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Police raises can wait a year, magistrate rules

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE cwade@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 5, 2009

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 had gotten past the impasse with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464, which represents more than 2,000 blue-collar, technical and clerical workers, reaching agreement on 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, ruling that Tampa can withhold raises through the so-called step plan for police officers this year if raises in the next fiscal year are guaranteed.

"In a time when economic conditions continue to decline from bad to worse, (police) cannot in good conscience demand automatic raises," McCollister wrote in his 23-page nonbinding 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."

Diane Morton, an attorney representing the union, said she didn't expect the union's membership to accept the magistrate's ruling. The police union has 20 days to respond.
City officials said they were reviewing the ruling and were not prepared to comment.

McCollister also urged the city 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, but backed the union's request to increase annual sick leave from 45.7 to 80 hours.

The city's previous contract with the Tampa Police Benevolent Association expired Sept. 30.

The tentative agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union local includes a provision that merit increases will be reinstated next fiscal year. The union and city would have to 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 Nov. 13. If the contract is approved, the two sides will not need to go before a magistrate or the city council.

Faced with a $51 million deficit, Mayor Pam 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.

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

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

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