Buffalo Grove, new police union reach first contract

Buffalo Grove and its police officers’ newly formed union have reached their first formal contract, a 30-month agreement providing the police department’s rank-and-file with an immediate 1 percent pay hike and another raise next year dependent on the pay their peers receive in surrounding communities.

The village board on Monday authorized Village Manager Dane Bragg to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, Police Patrol Officer Chapter #672. The contract would be effective retroactively to June 2012 and expire at the end of 2014.

The more than 50 officers in the collective bargaining unit decided form a union last year. Prior to the move, only the village’s firefighters were unionized.

Village officials said there was no wedge issue or overwhelming grievance that prompted officers to form a union.

“I think there was some concern on their part with the (village’s) salary freeze that was put into place at the end of (2009) and going into 2010,” Bragg said. “I think that was probably what may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

The chapter’s vice-president, Officer Tara Anderson, said officers were looking to secure benefits available to union members. She said the negotiating process went smoothly and talks were amicable.

“We were able to come to an agreement before arbitration,” Anderson said.

Officers at Monday’s meeting said they were happy with the contract because it solidifies the benefits the village already offered and provides fair compensation compared with other departments.

Village President Jeffrey Braiman said the negotiation was smooth “beyond our wildest dream.”

“If you talk to most people in most villages, most of them have three, four, five unions. We have had one union (for the firefighters) for 30 or 40 years,” he added.

The agreement establishes a starting salary of $59,000, with a maximum of $88,000, exclusive of overtime and longevity pay. The maximum is reached after seven or more complete years of employment.

Police Chief Steven Casstevens said the agreement will also help scheduling, making the department less reliant on overtime.

Next year’s pay hike will be determined by a formula that takes into account officer salaries at 14 other suburbs, including Elk Grove Village, Wheeling, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Park Ridge and Gurnee.