Dear Fellow Sergeant,

We met with the City again today to review and discuss the viable proposal we made to settle the expired contract. While we are still in the process of talking and continuing to move forward, please understand that the numbers already agreed upon through the coalition deal remain in place.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous malicious and untrue rumors spread by naysayers who have no clue what has been taking place during these talks. Some of these rumors are addressed below. The fact is that these talks have never stalled – right up until today’s meeting.

How is it possible that a frontline supervisor in the world’s largest and most respected police department can take a promotion and be making less than their subordinates?

It happened through attrition bargaining. It is attrition bargaining that has brought us to this terrible place in negotiations. We are committed to a different path that seeks to fix the current system that forces newly promoted sergeants to take a pay cut. We have made a comprehensive proposal that will accomplish that in a way that fixes the problem going forward. That is what the parties are working on now.

To rectify the untenable situation the SBA was placed in by past negotiations, the current Board diligently went to work to break down the numbers to find a resolution that was fair and equitable to our membership and the City. What we offered to help correct this situation will easily cover the change in the first 4 pay steps. As a result, newly promoted Sergeants will finally be where they should be from a salary perspective considering all their added responsibilities.

Under the present way of doing business, the City has no option but to keep promoting new members to top pay, which, in essence, costs an additional $25 million with that number growing with each promotion class.

While we have all been victims of top pay going from 3 to 5 years over our careers, this type of situation cannot continue. The unfair pay disparity to Sergeants who were at the top of the list was clearly created by the City and should be corrected through a logical process, not through some type of giveback. The SBA board has given the city a path to correct this, and we hope the current City negotiators will do what is right and stop this fiscal injustice from further harming our members.

This Board has a responsibility to present a fair contract to the whole of the membership and that has been our goal. While I understand some of the concerns, please realize we too are affected by this contract. It would be irresponsible to place the concerns of any fringe groups over the general membership. The time is now to correct this egregious inequity once and for all, and we are determined to do just that.

Thank you for your understanding and support. We will keep you apprised of all future developments as they occur.

Questions & Answers to Concerns

Sergeants will not receive the same increases that the other police unions have received/ there is a time limit to accept the increases that other police unions received.

The SBA, as part of the uniformed coalition, agreed to the basic wage increases in June. Those increases are set in stone. The coalition deal does not have an expiration date. The increases to base pay will be 3.25% effective December 10, 2021; 3.25% effective December 10, 2022; 3.5% effective December 10, 2023; 3.5% effective December 10, 2024; and 4.0% effective December 10, 2025. The outstanding issues that are still being discussed are the salary schedule and ancillary benefits.

We should sue.

There is no violation of our contract or current civil service law that would support a lawsuit. The City has lived up to all provisions of our current collective bargaining agreement. All parties agree that the current situation where junior sergeants are making more than senior sergeants and in some cases Police Officers are making more than sergeants is not fair but there is no violation of law.

It’s a Civil Service law that a Supervisor must make more than those they supervise.

There is no such law on the books.

Why are recently promoted sergeants making more than those promoted prior to them?

Although there is no law on the books that a sergeant must make more than a police officer, the Department has established a practice that on the date of promotion those promoted must receive an increase, regardless of contract settlement dates. Since the PBA and DEA have settled their respective contracts, their current salaries are higher than all but Step 6 in the Sergeants salary schedule, so to receive an increase newly promoted sergeants are placed at Step 6.

All sergeants who are not at top pay will be elevated to top pay once the contract is agreed upon.

Although this is something that the SBA is seeking, it has been turned down by the City. The City has submitted adjustments to the current salary schedule that do not contain a permanent solution, but just a temporary fix. We have submitted proposals to the City to permanently correct the salary scale so that the disparity in pay is corrected in to the future.

There will be no retroactive pay.

Any agreement will contain retroactive pay for the basic wage increases already agreed upon. Retroactive pay will be based upon the increases of 3.25% effective December 10, 2021; 3.25% effective December 10, 2022; and 3.5% effective December 10, 2023. As of December 10, 2023, a top pay sergeant would receive approximately $12,000 (gross) in retroactive pay.

Fraternally,

Vincent J. Vallelong
President
Sergeants Benevolent Association