Another Job for the Council to Bungle

OK, let’s take a quick look at negotiations with the police unions.

First, with the exception of the Chief of Police, every single member of the Boro police force is a union member. In the case of the Chief, he talks and behaves more like a union member than a confidential employee and management representative. I am wondering if there was meetings with the lone management representative, the Chief, to discuss the contract negotiations, obtain his views on “management concerns”, and his general views on operations as they relate to work rules, overtime pay, etc. Based on the track record of the Council, I bet there were no such confidential management discussions.

Second, I am wondering if there was a Council meeting to discuss the police negotiations. For example, were parameters for the negations discussed? Were the Council members queried about their opinions about the operation of the police force, and what parameters for the negotiations that they would individually feel comfortable with supporting. I doubt it.

Third, not one person on the Council negotiating team has any public sector negotiations experience. It is very interesting that Councilman Leitner is quoted as saying that police negotiators “are doing what they think is right”…What in the world does that mean and how does that assist the Council in reaching an agreement? Councilman Sabosik is quoted as saying that the police force personnel are “hardworking”. What does that mean and according to what metric?

Fourth, what analysis has the Council undertaken? Has the Council negotiating team done any comparative analysis with neighboring towns, not only in terms of salary, but overtime costs, work rules, and general management prerogatives? Probably not. The League of Municipalities produces literature on negotiations with police unions, and a sample contract. They also offer courses on public sector negotiations. Has the Council negotiating team visited any of these resources? Probably not.

Fifth, the Council negotiating team has already broken a cardinal rule of negotiations, in that they are working exclusively from proposals that have been submitted by the unions. Does that mean that there is not one single thing that management does not want to change in the entire contract? What that does mean is that the negotiating team is reacting to union proposals. They are, in essence, negotiating with themselves using an existing contract as the starting point. That also means just a lot of “no’s” and “maybe’s”. No wonder the talks are headed to arbitration.

Even the most casual observer of the police salary schedule must note that it is extremely top heavy. That’s because most of the union members have been on the job for some time, and the Council let the old timer negotiators put the money where ever they wanted to. As a result, the schedule is lopsided and the Council let it get that way. This is dangerous because at some point the current union members will retire in a relatively short time frame. With beginning salaries having been neglected, the Boro may find itself in a position of not being able to attract younger highly qualified personnel.

The salaries of the unionized police are very high. A person with just eight years of service makes almost $100,000 in salary alone. If benefits are added in, the total cost of employment balloons to well over $150,000. And, that does not include overtime. How many private sector employees in any industry make that kind of money in just eight years?

Let’s be real about the police force in this Boro. Does anyone remember a murder in the Boro? The death of a policeman in the line of duty? A bank heist? No, which means that the police force is relegated to patrolling endlessly in squad cars, attending to petty crimes and misdemeanors, and issuing a lot of traffic violations. Not very heavy lifting as far as police work goes. So, what is the rationale for the high salaries? It is not for extremely dangerous work. It is not for extremely sophisticated investigations? It is not because no one wants the work. So, what are the high salaries for exactly?

The Council should take careful note that the Boro is broke! The Boro was also broke the last time of these negotiations, but didn’t know it. Now the Council does know it, so there can be no excuses for the giveaways like the last negotiations.

The last negotiations were conducted by attorney Dasti. He did a lousy and unprofessional job. When questioned, he could not answer the most rudimentary questions about the proposed contract. The Council that voted on and approved the proposed contract the last time was clueless about what they were voting on and what the costs would be. There was little or no comparative analysis, no management proposals, and as a result, the taxpayers were sold down the river. Those negotiations were a contributing factor to the necessity for a tax increase in the middle of a deep recession.

Now the negotiations are headed for arbitration. That requires a good deal of preparation. The Council has to present a well researched cogent proposal. Unless there are some proposals from a management perspective, the Council will be faced with the prospect that the arbitrator will be working from the union proposal. This is not a tenable position for the Council to be in.

There is good reason for the taxpayers to be concerned about these negotiations. No Council member has any negotiating experience. The Boro administrator is incompetent in these matters and his loyalties are suspect. The Chief is more of a union guy than a management representative, and the Boro counsel did an incompetent job last time in the negotiations. So, where will the Council turn for assistance and guidance. There is reason to believe nowhere, and that is where the problem lies.

Are the taxpayers headed for even higher salaries for police, which are already outrageous and another tax increase? The Council appears to be terrified of its employees, because their support is important to re-election. What do you think?