The city of La Center and its police union are trading unfair labor practice complaints after failing to come to an agreement on a new employment contract.
Last Thursday, the city filed a complaint against the La Center Police Officers Association, claiming the union is delaying a contract agreement in order to continue the “generous benefits” afforded to police officers under the expired contract. In November, the union filed two complaints with the state Public Employment Relations Commission, alleging the city didn’t give the union a chance to negotiate before changing its take-home vehicle policy and its disciplinary procedures.
The two sides negotiated terms of a new contract for more than a year without coming to an agreement. The city and union are now awaiting a hearing with an arbitrator, who will settle the terms.
At the crux of the failed negotiations were four issues: the wage matrix (step increases), cost-of-living increases, medical benefit contributions, and a change in medical plans.
The officers’ three-year contract ended Dec. 31, 2009, and in the meantime, the eight officers in the union have been working under the conditions of the expired contract.
That’s why, the city alleges, the union has delayed making a new contract agreement.
“It is the city’s belief that the Union seeks to delay agreement on a new contract as long as possible and maintain the status quo because of the generous benefits afforded the Union’s members under the former contract,” the city’s attorney, Daniel Kearns, wrote in the complaint.
A union representative could not be reached for comment.
The conditions of the old contract mean four La Center police officers received a nearly 11 percent raise this month. The other four received a 5.5 percent raise, according to the city.
The expired contract calls for a cost-of-living increase of 3 percent plus the Portland consumer price index of the previous July. In July 2010, the Portland CPI was 2.5 percent, so all officers received a 5.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for 2011.
Four of the officers were also eligible for a 5 percent step increase, that, when compounded, gave those four officers a total pay increase of nearly 11 percent, according to the city.
The 2011 base salary for patrol officers is $52,272 and goes up to $66,720 after five years. Officers with academic degrees or additional certifications make more, as do the two sergeants.
In September 2010, the city proposed a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for each year from 2010 to 2012. The proposal also asked employees to pay 5 percent of medical insurance for spouses and dependents in 2011 and 2012, with a cap of $80 per month. The city would pick up the whole bill for spouses and dependants in 2010 and pay 100 percent of employee premiums all three years, according to the complaint.
The city made the proposal after a union representative said in a September meeting with the city attorney that the wage matrix was the only remaining sticking point, according to the complaint.
The expired contract includes a five-step wage matrix with 5 percent increases between each step. The city originally proposed an eight-step matrix with 3 percent increases for all new hires (all current employees would follow the five-step matrix). The union wanted to maintain the matrix from the old contract, according to the complaint.
At one point during negotiations, the union proposed a five-step matrix with a 3 percent increase between steps. That matrix would start employees at higher base salaries. The city rejected the proposal. But in September, city officials agreed to the proposal, according to the complaint.
The city’s attorney said in the complaint that he sent two e-mails to the union’s attorney asking the union to either accept or deny the offer. The union never responded, according to the complaint.
“The Union’s failure and refusal to engage in good faith collective bargaining in this case is a violation of its obligation to bargain in good faith,” Kearns wrote.
In the complaint, the city is asking the employment relations committee to declare that the union is failing or refusing to negotiate in good faith. The city also wants PERC to order the union to respond to the city’s e-mail and pay for the city’s costs, including attorney fees, for filing the complaint.
“The city of La Center has spent a great deal of time and resources on negotiating union contracts,” Finance Director Suzanne Levis said. “We would like to resolve the union contracts as expeditiously as possible.”
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
