No layoffs in Round Lake police contract — but no pay hike, either

Round Lake police officers won't receive a base salary increase, but achieved a no-layoff guarantee as part of a one-year contract extension retroactive to May 1.

Village board members last week voted 6-0 in favor of the contract extension, which required approval from both sides.

Mayor James Dietz said negotiations on a longer-term contract are expected to start in 60 days or so.

“Everybody realizes the economy is down,” Dietz said Monday. “I think the police officers were willing to realize that.”

Officers remain eligible for raises based on longevity milestones, under the agreement. And while base pay won't increase, Dietz said, the village guaranteed layoffs won't occur through the extension that ends April 30, 2011.

Round Lake's officers were represented by the Metropolitan Alliance of Police union in negotiations. Union executive board member Richard Tracy said the trend has been toward short-term deals for police officers.

Tracy said municipalities typically don't want to be locked into unaffordable raises, while the officers don't want to forfeit potential gains if the economy improves significantly in the middle of a contract.

No-layoff guarantees have become a noticeable part of police deals, Tracy said.

“I think a lot of contract talks have switched from finagling raises to protecting the jobs of our members,” he said.

An announcement about 3 percent annual police raises in a new three-year contract in Naperville ended on a sour note for some in the city last month. Officials quickly followed up by saying they needed to lay off six officers because of financial woes.

Gurnee village trustees in October approved a two-year contract with its Illinois Fraternal Order of Police union members retroactive to May 1. Under that agreement, police will receive a 5 percent base salary raise on April 30.

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said the deal was a result of officials wanting similar pay scales for police and firefighters, as well as public safety contracts that expire at the same time.