NEW HAVEN -- The city has reached a tentative agreement with the union that represents its police officers on a new six-year contract, Mayor Justin Elicker and union President Florencio Cotto said in a joint news release Tuesday.
The agreement, which would be retroative to July 1, 2022, would run through June 30, 2028, and cover all of the 326 officers in the department, Elicker said. It has been submitted for rewiew and a vote by the members of Elm City Local, and if ratified by the union membership the contract would then be submitted by Elicker to the full Board of Alders for approval, Elicker said.
"Every day our police officers do an outstanding job under very challenging circumstances and put their lives on the line to keep our residents and streets safe. This contract will provide our officers with a well-deserved raise, help retain existing officers, help attract and recruit new officers, and strengthen the police department's ability to keep our communities safe," Elicker said. "This is a contract that all sides can be proud of and one that I hope both the union membership and the Board of Alders will support."
The agreement calls for a starting salary of $70,000 for officers -- up from $50,745 -- Elicker said. That base salary will increase to $77,175 in fiscal year 2026-27, Elicker said.
All officers will receive annual salary increases, starting with retroactive increases of 2.5 percent for the ficscal year 2022-23 and 2023-24, Elicker said, followed by a 5 percent increase in 2024-25, and in each subsequent fiscal year through 2028.
The agreement, if approved, would result in an estimated one-time cost of $5.6 million to cover the retroative pay, and an additional $7.5 million to cover the proposed salary increases over the length of the contract.
"We encourage all our members to review the details carefully and participate in the upcoming vote scheduled within the next few weeks," Cotto said.
Contract negotiations had been stalled in late August, and both the police union and Elicker blamed each other for the stalemate. The union's most recent contract expired June 30, 2022.
The agreement includes new disciplinary procedures, including a provision where officers who are charged with a felony can be placed on unpaid leave, with full back pay if the charges are dismissed or they are found not guilty, Elicker said.
Minor and non-emergency crimes will also be reportable online to allow officers to keep their focus on more "urgent" cases before following up on the online reports later, Elicker said.
The agreement also includes a new Deferred Retirement Option Plan that will allow senior officers collect for retirement while continuing to work for the department after they become eligible to retire, Elicker said.
The current city budget for 2024-25 approves funding for 389 officers, Elicker said.