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This is a Special Edition POLICEPAY Journal as on
Thursday this week we are holding our “Negotiating the Police Contract”
Seminar in Las Vegas.
Sheriff Young is Lobbying Hard For Pay Raises On the first of October the sales tax in southern Nevada went up
to pay for more police officers. Now the Sheriff is lobbying hard for a pay
raise for his existing officers and trying to dispel concerns that the raise
will effect the hiring of more police. Clark County Sheriff Bill Young says, "I personally feel
that I got elected to do a job. I am not one to succumb to political
pressure or what's politically correct. I have to go out and do what I
think is the right thing." Sheriff Young makes no apologies for selling a plan giving Metro
officers a pay package increase of 26-percent spread out over the next four
years. The package includes cost of living raises, equipment and
clothing adjustments and health benefit costs. Sheriff Young adds, "We are going to get ourselves in
trouble at Metro with our healthcare program if we do not get some of those
dollars made up." Some members of the Clark County Commission question the package
because the sheriff just successfully lobbied and received a quarter cent
sales tax increase to pay for more officers. On Las Vegas One's Face to Face with Jon Ralston, Sheriff Young
explained why the sales tax increase and this pay package increase should not
be lumped together. "I think that we will easily get the 150 cops --
have the money for the 150 cops that we estimated -- that we will be able to
get as long as the economy stays relatively even." The original pitch with the tax touted 1,500 new Metro officers
hired in the next decade with the tax money. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman
bought the pitch. He met with Sheriff Young Monday night to make sure all of
the officers will be hired if the pay increases are approved. Goodman said, "I want to find out if the monies are going
to be co-mingled. I was promised they would not be. That the quarter cent
would be separate and that would be for 1,000 police officers and equipment
on the street." Young countered, "I find it interesting that some people
would position the sales tax initiative with this. It's simply not
true." If the pay increase package for the next four years passes it
would represent the largest raise in recent history. Las Vegas recently
entered into an agreement with the fire department giving them a 17-percent
pay package increase over four years. On Tuesday, Oct. 18, Clark County Commissioners will vote
on approving two members to the Las Vegas Metro Police Fiscal Affairs
Committee. In January, the board voted to add Commissioners Tom Collins and
Chip Maxfield. For the vote Tuesday, Commission
Chairman Rory Reid will be up for appointment instead of Collins
because he is in favor of the raises. Reid defended this move to nominate himself, on Las Vegas One's
Face to Face. "Tom Collins is a passionate man. He believes what he
believes strongly. He's my friend which made this
very difficult, but he disagrees with us." Council to vote on police deal Tacoma to
decide on 2.5 percent pay increase for rank-and-file officers From The News Tribune, October 18th,
2005 The Tacoma City Council is expected to vote tonight on a new
labor contract with the city’s rank-and-file police officers
that includes a 2.5 percent pay hike. The proposed one-year agreement, similar to one struck earlier
this month with police managers, also boosts the amount the city will match
in deferred compensation, changes the way the city pays out clothing and
cleaning allowances, and provides added holiday pay for officers who work 10-
or 12-hour shifts. If approved, the 2005 contract will cost the city an extra $1.6
million in the 2005-2006 budget, budget director
Diane Supler estimated. It covers approximately 323 members of Tacoma Police Union Local
6. The proposal is the latest in a series of one-year labor
contracts coming before the City Council in advance of 2006, when the council
has signaled it may try to freeze cost-of-living raises to deal with ongoing
budget problems. Council members said last year they would freeze raises and
longevity pay in 2006 for nonunion workers, sending a message to labor unions
about the need for belt-tightening. Typically, the city reaches longer two-or three-year agreements
with labor unions. The police agreement is also modest in scope. It doesn’t address
the nonfinancial issues looming between city
leaders and the union, including citizen oversight of the police department,
and annual performance evaluations for officers. The City Council approved a citizen oversight proposal in June,
likely too late to be added to the list of issues on the table for this
contract, Councilman Mike Lonergan said. City and union officials have been talking for some time about
annual performance evaluations, and an agreement on that could come outside
of a labor contract, they said. Lonergan called the
proposed police contract “fair.” It’s similar not only to the contract just approved for police
managers, but also for Tacoma’s firefighters, who agreed to a 2.5 percent
wage increase in 2005. Sgt. Dwayne Joseph, president of the police union, couldn’t be
reached Monday for comment. In April, the City Council approved a 2004 police contract that
included a 1 percent pay raise and a lump-sum payout equal to 1 percent of
annual salary. It followed a three-year agreement in which police received a
total 10.25 percent pay hike in exchange for working more weekends and giving
up a scheduling quirk known as “Fat Thursday.” Future negotiations will hinge on the city’s financial
condition, which is expected to become more clear next
month when City Manager Eric Anderson gives the City Council a 2006 budget
proposal, Lonergan said. Lonergan said he
doesn’t plan to “dig in his heels” on a wage freeze if appears the city can
afford to give some kind of raise, even if it’s modest. “But if we don’t have it, we can’t give it,” he said. The city will be busy negotiating contracts next year, when 12
of them are up, said Woodrow Jones Jr., human resources director. “It’ll be an interesting year,” he said. “We’ll start to see
what the city’s financial condition is.” Contract
proposal The Tacoma City Council meets at 5 p.m. today at City Hall, 747
Market St. New wage rates: Police officer recruit – $45,219 to $51,626 Police officer – $45,219 to $62,504 Sergeant – $72,010 to $75,587 Detective – $65,811 to $68,723 Proposed Contract Highlights: • 2.5 percent wage increase, effective Jan. 1, 2005 • Increases city match to deferred compensation
accounts from $154 to $192 per pay period, effective. 2006 • One-time lump sum payment of $988 to deferred
compensation accounts of eligible employees in lieu of retroactive 2005
payments • Replaces quarterly clothing and cleaning allowances
with one annual $690 payment, and increases the number of employees who
receive it. It will boost the city’s cost from $121,800 to $247,700, budget
director Diane Supler said. The change came at the
request of police management who wanted to simplify the process for paying
allowances, and make sure that Tacoma’s police officers “represent Tacoma’s
finest,” said human resources director Woodrow Jones Jr. • Adds holiday pay for employees who work more than
eight hours per shift. Police refuse to give up raises with 45-25 vote The City of Richmond is going to have to figure out how to give
its police force members their guaranteed 3-percent raise. This week, unionized police personnel voted 45-25 against
changing their contracts after city officials asked them to forgo pay
increases next year following projected budget deficits. The vote is the first of several that are expected as the city
continues to negotiate with other union employees including fire, street,
sanitation and Roseview Transit. Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton said the city will have a plan in
two weeks to pay police, but might have to brace for additional problems if
other workers follow the police force's lead. "We've got to figure out how to pay them," Hutton said
during Richmond Common Council Monday night. She didn't elaborate on whether
the plan would include layoffs. Police said the vote reflects confusion within the force, not a
desire to make the city's work more difficult. "There is a mixed sentiment," said Neal VanMiddlesworth, a second-shift officer on the Richmond
Police Department. "The problem is everyone is really confused about the
facts. "No one wants to see anyone fired." Currently, the police force is at 80 officers. Kris Wolski, chief of the Richmond Police Department, said he
has recently been put on a hiring freeze and is down one officer, a number he
said he is "comfortable" with. Fire officials have reserved comment until the union that
represents them holds a vote. "We're waiting on the city to come back with some
information," said Shawn Staton, union
president of the Richmond Professional Firefighters Local 1408. "We
haven't had any kind of vote. At this point, we haven't set a date for a vote
yet." VanMiddlesworth said
officers want to be cooperative with the city if new negotiations are brought
to the table. "I think we're open to entertaining anything," he
said. Bellevue police get 3-year contract after arbitration October 17, 2005 BELLEVUE, Ohio — City Council has approved a three-year contract
with Bellevue’s unionized police officers that was
reached in arbitration after nearly a year of negotiations. City, police set to talk contract ROCKFORD — Contract negotiations between Rockford and the police
union begin in earnest when the two sides exchange proposals Thursday. City of Albany, APD request mediation From the Albany Democrat-Herald, October 18, 2005 (OR) The city of Albany and the Albany Police Association have
jointly requested mediation in their negotiations toward a new labor
agreement, according to David Shaw, the city’s human resources director. “On the critical issues, the parties feel that they are far
enough apart that it would be beneficial to bring in a mediator to provide a
fresh perspective,” Shaw said. The state Employment Relations Board assigns
mediators.
Union negotiations start slowly in Henry County Law–enforcement
group, supervisors start talks far apart. From the Hawkeye, October 14, 2005 MOUNT PLEASANT — Deputies and staff in the Henry County Sheriff's
Office are gunning for big pay raises over the next two years, but the Board
of Supervisors have countered with much smaller numbers. P.P.M.E. Local 2003,
the union bargaining on behalf of the county's deputies, jailers, dispatchers
and clerical workers, wants 5 percent pay hikes in fiscal years 2007 and
2008. That's more than three times the supervisors' counter offer of
1.5 percent in both years. Negotiations set for Tuesday have been postponed because of
training commitments in the sheriff's office. "That's the standard process in the public sector,"
said union negotiator Joe Rasmussen. "The employees come in with what
they need and the employers go into the collective bargaining … with what
they want." Under the union plan, the starting wage for a deputy would jump
from $14.68 per hour this year to $16.18 by 2008. Contrast that with the
county's proposal, which holds the rookie rate to $15.12. The differences become more pronounced higher on the pay scale. In a written proposal submitted Sept. 20, the union also called
for a "shift differential" of 25 cents extra each hour for evening
and overnight shifts, and increases in "longevity pay," guaranteed
raises at 15 and 20 years service. The supervisors refused those requests and seven others,
offering only to stick with figures established in the present contract
expiring next June. "We have to look at our budget up to date and get a handle
of our expenditures and see where we are and what we can afford," board
chairman Marc Lindeen said. The supervisors did agree to drop the maximum out–of–pocket
health care costs to $650 for single union members and $1,300 for families. Other county employees already have those maximum payment
levels; but, according to the supervisors, the union requested higher rates
while settling the present contract two years ago. The sheriff's office unionized in 2000, becoming the only
organized labor group in county government. While all employees except the
sheriff and chief deputy fall under Local 2003's umbrella — a total of 25
positions — just 13 pay union dues. Rasmussen, who also represents Mount Pleasant police officers,
said the mood of the coming negotiations depends entirely "on what
management does." "We react to what a sheriff does and his management
practices," he said. The sheriff in this case is Allen Wittmer,
navigating his first contract go–round. "I've been told, and this is second–hand, (that) the
sheriff is fairly anti–union and he has made it clear that he'd just as soon
the employees there not be in the union," Rasmussen said. Wittmer refused to
join the union in 2000 when he was still a sergeant, arguing unsuccessfully
that his position should be considered part of management. Nonetheless, he
said Rasmussen's characterization was wrong. "I'm not anti–union," the sheriff said. |
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