Seventy-nine percent of the Police Officers Association’s members voted to ratify a contract with the city that will restore officers’ wages to 2009 levels. The agreement, which comes after a weeklong vote, will phase in a 10-percent raise through 2015, making up for salary cuts over the past few years.
“The POA continues to believe that additional steps will have to be taken to slow or stop the exodus of San Jose Police Officers leaving to work for other agencies,” POA Vice President John Robb said in a statement.
For years now, the San Jose Police Department has struggled to retain officers. Six veteran cops resigned this past week, according to the POA. Meanwhile, many new hires—cadets fresh out of academy training—have opted to defect to departments in other cities that offer better disability benefits.
“Given the very high risks associated with police work, these newly hired officers have felt compelled to purchase their own disability insurance through a private insurance company,” said James Gonzales, a POA board member. “This is unacceptable.”
The City Council is slated to vote on the tentative labor agreement Dec. 10.
“We are pleased that this pay restoration will put some money in the pockets of those officers that made the difficult decision to stay and continue to serve the residents of San Jose, Gonzales said.
This is too little, and way too late. This will not stop the mass exodus of seasoned officers leaving or retiring, and recruit officers going to other departments. Even if SJPD officers got an immediate 10% pay restoration, their pay would still be at the bottom of any agency in this county. SJPD officers also have almost 23% of their own gross salary deducted to fund their retirement, while the next highest agency in this county has about a 9% deduction. It is laughable to think that by making our officers whole in 2015 for what they made in 2009, not figuring in for inflation or increased housing costs, that this is going to retain officers. This mayor and most of the city council destroyed this police department by their actions over the past few years. It is disgusting to now see them posturing as pro public safety now that most of them are running for mayor.
This numbers-challenged and fact-avoiding Council refuses to even understand how to correct this problem.
Employees took more than a 10% cut (10.32% more correctly), but for the sake of rounding, OK, we’ll call it 10%.
In order for the Council to fully restore that 10% cut they stole under false pretenses from employees in 2010, they would have to return about 11% to restore salaries to the original starting level.
I’m surprised with a numbers guy like Johnny on the Council, that this is still difficult to understand. A person making $90k that took a 10% cut now makes $81k. With a 10% salary restoration, he would now make $89.1k…not $90k…still 1% behind the original salary.
And this they claim will restore PD salaries to 2009 levels….in 2015. There certainly will be no shortage of back slaps by Council congratulating themselves for this great solution. As for the rest of employees, they will be on their own, making 2007 wages in 2015.
Any council member running for the mayoral contest is absolutely unfit to hold the mayors office due to the utter incompetence they have displayed over the last 8 years.