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usually means failure Why
you probably have the wrong people on the negotiating team Why presenting repots and surveys
does not work Why
exposing the city's less than honest claims does not work Why coming on strong does
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the chief is your best advocate
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LPOA strips down union plan From The Daily Times-Call, October 12, 2005 LONGMONT
— Pro-union police officers and firefighters have offered a stripped-down
version of their collective bargaining plan to city leaders, but reiterate
they still intend to unionize. Voters
last November rejected a unionization plan that would have covered about 200
police officers, dispatchers, firefighters and records clerks working for the
two departments. The proposal said that, because police officers and
firefighters cannot strike, they deserve the opportunity to bargain with city
leaders for pay, benefits, working conditions and even whether they should be
subject to drug and physical fitness testing. The
Longmont City Council opposed the plan, saying it would strip important
management rights from the police and fire chiefs, create a system where
public safety workers would never see their wages cut without their approval,
and give too much power to an unelected arbitrator when talks stall. “This
rewrite is not a final version of anything,” said Mike Violette,
a Longmont police officer and spokesman for the pro-union groups. “It
is what we offered in the spirit of compromise and to get meaningful
negotiations started. Compare it to last year’s proposed amendment and you
will see most of the opposition’s arguments have been addressed.” The
new proposal acknowledges that the police and fire chiefs should have
ultimate authority over staffing decisions, makes pay cuts negotiable and
lowers the rank at which police officers would be covered by the agreement.
It also backs off many of the specific “must bargain” requirements, such as
drug testing, shift schedules and emergency staffing procedures. But,
like union contracts in general, it gives an unelected arbitrator the final
authority to settle disputes when negotiations reach impasse. Pro-union
police officers and firefighters are trying to get the City Council to
acknowledge they are compromising. Violette added: “This rewrite is the foundation
for a new ballot question if we are forced back to an election. But,
remember, it certainly is not a final version — just a glimpse into the
future.” The
unionization proposal rejected by voters created a rift between a number of police officers. Many of the department’s
sergeants and supervisors publicly opposed the plan, while rank-and-file
officers supported it. And many firefighters remain upset, feeling their
pensions are not generous enough. The unionization drive surfaced in earnest
after the city in 2003 froze pay increases in all city departments for a year
to cope with the economic downturn. Unionization
would dramatically change the relationship between and among police officers,
firefighters, their superiors and city leaders, and between the public safety
workers and the rest of the city’s employees, who would not enjoy the same
ability to negotiate their salaries, benefits and working conditions. Said
Violette in 2004 in introducing the proposal to the
Longmont Police Officers’ Association: “We cannot trust the current city
manager and City Council, nor future city managers and city councils, to
protect what we have or what we may attain. They have shown they have no
aversion to reducing benefits or freezing wages. We currently have no
protection against these things and are at the mercy of decisions made by a
city manager and City Council with each year’s budget.” In
Colorado, relatively few public or private-sector workers are represented by
unions. But nationally, many large and small police and fire departments
enjoy the protection of collective bargaining, which gives them more power to
fight for higher wages and benefits. In Longmont, police officers and
firefighters can chose to either get paid what the city offers or get another
job. The
LPOA and the Longmont Professional Firefighters’
Association have withdrawn from ongoing talks with city manager Gordon Pedrow because they feel he is unwilling to listen to
their concerns. Their newest proposal was sent directly to the council. Pedrow said he was not empowered to negotiate directly
with the public safety workers. Not
every police officer supports the unionization drive; many of the
department’s sergeants oppose the plan and instead back an elected employee
advisory panel that was created by the council unanimously Tuesday night. “We
oppose the LPOA’s efforts toward unionization of
the police department and also collective bargaining,” said Sgt. Paul
Campbell in a short statement to the council before the vote. Among those
joining Campbell at the lectern were fellow sergeants Bruce Wittich, Doug Ross, Gary Schmidt and Mike Bell, and
officer Arpad Bality. The
creation of the employee advisory group is intended to show that the council
is trying to listen to employee concerns, and in part is an effort to
persuade voters to again reject a unionization plan. The new advisory group
will meet Nov. 17, after city workers select representatives from within
their departments. Ross,
who served on a steering committee to develop the advisory group, said he
believes a small group of Longmont officers will never give up trying to
unionize. He urged the public to continue rejecting the proposal. Ross said
he continues to work closely with pro-union officers despite their difference
of opinion on this one topic. “I
hope the message gets out to the community that what they’re trying to
accomplish is not necessary,” Ross said. Thinning blue line As
pay, benefits drop, S.D. officers leaving; some find jobs nearby From
the UNION-TRIBUNE, October 9, 2005 Officer
Shannon Martin decided to look for another job when San Diego's money
troubles started cutting into his paycheck. It
didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. A
San Diego patrol officer for five years, Martin applied to three departments
in July. He started with the Escondido Police Department last month. "I
don't know how long it will take for the financial crisis to sort itself out,
but I couldn't afford to wait," said Martin, 28, of San Marcos, whose
wife is pregnant with their first child. On
average, the city has reduced the monthly take-home pay of San Diego police
officers by about $450 as it attempts to pay off a pension deficit of at
least $1.4 billion. Some of the money goes toward retirement accounts, some helps pay for medical coverage. The
salary and benefit rollbacks spurred 15 officers, including Martin, out the
door this year, on top of 18 who left for other departments last year,
according to the department. Five years ago, when the city's financial future
was brighter, eight officers left. While
the losses are hardly catastrophic in a 2,016-person department, the
resignations have just begun, Police Chief William Lansdowne said. "We
have to fix this problem," he said. "We can't continue to lose the
most valuable members of our police department." Some
of the recently departed, who already were living outside the county because
they couldn't afford San Diego's pricey real estate, found jobs closer to
home. They're working for departments that offer fully funded pensions,
less-expensive health plans and other perks, including a signing bonus. Inside
San Diego's department, Detective Brett Macfarlane wants out, even if it
means a drop in rank. A 19-year department veteran who investigates auto
thefts, Macfarlane said he's applied for a patrol position with a neighboring
police agency. "Now
that this situation with the city is the way it is, I'm getting out of here
if I can," said Macfarlane, 41. "I was in for the long haul until
this whole thing went down with the city. It's ridiculous what they're doing
to us. "The
department is getting depleted. . . . The morale of the whole
department is way down. The City Council should be seeing this and taking
care of it, and they're not." At
least two council members, Toni Atkins and Jim Madaffer,
want to increase officer salaries and benefits. That might be a tough sell in
a city struggling to pay its bills. "We
do have a huge (financial) challenge in front of us, but at the same time, if
we continue to lose officers we're going to see more crime," Atkins
said. "We do need to see this as an emergency situation." Selling
points There's
no shortage of opportunities for San Diego's finest. In
Riverside County, the sheriff's department hired three officers from San
Diego this year. The growing department of 1,700 sworn officers has about 500
vacancies because of resignations, retirements and expansion plans. Riverside
expects to hire several more San Diego officers, said Sgt. Earl Quinata, the department's spokesman. "We've
got a ton more in the application process," Quinata
said. "Our biggest selling point is everybody lives up here." San
Diego police officers are working without a contract and were denied a raise
this year. In July, they began paying a larger share of their retirement. In
November, an additional 3˝ percent of their pay will begin going to fund
their pensions. All
that makes recruiting and retention challenging for a department with nearly
100 openings. "Other
cities are fairly soluble compared to the city right now," said Lt.
Ernesto Salgado, who runs the department's
backgrounds/recruiting unit. A
dozen San Diego officers have applications on file with the Chula Vista
Police Department, which might start allowing new members to roll over the
sick leave and seniority they earned with previous employers. "We
want to give them something, so when they make that decision they can feel
more comfortable," said Chula Vista Capt. Gary Wedge, who is in charge
of recruiting. Twenty
San Diego officers have applied for jobs with the San Diego County Sheriff's
Department, which plans to hire at least 300 deputies by the end of next
year. "The
problem is, it's such an unstable situation over
there. Their future is in jeopardy," said Capt. Lisa Miller, who is in
charge of recruiting. The
sheriff's department is giving experienced officers, referred to as
"laterals," a $5,000 signing bonus spread evenly over five years. There
is one benefit for San Diego police that isn't offered in any other police
agency in the county: the Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP. Officers
50 and older are eligible, but they must retire within five years of
enrolling. New hires can't participate. DROP
members earn their full salary and their retirement accounts earn 8 percent
interest, Salgado said. In the past, these officers no longer had to
contribute to retirement. That changed this year when the city
begin taking an additional 3.2 percent from officers' paychecks. 'Easy
decision' When
the city's pension crisis pinched Phillip Rice's check, he started going to
job fairs and searching police departments' Web sites for openings. Rice
started working for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department last month,
after spending seven years as an officer with the San Diego Police
Department. He lives with his wife and their three young children in a home
he bought four years ago in Temecula. His commute shrank from 90 minutes to
15. "I
was looking at my travel time, the money I would save on gasoline and
spending time with my family. And then the pension crisis hit," said
Rice, 34. "It became an easy decision." Rice
landed with a department that pays for his pension, and his contribution for
health insurance dropped from $522 a month to $300. "I'm
happier. I took a pay cut, but if you crunch the numbers I'm making
more," said Rice, who is earning $30 an hour, down from $33 in San
Diego. Rice
had worked his way up from a patrol officer, a beat he was on for five years,
to a team of officers who investigated vehicle thefts, violent crime and
prostitution in Mid City. After
completing his training next month, Rice will be back on patrol. He doesn't
mind having to prove himself again. "I
just decided, 'What am I doing down here? Traveling two hours to work every
day and the city is taking away my pay instead of giving me a
raise.' " Council
members Atkins and Madaffer each said San Diego
police officers should be the highest paid in the county – officers in
Escondido and El Cajon earn more – and their retirement benefits should be
fully funded. "We
could be jeopardizing our public safety if we aren't careful," Madaffer said. Councilwoman
Donna Frye and former Police Chief Jerry Sanders, candidates in next month's
mayoral election, have proposed cuts to city employee benefits, including
police, in their plans to repair city finances. Tax
increase Judges,
not politicians, might decide how much officers are paid. The officers union
is seeking millions of dollars from the city in damages in a federal lawsuit
over wages that also attempts to block some of the officers' retirement
payments. The
suit also seeks the removal of City Attorney Michael Aguirre, who filed his
own lawsuits against the city. A judge has ruled against one of the suits Aguirre
filed to eliminate pension benefits for police and other city employees,
benefits he says are illegal. Aguirre said he will appeal the ruling. He
also said San Diego isn't in a position to open its checkbook, but he would
like to offer law enforcement personnel more money. "Our
police officers are not sufficiently compensated," Aguirre said.
"I'm willing to go to the voters and ask for a tax increase, but to
pretend you're going to find the money someplace else – you're not. The city
budget has been gutted." The
union, the San Diego Police Officers' Association, and the city are expected
to head back to the negotiating table in January. Chief
Lansdowne said he's already met with negotiators for the city, telling them
they must consider pay and benefit increases. "It's
a matter of setting strong priorities," Lansdowne said, noting the
department has 1.6 officers per 1,000 residents, compared with 2.4 in Los
Angeles and 2.8 in San Francisco. Among
major U.S. cities, only New York and San Jose have a lower crime rate than
San Diego, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. "I'm
proud of that. I want to keep it that way," said San Carlos resident
Keith Turnham, 81, who said he would support a tax increase to improve police
compensation. Chris
Olmsted of Rancho Bernardo said the city should find a way to improve police
pay, but he doesn't want to give any more money to city officials he doesn't
trust anymore. Olmsted,
a business litigation attorney, also noted that most private businesses have
replaced pensions with 401(k) plans, a pattern that
he suspects cities and counties will follow. Sgt.
Bill Nemec, union president, is trying to reassure
his members. He's telling them he's fighting for better pay and benefits, but
most are worried about maintaining what they have. "This
is San Diego's dirty little secret, because as long as things are running
smoothly and there's no serious problems it's not going to be a
priority," he said. "Unfortunately, public safety is not yet a
priority in this community." City, police union back
to square one on contract From
the Havre Daily News, October 12, 2005 City
negotiators and police union representatives are planning to start contract
negotiations from scratch after the union's membership rejected a tentative agreement. Havre
City Council member Terry Schend said Monday he had
hoped to finish negotiations by the beginning of this month. ”We've
got to go back to square one,“ said Schend, who chairs the city Labor Relations Committee. He
said no date has been set for the next meeting between the committee and
union representatives. Montana
Public Employees Association representative Tom Bivins
said Monday the union had several problems with the package: The
proposed two-year contract would have been reopened after a year to deal with
insurance. It
offered a 3 percent raise for each of the next two years, while the Havre
Fire Department received an extra half percent the second year. The
changes to the Police Department's holiday pay package were unsatisfactory to
the union. Bivins said he and union members didn't like the idea
of opening the contract in 2006. ”Opening
contracts is not a good idea,“ Bivins
said. ”If they can offer a wage package for two years, they can take care of
the insurance.“ Bivins said the union was told up front that all city
employees receive the same pay increase. ”We
found out that wasn't true, “he said, referring to the 3% percent raise in
the second year of the firefighters' contract.” In fact, everybody wasn't
getting the same thing. He
noted that police officers didn't get a pay increase last fiscal year. Last
year's city budget contained no money for pay increases for any city
employee. ”I
think there's still some heartburn that (the police) didn't get the raise
this year, and I think there was the expectation that they would get more
than 3 percent,“ Bivins added. He
said the raise ”barely“ keeps up with inflation. Schend said the Fire Department received the extra
raise because firefighters do not receive some of the supplemental income -
such as clothing allowances - that police officers and public works employees
get under their contracts. ”That
was the only monetary increase they got over anybody else,“
Schend said. In
its contract, the Police Department received many opportunities to increase
workers' base pay, he said. ”They
were going to get some additional cash incentives,“ Schend said. The
proposed contract included a $25 clothing allowance increase for new
officers. Officers receive $875 for clothing each year, while new officers
receive $850. Bivins said he believes the change
for new officers fixed a typo in the contract. The
city also was going to purchase some of the items needed by police officers
to begin work, Schend said. If the officers left
Havre, those items would stay with the city, he added. Officers would have
received an additional day of comp time for firearms training, he said. A
change that would have allowed officers to cash in the compensatory time they
receive for working holidays would also have increased their take-home pay, Schend said. Police
officers are given 100 hours of comp time at the beginning of each year as
compensation for working on holidays. The new contract would have allowed
them to cash out their comp time and receive pay instead of the days off,
while the old contract set a deadline date each year. If the officers hadn't
used up the time, they lost it, Bivins said. The
new contract would have also given officers an additional half day's pay for
the holidays they actually worked. Bivins said the changes to the holiday pay package were
not enough to bring the department in line with other city departments'
holiday compensation. Bivins said other city employees receive double time
and a half when they work holidays. He said the additional half day's pay
wasn't enough of an increase. ”Now
that we're back at the table, we're going to bring it back again,“ Bivins said. ”It needs to be
recognized by the city.“ Schend said the additional half day of pay for holiday
work brings the department in line with how other city workers are
compensated for holidays. Police officers are salaried employees, he said,
and when they do not work a holiday, they still receive the same amount of
pay as they normally would. Schend said the
officers, with the extra half-day pay, would be making double time and a half
for holidays they worked. Bivins said the police officers are hourly employees. ”They
are not salaried employees,“ he said. ”Any employees
who are not supervisors and are nonexempt employees are hourly employees“ regardless of when they are paid, he said. ”If
they were salaried employees, how would they be getting overtime pay?“ Bivins added. New deal for cops in
Lakewood From
the Asbury Park Press, October 8, 2005 LAKEWOOD
— The Township Committee and the police union have agreed on a four-year
contract that will change how the rank-and-file work. The
most notable part of the deal — which calls for four-percent raises each year
— is that uniformed officers and detectives will switch over to four-day work
weeks, instead of the traditional five-day week. The
contract with Lakewood Policemen's Benevolent Association also means a boost
in the starting annual salary for a police academy recruit to $32,517. The
new salaries start with new hires from Jan. 1 — the day after the last
contract expired — and runs through Jan. 1, 2008, according to the contract
which was introduced at this week's committee meeting. A
public hearing on the deal will be held Oct. 27. Letter From John Davis,
President of Surfside F.O.P. in Surfside, FL I
would like to forward to your publication the recent approved contract
between the Town of Surfside, Fl. and the FOP Lodge #135 effective October 1,
2005 with a retroactive effect of October 1, 2004. Overall
Surfside Police officers have just received a 13% pay increase from October
1, 2004 to September 30, 2007; the contract also includes a pension
modification to a 90% retirement after 25.7 years of service with a 3.5%
multiplier per year of service. This modification also includes a six year
buy back of prior service for each current member and includes a five year D.R.O.P. The contract also includes several other new
benefits with a new binding arbitration clause for termination, loss of time
or demotion; all other matters will be referred to the Town’s Personnel Board
for final approval. The
contract took the Local and State Lodge 15 months of negotiation with the
Town before any agreement could be reached for final ratification, several
other matters will be addressed in 2007. At this point, Surfside Police
Officers now have one of the top five pay scales in South Florida, as well as
one of the top shared pension systems in all of Florida and meet or exceed
neighboring Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Police
Departments in benefits and pay. Thank you. John
S. Davis President
Surfside
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge
135 Police union gets raise The three-year contract
gives the rank-and-file a 4 percent raise this year From
the Largo Leader, October 7, 2005 LARGO
– The City Commission Tuesday night ratified a new contract with the city’s
largest police union giving officers a 13 percent raise over the next three
years. Police union upset at
contract The
only drawback to the deal is that it expires in June, which will trigger a
new round of negotiations. Union
President Patrick Hogan said he is unhappy with the binding pact reached by
the state Joint Labor Management Committee. The contract, retroactive to
2003, calls for no pay hike in the first year and 3 percent raises in years
two and three. The union has been working under the terms of the old
contract. Union
and city officials yesterday confirmed the existence of the deal. "If
you can't afford a 3 percent raise, you can't afford a quality Police
Department," Hogan said. City
Solicitor James Agoritsas said he is content with
the decision and is happy the state saw the city's stance. "The decision
was very much in favor of the city, and we're pleased with that," he
said. Hogan
said the union membership is outraged at the state's decision. "(The
Joint Labor Management Committee) just followed the pattern," Hogan
said, referring to settlements reached between the city and other unions.
Those other city contracts were all settled with the same terms -- no
increase in year one and 3 percent annual raises for the next two years. Hogan
said the state balked under pressure and acted as a follower -- not a leader.
"We
did a comprehensive study," Hogan said. "We hired a consultant. We
compared our salaries to salaries in other cities that were comparable. We
were able to prove that the city had enough money to pay us (what we
requested). We're very disappointed that we didn't get what we asked
for." "We
finally finish all this and now we have to start over again," he said,
"We're glad this is over and we look forward to negotiating our next
contract with a new administration. "The
contract is retroactive so we just don't want them to drag their feet with
retroactive pay. It's over, they should honor the decision and make good on
the retroactive pay as soon as possible." The
contract for Department of Public Works employees is still being negotiated. Monroe Police agree to
three-percent-wage increase From
the Monroe Courier (CT), October 6, 2005 Monroe's
police officers' union recently agreed to a new three-year-contract that
includes a 3-percent annual salary increase. The Town Council approved the
pact. According
to First Selectman Andrew Nunn, the wage increase is on par with annual
salary increases for all municipal employees. Monroe's
contract also contains similar items found in contracts negotiated by police
unions located in neighboring communities, Nunn said.
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