Wheeling police, fire get raises under new deals

Wheeling’s firefighters and police officers are guaranteed annual pay raises this year and next, under a new contract approved by the village board this week.

According to the contract, both groups will get 1.75 percent increase on May 1 and another 2.25 percent increase on May 1, 2012. The police contract includes another 2.5 percent increase in May 2013, said Michael Crotty, Wheeling’s assistant village manager.

Those raises are on top of yearly merit increases which total about 5 percent for both police officers and firefighters, Crotty said.

This means a police officer hired this year will earn a starting salary of $61,590, and with merit increases could be earning $83,023 in about five years. A firefighter-paramedic hired in May at $58,491 can earn up to $83,543 with merit increases after six years. A fire lieutenant hired this year will earn $68,876 and top out at $97,471.

Wheeling was able to give raises in the new contract because police and fire unions agreed to small increases in 2009 and 2010, Crotty said. During those years, both firefighters and police officers were given a 2 percent annual increase with another 2 percent increase kicking in six months into each year.

Those midyear increases are not included in this new contract.

“We’ve gotten away from that,” Crotty said. “This contract just has the simple annual increases.”

Union officials were not available for comment.

Other municipalities approved contracts for their fire and police officers this month as well, although not everyone is getting raises.

On Tuesday, Elk Grove Village officials approved a five-year contract with their police union guaranteeing a 4.25 percent raise which goes into effect May 1. Elk Grove’s union employees and nonunion workers voluntarily took a pay freeze in the fiscal year ending Saturday.

Mount Prospect’s village board approved the one-year contract extension for their firefighter—paramedics that did not include raises next year. This year, Mount Prospect firefighters got a 3.5 percent wage increase.

The fire contract covers about 44 firefighters and fire lieutenants. The police contract covers 40 officers, eight sergeants and 10 non-sworn employees, such as community officers and dispatchers.