Arbitrator issues award settling police contract

An arbitrator has entered a consent award that will settle collective bargaining negotiations between the city of Naperville and Fraternal Order of Police Local 42 that have been ongoing since 2009.

The terms of the new three year contract include annual wage increases for Fiscal Year 2009-10 at 3.3 percent, FY 2010-11 at 3 percent and FY 2011-12 at 3 percent. This contract will span May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2012.

“While we are pleased that the process has come to a conclusion, we are frustrated that the arbitration process mandated by Illinois law has resulted in wage increases beyond what we wanted to pay or believe we can reasonably afford,” said City Manager Douglas A. Krieger. “The interest arbitration process does not adequately consider the economic crisis that the state of Illinois and municipalities like ours are currently undergoing. Throughout the bargaining process we emphasized repeatedly to the police officers that they should be responsive to the city's declining revenues. Our police officers are second to none, but we simply don't currently have the financial resources to pay these wage increases to all the union police officers. Given the weak economy, we are not in a position to raise taxes or implement new revenues to pay for the police raises.”

Another term of the contract includes a 50 percent increase in police personnel health insurance premium contributions from 10 to 15 percent of total premium cost.

“Like all employers, the city has experienced years of rapidly rising health costs, and our non-union employees have shared in these increased costs by paying a 15 percent premium contribution since May 2010,” continued Krieger. “The city is pleased with the increased health insurance contribution in this contract, because it provides equity among our employees when it comes to rising health insurance costs. The requirement that police officers pay 15 percent is an acknowledgement that they should pay their fair share of this important benefit.”

Over the past two years, the city has implemented reductions in force in order to balance budgets. Currently, a $5 million or more budget deficit is projected in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on May 1, 2011. The city will continue to look at cost cutting measures, including service reductions, in order to balance next year's budget through a series of council workshops.