Elgin police get 2.5 percent raise after quick negotiations
The city of Elgin and its police union reached a new agreement in just four weeks of negotiations and well before the start of the new Jan. 1 contract, unprecedented in at least two decades.
Officers will get a 2.5 percent raise in each year of the contract running Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2019, which the city council unanimously approved earlier this week. Past negotiations have lasted up to a year, with contracts being applied retroactively.
“You read about management and unions, and one side is always the bad guy and what have you,” Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said. “This is an example of when people want to get something done, they can.”
Policemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 54 President Jon Cox agreed. “We have a good relationship with both administration and the city.”
Cox called the raise “fair” and said it's in line with neighboring police departments. Elgin officers got the same 2.5 percent raise in their current three-year contract.
Starting Jan. 1, the base annual pay for a police officer will be $68,301 with step increases capped at $93,892 after 5½ years of service.
Base pay will be $71,759 and up to $98,645 by the end of the contract.
Officers can get additional 2 percent and 4 percent raises for senior or administrative assignments.
Elgin Human Resources Director Gail Cohen said cordial negotiations led to “a very fair contract that both parties could be happy about.”
There were a few changes in the new contract, which applies to nearly 150 officers — no supervisors — in the 182-member department.
Starting in January, there will be up to four shifts per day, rather than a predetermined four shifts, which means the police chief can manage that as needed. “If they go with three shifts, it only affects a small number of officers,” Cox said.
Swoboda said the so-called “power shift,” or an extra shift that beefs up evening manning, might be moved to daytime based on call volume.
Another change pertains to officers' disciplinary records.
The current contract states that some disciplinary records can be expunged after three years and others after four years. The current contract brings the minimum to five years, in accordance with the Local Records Act.
Records kept permanently include suspensions, demotions, allegations of excessive force and allegations of criminal conduct.
Also, the uniform allowance for all officers — uniformed and nonuniformed, such as detectives — was leveled at $1,250 each in the new contract.
The parties will meet again before Oct. 15, 2018, to negotiate health insurance program costs in preparation for any effects of the so-called “Cadillac tax,” part of the Affordable Care Act, Cohen said.
“We see it coming and we want to be able to prepare for it,” Cohen said.