City Approves Settlement with Police Union

Last week San Bernardino officials finalized a five-year agreement with the San Bernardino Police Officers Association in a 7-0 council vote. After several months of negotiations, the agreement reflects significant compromise by each party for a common cause, which leaders said was to optimize residents' safety. "Addressing crime is a top priority and an important step in doing that is first bringing stability to our current public safety workforce," Mayor Carey Davis said. "Equally as important is to assure that our labor agreements adhere to the city's long-term fiscal plan." Key terms of the agreement include union concessions of pre-petition leaves, claims for impositions of 13.989 percent CalPERS cost-sharing, and retiree health care, resulting in significant cost savings. The City agreed to a minimum 3.5 percent increase of annual salaries in exchange for increased cost-sharing of CalPERS of up to 12 percent for the last three years of the agreement. In addition, the union will also actively participate in an aggressive recruitment campaign in conjunction with police management to attract new hires and lateral police officers to fill much needed vacant positions. "This comprehensive agreement is both fair and reasonable given the current conditions facing our membership and the City of San Bernardino," said Steve Turner, president of the San Bernardino Police Officers Association. "It will help to bring stability to our agency, which has lost more than 33 percent of sworn and civilian staffing since the bankruptcy filing. It is our sincere hope that this agreement will receive broad support from both the residents and the federal bankruptcy court." Forging an agreement between the city and police union signifies a critical step to the city's reorganization, as noted by Judge Jury in last week's status conference, according to City Attorney Gary Saenz. "We are determined, as a team, to achieve the goals outlined in the recovery plan and this agreement marks a major milestone in implementation process," Saenz said. The five-year agreement between the police union and the city achieves multiple goals, leaders said. It demonstrates a commitment to stabilizing, retaining and rebuilding the police department's rank-and-file, begins to address the community's strategic plan top priority of crime, and adheres to the city's plan of adjustment filed with the bankruptcy court in May 2015. Leaders said in a news release, "This is an essential first step towards improving public safety services to the residents and businesses of San Bernardino."