Council Might Act on Contract Impasse

Council members will consider taking unilateral action tonight to end the impasse between the city and police officers’ union over contract talks.

The last negotiated contract between the Police Officers’ Assn. and the city expired in 1993. Police employees have since worked under two informal agreements. The last one expired in September 1995, and subsequent negotiations ended in an impasse.

“The city does have the unilateral right to adopt work rules and things that affect employment,” Mayor Ralph H. Bauer said. “The intent is not vindictive; the intent is to run a first-class police department.”

Council members will be asked to adopt a resolution that calls for random drug testing of sworn officers and an end to employee-controlled compensatory time, Bauer said, in addition to other contract provisions.

Police Officers’ Assn. President Richard Wright said the union would accept the new work rules and begin negotiations for a new contract, if the “comp time” issue was dropped.

“If they leave the comp time in there, then it becomes retaliation--pure and simple,” Wright said. “Under federal labor laws, employees have the right to utilize that time off when they deem fit.”

If there is no agreement on the issue, Wright said, federal labor laws would require the city to end the practice of granting “comp time” in lieu of overtime pay. Wright said the city would incur higher salary costs as a result and would be obligated pay off “comp time” already earned by employees, which totals about $5 million.

Wright vows that the union will take legal action against the city if the “comp time” provisions are not withdrawn from the resolution.

But Councilman Dave Sullivan said the council has no other options left: “I would be extremely surprised if the council didn’t implement this.”