SAN ANTONIO – After two years of heated exchanges and repeated stalled negotiations, City Council members will vote on Thursday and decide whether to approve a mediated agreement between the city and the San Antonio Police Officers Association, or SAPOA.
The deal has already been approved by SAPOA.
The two biggest topics of debate throughout negotiations: health care and salaries.
Officers would get a 3 percent lump-sum payment in October 2016. That sum is based on “each bargaining unit employee’s total compensation earned” during the year prior to September 1.
Over the five-year contract, officers would get a 14 percent pay raise. Here’s a breakdown of the raises:
Annual Pay Increase
2017 3%
2018 3%
2019 3%
2020 2%
2021 3%
If the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association gets more than a 14 percent raise in its contract with the city, police officers would get a raise equal to the difference.
For example, if firefighters get a 17 percent pay raise in their deal, police officers would get an additional 3 percent. The firefighters union has yet to begin negotiating with the city.
The contract requires police officers to contribute to the cost of health care. No longer will the city pay for all of it. Officers have two benefits plans to choose from.
Annual clothing allowances are also increasing for officers as seen here:
Annual Clothing Allowance
2016 $1,840
2017 $1,940
2018 $2.040
2019 $2,140
2020 $2,240
Local leaders have raised questions about the stipulations in the contract regarding officer discipline.
Discipline for an officer’s past violations involving “intentional violence” can only be considered to determine future discipline for a similar violation if the incidents happened within five years.
Discipline for prior violations involving alcohol or drug abuse can only be considered to determine future discipline for a similar offense if the prior violations happened within 10 years.
Three-day suspensions can be reduced to written reprimands after two years if a similar complaint is not made against the same officer within that two-year period.
The rules regarding officer discipline are not new and have been part of previous contracts.
The new contract has a reduced evergreen clause: eight years instead of 10 years. That’s the length of time police officers can operate without a new contract with the city after the proposed deal expires in 2021.
In 2014, the city sued SAPOA and the firefighters association, claiming the evergreen clause was unconstitutional, but a judge ruled against the city. The city filed an appeal, which it later dropped.