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Magistrate: No raises for police this year; city, ATU come to agreement

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2009

Updated: 11/04/2009 04:31 pm

TAMPA - The city has reached a tentative agreement with its largest union in a dispute over wages, while an impasse with another union may be headed for the city council.

On Wednesday, city officials said they have broken the impasse with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464, which represents more than 2,000 blue-collar, technical and clerical workers, agreeing to a new contract with no cost-of-living or merit raises.

Meanwhile, Special Magistrate John C. McCollister sided mostly with the city in a dispute with its police union, issuing a nonbinding ruling that the city can withhold raises through the so-called step plan for police officers this year as long as it guarantees they will get raises in the next fiscal year.

"In a time when economic conditions continue to decline from bad to worse, [police officers] cannot in good conscience demand automatic raises," McCollister wrote in the 23-page ruling. "At the same time, the city cannot take for granted that it will continue to enjoy the benefit of a superior police force without offering fair compensation."

Members of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association and the Iorio administration have been trying to agree on a one-year contract. The previous contract expired Sept. 30.

Diane Morton, an attorney representing the union, called the ruling a "compromise."

"The city wanted to freeze the step plan indefinitely," she said. "His ruling is adamant that the step plan be reinstated the next year, which the city was refusing to do."

Mayor Pam Iorio declared an impasse in the negotiations with all three unions in July and turned to a special magistrate to settle the dispute, which is primarily over pay.

The tentative agreement with the ATU includes a provision that merit increases will be reinstated next fiscal year. The union and city would have agree on another contract.

"We're concerned about saving jobs, not getting pay raises," said the ATU's Mike Young.

Young said the union's membership will vote on the proposed contract on Nov. 13. If the contract is approved, the two sides will not need to go before a magistrate or council.

Faced with a $51 million deficit, Iorio imposed a pay freeze and provided no funding for cost-of-living or merit raises in the fiscal 2010 budget, which went into effect Oct. 1.

Union leaders have agreed to forgo cost-of-living increases this fiscal year, but police and fire unions still want step increases, which are based on years of service.

City officials say that would cost the city nearly $4 million and force large-scale layoffs.

Step increases for the police department, awarded to officers as they rise through the ranks, would cost $1.7 million a year, including pension payments, city officials say.

The police union said the cost is $772,000 a year for about 500 eligible officers.

If the city and union don't agree with the special magistrate's decision, the contract will go before the council for a vote, which McCollister recommended.

Morton said she doesn't expect the union's membership to accept the magistrate's ruling. The police union has 20 days to respond.

City officials said they are reviewing the ruling and were not prepared to comment.

McCollister also urged the council to reject the union's request for an additional floating holiday for each police officer and to increase the number of annual leave days.

He did, however, side with the union's request to increase annual sick leave from 45.7 to 80 hours. Union officials argued the request complied with state and federal practices.

"In this modern era when both parents assume the responsibility of caring for children, the union's proposal seems not only logical but necessary," McCollister wrote.

The contract for the city's firefighters must still go before a magistrate for a hearing.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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