegations of racism and discrimination. Garcia
said the police union was unprofessional in holding the no-confidence vote
while Meyers was on vacation last month. Andrew
Pilcher, president of the Rialto Police Benefit
Association, said Tuesday that department personnel have been restricted from
doing their jobs because of poor management. Problems within the department
could be solved, he said. A
bid from the Sheriff's Department was considered in May 2004, when the city
was negotiating a contract with the police union. At the time, the council
decided against the proposal. The
Sheriff's Department contracts with 14 cities, including Highland, Rancho
Cucamonga, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace and Yucaipa. Bridgeport's
Police Pact Vetoed Binding arbitration next step following lopsided union vote From the Connecticut Post, September 13, 2005 BRIDGEPORT — By a 4-1 margin, the local police union has
rejected the city's final contract proposal, forcing the deadlocked talks on
a new pact into binding arbitration. "The membership has spoken. Obviously, they weren't happy
with what the city was offering," Sgt. Donald Jacques, the union
president, said Monday. "The city said it was its best offer, but the
membership decided it wasn't good enough." Officers rejected the proposed contract by a 180-45 vote in
Friday balloting. Police officers have been working without a contract for a
year and a half. Mayor John M. Fabrizi said he was
disappointed with the vote, but said the city is prepared to press its case
in the state's binding arbitration process. "The tentative agreement was reached after many hours of
negotiation over the past several months. I felt it was very fair and
equitable," the mayor said. There are 419 uniformed police officers with starting pay at
$37,964 in the police union. While the proposed agreement called for salary increases of 2.5
percent, 2.5 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent over the course of the
four-year pact, it also would have required larger payments by union members
for health insurance, something they were not prepared to accept, according
to union officials. "Because of the spiraling cost of health benefits, it just
can't remain status quo," the mayor said of the city's demand that the
officers contribute more. Under the family plan rate, a police officer currently pays 7.5
percent of the health-care premium with the city paying the remainder.
However, under the proposal, the percentage the employee would pay would have
risen to 10 percent this year, 11 percent next year and 12 percent in 2007. Co-payments would increase from $5 to $20 for a doctor visit and
prescription co-payments would be $5, $10 and $25, depending on the
medication. "I felt the proposal was extremely fair and equitable and
in line with the private sector," the mayor said. Jacques, who has led the union for the past year, also said
Monday he will not run for re-election. Meanwhile, the city's firefighters are also without a contract. Fabrizi said city negotiators had been delaying work on a
new fire pact until the police contract was complete. Police Vote Down Proposed
Contract From
the NEWS-TIMES, September 10, 2005 DANBURY
— Danbury police rejected the city's latest offer to settle a two-year
contract dispute Friday in a 117-9 vote. Now
the matter will likely be decided by the state Board of Mediation and
Arbitration, which could prolong the dispute for another year. "It's
disappointing," said Mayor Mark Boughton.
"I think this contract was negotiated in good faith between the city and
the negotiating team. I think it's unfortunate, but the bottom line is that
this contract provided a 12 percent salary increase over four years and for
the first time in 23 years put the cost of living adjustment back into the
pension. "The
rank and file isn't following their own leadership,"
Boughton said. "You
can't sit down and keep negotiating. The only way we're going to get a
contract is to go through the arbitration process," he said. Boughton said the arbitration process starts Sept.
23 and can take from eight months to a year. Tony
Mahr, president of Local union 891, said the
biggest sticking point was the medical insurance. "What
I'm hearing is that they don't want to go with the standard medical and keep
what they have even if they have to pay the difference," Mahr said. "The medical is a big deal." Mahr said the proposal called for a change in medical
plans that would increase co-payments and offer less coverage. Members, who
pay 5 percent of the premium now, would have faced an increase of 10 percent
this year and 12 percent the following year. "They're
paying more and getting less," Mahr said.
"They feel the contract is all give-backs." Mahr said, despite the looming arbitration, there is
always a chance of settlement. "I
don't think negotiations are over. It's all a matter of when we agree to sit
down and talk again," he said. The
latest proposal came after six weeks of renewed negotiations, following the
unprecedented unanimous rejection of the city's previous offer last May. The
proposed four-year contract would have replaced the pact that expired in July
2003. The union's negotiating committee voted 7 to 0 to recommend the
agreement to its members. One
of the major reasons the agreement was unanimously defeated in May, union
leaders said, was that the officers' pension contributions, in addition to
the cost of a new medical insurance plan sought by the city, would have wiped
out any pay increase for most of the members. Previous
contracts had no COLA for the post-1983 officers, who now constitute a
majority of the department. The pension plan for those who began working
prior to 1983 does include a COLA. Under
the latest proposal, the city's previous offer of a 12 percent pay increase
over the life of the pact remained essentially unchanged. What was altered
was the amount officers contribute to a revised pension plan that for the
first time provides a cost of living adjustment in retirement pensions for
those who joined the department after 1983. The
mayor said Friday that the cost of living pension increase would have cost
taxpayers an additional $500,000 a year and the entire proposal would have
cost an additional $800,000 a year for each of the next three years of the
contract. "We
want to invest in our public safety personnel, but I also have a
responsibility to the taxpayers in the city," Boughton
said. Deputies, County Agree On
Contract The
officers' union is set to vote next week on the tentative agreement reached
with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. From
the St/ Petersburg Times, September 10, 2005 BROOKSVILLE
- The impasse between the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and its deputies'
union appears to be over. A
meeting Friday appeared to smooth out a few remaining details of the
agreement between the Sheriff's Office and the Fraternal Order of Police, the
deputies' bargaining unit. The
union will vote next week on whether to ratify the agreement, which spells
out criteria for matters including cost-of-living increases, a pay increase
for off-duty details and a career path development program. Specifically,
union representatives and administrators agreed upon the following terms,
pending ratification by the 150-plus union members next week. Union members
would receive: A
3 percent cost-of-living increase, 1 percent less than they had requested.
However, they will receive either $600 or $1,260 in annual health care
reimbursements, depending on the plan deductible. An
increase to $23 per hour for off-duty details, up $3 per hour from the current
rate. The
union wanted the change effective Oct. 1 but compromised on a Nov. 1 start.
Chief Deputy Michael Hensley had argued that Oct. 1 left little time for
churches, schools and other agencies that use details to deal with the
increase. Implementation
of a career path development program by Feb. 1. The program would provide
additional pay for certain specialized duties. Both
sides debated the language of the development program Friday before coming to
an agreement. Hensley said he was concerned deputies might interpret the
language as suggesting they would be due a pay increase effective Feb. 1 if
they met the criteria by that date. "The
titles might be there, master deputy or whatever, and you might feel all warm
and fuzzy, but if the compensation's not there yet, it's not going to
matter," he said. Police,
Town Appear Near A Settlement From the Boston Globe, September 11, 2005 The
end appears in sight for a 19-month stalemate between the town of Dover and
its police, now that both sides have agreed to settle the contract dispute
through arbitration. The
police union says members are eager to sign a new contract because the
impasse has hurt morale. Town officials say they want to put the issue behind
them. ''We're
looking forward with positive anticipation for closure," said Town
Administrator David Ramsay. ''It's in everybody's best interest to have a
contract." It
is unclear how soon a new deal could be in place, but the Massachusetts Joint
Labor-Management Committee has set an arbitration hearing for tomorrow. The
hearing, which will be held in the Boston law office of Dover's town counsel,
Seyfarth Shaw, will give both sides a chance to
present their cases and answer questions. The
three-member arbitration panel is composed of one representative from
management and one from labor, both of whom are on the Joint Labor-Management
Committee, and an independent arbitrator, who will serve as the chair. After
listening to testimony and reviewing the case, the panel will make a ruling.
The decision is binding, subject to Town Meeting approving the necessary
funding, Ramsay said. The
two sides have been negotiating since February 2004. The union's contract
expired June 30, 2004. How
big a raise the officers should get has been the biggest point of contention. Entering arbitration, the union is asking for
6 percent raises in fiscal 2005, 2006, and 2007. Previously, the union had
sought smaller raises along with improved benefits. Dover
Police Association president Eamon Geoghegan said
the negotiations have been frustrating because the town has enough money to
settle the dispute. ''We're
not talking about a tax increase here," he said. ''The money is a nonissue for the town. We're just looking for the same as
all other union and nonunion employees in Dover. No more, no less." Ramsay
declined to say what the town has offered in return but said it is a fair
contract for the 11 officers and four sergeants in the union and the town's
taxpayers. ''Our
position is [that] our settlement offer continues the goal of an equitable
compensation package," Ramsay said. Geoghegan said the town's failure to properly pay
officers has led to a high turnover rate. He said six full-time officers have
left over the past five years and a third of the department is looking for
work elsewhere. ''Morale
is awful," Geoghegan said, though insisting
that ''all the officers remain committed and dedicated to providing the very
best in public safety services to the Dover community." Ramsay
acknowledged that the dispute has caused tensions, but said the Dover police
are professionals and have continued to do their job. The
town and union filed a petition this spring with the Joint Labor-Management
Committee for help. Mediation failed, so the committee ordered a hearing. While
the decision will be final, it is unclear what would happen if Town Meeting
did not vote to fund the new contract, Ramsay said. ''We'll
cross that bridge if we come to it," he said. Police
Union Questions Government's Involvement With Teamsters From, NewsChannel 5, September 8, 2005 The
FOP said what Metro did for the Teamsters may have been illegal, and the
police union spelled out its concerns in a letter in which it asks Metro to
stop helping the Teamsters - a union that is trying very hard to replace the
FOP. It's
turning into a battle for control over the Metro police department between
two unions that both want to represent Metro officers. The
latest shot fired comes in a letter from the Fraternal Order of Police
accusing Metro government of using taxpayer dollars to unfairly help the
Teamsters and showing favoritism. The
police union's attorney said the FOP is outraged by it. “And
that's the way we see it,” FOP attorney Trevor Howell said. A
year ago, Metro officers went to the polls to decide which union they wanted
negotiating their contracts, and the long-standing FOP barely beat the
Teamsters, with the challenger losing by just 16 votes. A
year later, the Teamsters are once again trying to replace the FOP despite a
recently-signed three-year exclusive agreement between Metro government and
the police union. “I
think we should have the opportunity to let the Metro police officers decide
who wants to represent them,” said Jimmy Neal, President of Teamsters Local
327. But
to do that, the Teamsters have to get half of Metro's officers to sign a
petition challenging the FOP's control. They now
have that petition, but the problem, according to the FOP, is that Metro
created it and printed it just for the Teamsters. “That
is improper,” Howell said. Metro's
legal director Karl Dean maintains the Teamsters simply came to them asking
how they could legally challenge the FOP. Dean said they only answered the
Teamsters' questions. “We
are not taking sides on this,” Dean said. Trevor
Howell said while giving legal advice is one thing, designing and typing up
the actual petition for the Teamsters crossed the line. But the Teamsters
don't see it that way, and neither does Metro. “We
have no favorites. We are not taking a position. We are totally neutral,”
Karl Dean said. The
Teamsters told NewsChannel 5 that they are now
collecting signatures on their petition. They're not sure when it will
happen, but they're pretty confident that they will get the necessary fifty
percent plus one of Metro's officers to sign it. If
that happens, the city will have 45 days to hold an election to determine
whether the Teamsters or FOP will be the union of record. But
the FOP said based on Metro's questionable involvement in drafting the
petition, they'll go to court if they have to in order to stop the election
from ever happening. Town, Police Union Agree
On Pay Hikes In New Contract From
the Poughkeepsie Journal, September 9, 2005 The
Town of Poughkeepsie has approved a four-year contract with the Police
Benevolent Association. The
deal, retroactive to the beginning of the year, runs through 2008. It gives the
association's 84 members raises of 3.5 percent in each year of the contract,
town officials said. The
town board approved the contract Wednesday night at town hall. Supervisor
Joseph Davis said the deal came after about five months of negotiations with
the union. "I
believe it's fair," Davis said. PBA
Vice President Detective Chris Davies said the union also was pleased. "We
were happy we were able to negotiate it amicably," Davies said. The
pact does not cover the department's chief and two captains, who are not part
of the bargaining unit. Manchin
Offers Raises From Associated Press, September 6, 2005 Other
state employees in line for the raise include corrections officers and child
welfare workers. Manchin has proposed a $900 pay increase for the state's
remaining workers. The
pay plans are part of Manchin's agenda for
Wednesday's special session. The
special session agenda also includes Manchin's
proposal to reduce the food tax from 6 percent to 5 percent. And
Manchin wants to devote another $93 million toward
funding shortfalls in public employee pension plans. The
special session agenda has 14 items in total. Other
items include a crackdown on so-called 527 political groups and a measure allowing
state workers to be transferred across cabinet departments. The
agenda does not include table games for racetracks or a reduction in the
state's gasoline tax. Public Employee Pay
Lagging, Despite State Budget Improvements From
US Newswire, September 4, 2005 The
salaries of state- employed professionals exhibited sluggish growth for the
second straight year, according to the 2005 AFT Public Employees Compensation
Survey, the only national survey that tracks such trends. At a time when most
states are recovering from the budget crises of the past few years, the
survey raises concerns that inadequate workforce investments could diminish
the quality of already strained public services and hamper recruitment and
retention efforts. "Years
of layoffs, hiring freezes and salary freezes have resulted in public
services being stretched to capacity, with public employees asked to do more
with less," said Edward J. McElroy, AFT president. "While public
employees have risen to the challenge, some relief is now in order-not only
for their sake, but for the sake of all of us who rely on the public services
they provide." The
new report reveals that the median salary increase across the 45 jobs
surveyed was just 1.19 percent from 2004 to 2005, significantly below the
inflation rate of 3.15 percent for that period. From 2002 to 2005, the median
cumulative increase was only 4.6 percent, which compares to an inflation rate
of 8.11 percent. The survey further finds that public sector professionals
are significantly underpaid compared to their private sector peers. The
AFT survey comes at a time when states are regaining their financial footing
after one of the worst budget crises in a generation. Since the last quarter
of 2003, states have recorded six consecutive quarters of real revenue
growth, with continued growth expected, according to a June 2005 study by the
Rockefeller Institute of Government. "With
state finances moving in the right direction, states need to be wise stewards
of their funds," said McElroy. "Instead of squandering resources on
short-term tax giveaways for a few, states should invest in high-quality
public services that will benefit the vast majority of citizens for years to
come." The
AFT report highlights a significant private/public sector salary gap that
could exacerbate a growing recruitment and retention crisis in state
government workforces. In many states, it is estimated that more than 20
percent of state employees will retire in the next five years, heightening
the need to attract highly skilled workers to the public sector. Yet, the AFT
analysis shows that private sector salaries exceed public sector salaries in
18 of the 21 cases in which job matches were made-in two cases (attorney and
geologist) by as much as 90 percent. Across all 21 occupations, salaries in
the private sector are, on average, almost 30 percent higher than those in
the public sector. "With
so many experienced professionals expected to retire in the near future,
certain states run the risk of a major 'brain drain' if they don't make their
salaries more competitive," said Steve Porter, director of the AFT
Public Employees division. "And the stakes are high. The quality public
services that we've come to depend on-everything from clean air to safe bridges
to health and human services-are at risk." One
factor that helps reduce the public/private sector salary gap is collective
bargaining. The AFT report finds that, for 43 of the 45 occupations surveyed,
the average salary in collective bargaining states exceeds that in states
where public employees are denied collective bargaining. On average,
collective bargaining salaries exceed noncollective
bargaining salaries by 16.2 percent. The
AFT Public Employees Compensation Survey has been published annually since
2000. The survey examines 45 representative job titles, asking states to
match the job description provided by AFT Public Employees. This methodology
allows for salary comparisons across states for a particular job title,
although cost-of-living and other factors should be considered. "This
survey shows once again that public employees are a bargain to the taxpayers
and citizens who benefit every day from essential public services," said
McElroy. "Public employees are the people who police our streets, inspect
our food, maintain our parks, repair our roads-and, in general, see to it
that our states and communities run smoothly and safely. Investing in public
services-and the employees who provide these services-is one of the smartest
choices we can make." The
full report and supporting data can be found at http://www.aft.org/pubemps/news/2005compsurvey.htm.
Public dissemination of information on this site, in news stories or
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