The City of Phoenix and its police union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that, if approved by the city council, represents a significant salary increase for the city’s police.
Negotiations have been underway since December, but details of the new agreement were made public for the first time on April 13. Proposed, but subject to final approval from the City Council on May 3rd.
Contracts are rarely amended after both unions and city officials reach an agreement, but a public comment session on the new agreement was held Wednesday.
If approved, Phoenix executives will receive a 2.16% base salary increase when the deal goes into effect in July. You will also receive her one-time payment equal to 5% of her annual income. In addition, executives are paid extra for night shifts and days when they are scheduled to be on-call.
Overall, the increase represents a 4.5% increase in employee compensation for the duration of the contract, according to the city.
Other unions renewing contracts this year — North American International Trade Union. Two different unions represented by US state, county, and local employee federations. and International Firefighters Association — receive the same percentage increase.
Some city employees, including police officers and firefighters, will receive pay increases under the proposed new contracts.
city of phoenix
double the salaries of cops
This is the second time in the last year that a Phoenix police officer has received a significant pay raise. In June 2022, the city approved Phoenix officials for his $20 million wage. This resulted in an increase in salary of at least $16,000 a year, and in some cases more.
This new contract is for one year, unlike previous years when contracts were often two or three years. “A one-year contract was seen as more flexible for the city and the optimal length of time for this negotiating cycle,” said Dan Wilson, the city’s communications director.
There were no major policy revisions, but several other changes were also included in the contract. This is a departure from 2021, which was included in the contract. Substantial changes in discipline and accountability.
The only significant disciplinary policy change in the 2023 contract is stronger language about the information the city must provide to officers facing misconduct investigations. It said the city must disclose misconduct investigation complaints and other materials to officers under investigation. The union contract now states that the city must proactively notify officers of this information in writing.
but, State law already requires That agency provides these materials to officers under investigation as part of the Arizona Officers’ Bill of Rights.
Police union spokesperson Trista Guzman Glover declined to comment on the draft contract, saying the union would issue a statement after the May 3 vote.
Viri Hernandez, Executive Director of Poder in Action, will speak at a press conference on March 1st.
Katya Schwenk
Secret negotiation process sparks protests
City ordinances require police unions to publish draft proposals at the time they are made. This year, unlike previous years, the union only notified the city that he, along with four other unions, was preparing to start negotiations.
This meant that the public was not allowed to comment on the police union’s proposal or see any version of the contract until both sides reached an agreement. When the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, requested records of the draft contracts, the city refused to release them.
Both the Goldwater Institute and local advocacy group Poder in Action sued the city over secret negotiations. Goldwater’s lawsuit is still ongoing, but a judge ruled that PLEA violated city ordinances. On April 4, it dismissed Poder in Action’s lawsuit after saying it was too late to intervene in the negotiations.
