"Unraise" for APD

[213th]

Union agrees to wage concessions. My brother isn't real happy, losing about 3.6%

WAGES: They join firefighters in helping city make up deficit.
By DON HUNTER and JAMES HALPIN
Anchorage Daily News
Published: May 15th, 2009 01:34 PM
Last Modified: May 16th, 2009 08:02 PM
The Anchorage police union has accepted wage concessions that would save the city more than $870,000 this year and millions more in later years of a contract approved in December.
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Members of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association voted 293-83 to accept the concessions, which the city had asked for to help close a $17 million to $20 million budget deficit projected for this year.
The deal with police extends their new five-year contract an additional year, to 2014. It also increases by 1 percent a cost of living formula for raises in 2012 and 2013.
The union estimates the savings to the city this year at $873,000, and a total of $6.7 million over the life of the contract. City officials put this year's savings at about $876,000; exact city calculations on the overall impact of the concessions weren't immediately available, but acting Mayor Matt Claman said the saving is "certainly over $6 million."
The police union, with about 560 members, is the fourth city bargaining unit to agree to concessions. All the deals must be approved by the Anchorage Assembly, which has agreed to concessions reached with firefighters and still has before it deals with employees represented by the Teamsters and Operating Engineers unions as well as police.
"We're proud of them stepping forward just as the firefighters stepped forward," Claman said. "It's really important for them to be part of the solution."

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Assemblyman Dan Coffey said he hadn't seen the police concession offer yet. But if it's "substantially like" and proportionate to concessions granted earlier by firefighters, the body probably will approve it, he said.
Like the police, the firefighters union agreed to roll back a 3 percent increase scheduled for this year. The overall savings of that contract was more than $4 million, compared with the $6.7 million in savings the police union says it is offering the city.
Derek Hsieh, the police union president, said the addition of a year to the existing contract was an important component of the agreement. The wage factor in that last year hasn't been decided yet, but the extra year provides stability, he said.
"We have a large number of new and young employees, and to create an environment of stability is vital in order to keep those employees," he said.
The vote to accept the deal was overwhelming, but a sizeable number of members voted against it. Hsieh said he thinks there is concern "that the city is not going to be able to develop a long-term financial plan to solve these issues, and they're going to continue to come back to us year after year after year."
The city is continuing unofficial talks with other bargaining units about concessions, including the Anchorage Municipal Employees Association. The AMEA, police and firefighters unions are the city's largest bargaining units.

[Car 4]

NOW we find out just how strong that brotherhood really is. 3.6% for all or 100% for some. Far as I am concerned, they did the right thing. Lots of young talent that a good agency would want to keep....rather than let them start another career in another field.

Lotsa folks in that situation right now....if the UAW had been a little more like these guys and gals, they wouldn't be on their way to Chapter 11.


Car 4

[Buttercup]

Very true, Car 4.

[BigDawg]

The Broward Sheriff's Office just sent out notices to 100 Deputies and 77 other employees that they are being layed off. Unfortunately this wasn't enough for the commissioners so the Sheriff has to look at cutting more of his budget somewhere.

[CT209]

We just took a big hit. Four furlough days this fiscal year (days off- no pay), we gave back our 3% raise we were supposed to get in July, we renegotiated our holiday pay, and agree to pay an additional $350 a year for our medical insurance. Total loss- about $5000 for the next 2009-2010 year for me. Increased a lot more in 2010-2011.

The irony is that I was scheduled to take my first furlough day tomorrow. Giving me that day off created OT due to minimum staffing requirements. Since the OT slot was for a Sgt, I signed up for it. So, I'm working OT for a regular assigned shift. Helluva money saving measure.

[213th]

We just took a big hit. Four furlough days this fiscal year (days off- no pay), we gave back our 3% raise we were supposed to get in July, we renegotiated our holiday pay, and agree to pay an additional $350 a year for our medical insurance. Total loss- about $5000 for the next 2009-2010 year for me. Increased a lot more in 2010-2011.

The irony is that I was scheduled to take my first furlough day tomorrow. Giving me that day off created OT due to minimum staffing requirements. Since the OT slot was for a Sgt, I signed up for it. So, I'm working OT for a regular assigned shift. Helluva money saving measure.

lmao that's awesome