By Scott Jorgensen
KADO1270am
Today, a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Grants Pass and the Grants Pass Police Association was signed by City Manager David Frasher.
The three-year agreement had been unanimously approved by the City Council on December 3. It contained no changes to employees' medical and dental coverage, and held annual average wage increases to 2.12 percent.
The current collective bargaining agreement between the Police Association and the City expires on December 30.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION POSTED ON CITY'S WEBSITE - It appears the following text comes from the Grants Pass Daily Courier, but no attribution is posted - Ron York
GRANTS PASS, ORE. – Municipalities in Oregon bargain with Police Officers and Firefighters based on specific law. In Oregon, firefighters and police officers are not allowed (by law) to strike. Instead, the law provides specific guidelines outlining how bargaining occurs. This includes the final step of Binding Arbitration. Binding Arbitration holds risks for government agencies and can easily lead to costly awards.
The ultimate goal is to reach an appropriate settlement that provides fair compensation to the employees, while maintaining sound fiscal management on the part of the city. Recently, police unions in Oregon gained significant cost increases. Mostly in the form of Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), some agencies gained increases of as much as 10% to base compensation. In fact, the Federal Government and Social Security provided increases of 5.8% and local schools awarded employees 3.5%.
The collective bargaining agreement with the Grants Pass Police Association expires on December 30, 2008. The city negotiating team, which includes a privately contracted labor attorney, had reached impasse and appeared to be moving towards arbitration. However, in late November, with help from a mediator mandated by state law, the city negotiations team was successful in reaching a tentative agreement that was significantly lower than comparison agencies, as well as other local government entities.
On December 3, 2008, the Grants Pass City Council unanimously approved the agreement and it was signed by the Grants Pass Police Association and City Manager David Frasher on December 19th.
The agreement did not alter medical/dental coverage. The agreement spans three years, adjusts base salary in the case of two civilian positions (gradually over three years) that fell well below comparators, and provides the following base wage adjustments:
- January 1, 2009 Increase of 1%
- July 1, 2009 Increase of 2.7%
- January 1, 2010 Increase of 2%
- January 1, 2011 Increase of 2%
The City of Grants Pass is pleased to have provided a balanced contract with minimal increases, locked in for 3 years, particularly during challenging economic times. We are also please that our police officers recognized the importance of making concessions that held the overall annual average increase for the next three years to 2.12%.
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