Vernon Hills, police union reach contract agreement
After a lengthy negotiation, Vernon Hills officials have reached a contract agreement with police officers and sergeants.
The three-year pact with the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, retroactive to 2010, is the first agreement the village has reached with a labor union.
“The process started two years ago,” Mayor Roger Byrne said this week after the village board approved the measure. “I think we have a good agreement.”
The agreement is from May 1, 2010 through April 13, 2013 and covers 35 police officers and sergeants.
Officers will see a cumulative increase of 10.5 percent in base pay over the life of the contract, while sergeants will receive 9 percent, according to figures provided by the village.
It calls for officers to receive a base salary raise of 3.5 percent and sergeants 3 percent from Nov. 1, 2010 to May 1, 2011. Both groups receive an increase of 2 percent from that point until Nov. 1.
On Nov. 1, pay increases 1.5 percent for officers and 1 percent for sergeants. That is bumped 3.5 percent for officers and 3 percent for sergeants on May 1, 2012 to the end of the contract.
“It's a competitive and fair salary,” said Village Manager Mike Allison. Local police union representatives could not be reached.
Allison said officers and sergeants had not received a base pay increase since May 1, 2008, although most employees received a 1 percent lump sum on May 1, 2009. He said some police employees have received step increases since that time, although most had reached the top of the pay scale.
Effective Nov. 1, starting officers will be paid $59,551 increasing over seven steps to $82,255. For sergeants, the pay range is from $72,983 to $98,864.
Allison said the total cost to the village through April 30, 2012 is $281,000.
He estimated about 20 meetings between the groups were held.
“We had some spirited discussions at times,” he said.
Talks are ongoing with about nine or 10 telecommunicators, who also have formed a union.
Economic issues have caused the number of people working at the village to drop across the board in the last decade. The village employed about 128 full-timers in 2001 compared to about 99 now.
“In every area — administrative, building, public works and police — those numbers reflect a decrease in overall personnel numbers,” Allison said.
In a separate action, the village board on Tuesday also agreed to enact policies and procedures for granting benefits to public safety employees consistent with state law.
The law provides lifetime health insurance coverage for first responders and their spouses and children when the first responders are killed or catastrophically injured while responding to an emergency.