Hoffman Estates approves two police union contracts

Hoffman Estates trustees have approved new three-year contracts with the village’s patrol officers and police sergeants, the former one retroactive to the start of 2013.

The patrol officers will receive raises of 1 percent retroactive to Jan. 1, 2013; 1.5 percent on Jan. 1, 2014 and 2 percent on Jan. 1, 2015.

Union President Marty Racila said the members are satisfied with the contract, but two factors were most responsible for the delay in concluding negotiations.

These were the creation of a two-tier wage system for existing officers and new recruits hired after 2013, and a change from 8-hour to 12-hour shifts, which leaves the same number of officers on duty at any time while giving more days off. It was the union that wanted the 12-hour shifts, Racila said.

The police sergeants’ contract gives a 1.5 percent raise on Jan. 1, 2014; no raise in 2015 and a 1.5 percent raise on Jan. 1, 2016.

Vince Scaccianoce, president of the sergeants’ union, said his members also were happy with their new contract.

“The village has always been very generous with the sergeants,” Scaccianoce said. “We finished it in a day. We worked it all out.”

More complicated has been the village’s ongoing negotiation of its firefighters’ union contract, which was intended to cover the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Deputy Village Manager Dan O’Malley said the union had been awarded a three-year contract through arbitration, which the village is appealing.

Dean Slater, president of the firefighters’ union, said talks are continuing with the village even as that appeal process goes on. But in the meantime, the firefighters are working and being paid under the terms of the arbitrated contract.

The village’s next labor contract that will expire is that with the public works employees, O’Malley said.