Syracuse, N.Y. — An arbitrator this week issued a ruling on a long-contested police contract which will award big bonuses to the most experienced officers while requiring rookies to live in the city.
The decision marks the end of a nearly two-year process that’s created friction between Mayor Ben Walsh and some members of the Common Council as they’ve fought over how much the city should be spending on police.
The agreement keeps much of what was originally proposed in a deal between Walsh’s administration and the police union in 2019.
The decision awards a $10,000 raise to officers who have more than 20 years experience and “rank differential” pay hikes for captains, lieutenants and sergeants ranging from $12,000 to $18,000. It also pays bonuses to officers who speak a second language, have an advanced degree or have military experience.
The raises and bonuses, along with retroactive cost of living raises for all officers, will cost the city around $8.5 million, according to Operations Director Corey Driscoll Dunham.
The biggest cost in the contract is retroactive cost of living adjustments, which are standard in most bargaining agreements, Dunham said.
In exchange, the decision requires newly hired officers to live in the city for their first five years on the job. That does not apply to the most recent class of recruits, who graduated last week. It also does not apply to lateral transfers -- officers who come here from another department.
“The contract approved by the state arbitrator achieves residency for new police officers which has long been sought by this community and is a top priority for my administration,” Walsh said in a statement. “The contract also enables the Syracuse Police Department to retain experienced officers to reduce attrition; attract more officers to seek leadership ranks; and encourage a better educated, more professional force that is more closely aligned with the community it serves.”
The contract went to arbitration this year after the Common Council rejected a deal reached between Walsh’s administration and the union in 2019. Councilors argued that the city couldn’t afford the huge cost of that proposed contract, which included most of the provisions ordered by the arbitrator, but would pay bonuses and raises retroactively starting at the beginning of 2018.
The cost of those payments under the proposed contract would have been more than $19 million.
When it came time for arbitration between the city and the union this summer, both sides already agreed on much of the deal. Councilors went so far as to pass an unusual resolution urging the arbitrator to consider their feedback when issuing a ruling.
Dunham said the administration took the councilor’s concerns seriously.
“I think we were really able to take the feedback that we got from councilors to reduce the cost,” Dunham said. “This decision really reflects that. It’s feedback we took seriously.”
A summary of both sides’ arguments shows little disagreement between the city and the union. The main conflict was over the city’s ability to pay for the award and whether incentive and longevity pay should be made retroactively.
Arbitrator Timothy Taylor issued the agreement this week, which includes limited retroactivity for the incentive payments. Representatives from the city and the union signed the documents Tuesday and terms were presented to police union members during a meeting Wednesday evening.
Police Benevolent Association President Joseph Moran said the incentives would help recruit and retain officers. Department leaders have said there has been a huge wave of retirements and early departures in recent years that has left the department short-handed.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Moran said. “I think the big takeaway from this contract is the incorporation of incentives.”
Walsh said that the benefits of the contract are worth the cost and noted that the overall price of the contract was about half of what was originally proposed.
“Any settlement of this contract would have been costly,” he said, “this agreement delivers major benefits to residents and ensures the City gets more value from the money spent on policing.”
Councilor Michael Greene, chair of the council’s finance committee, said he’s glad the city obtained the residency agreement. But he still believes the administration took the wrong approach to the negotiations and gave away too much.
He said most of the savings found in the arbitrator’s award had to do with its duration. The original proposed contract was for four-and-a-half years. The arbitrator’s award covers just two years. It will be considered expired as of Jan. 1, 2020.
“Look, it’s not the total dollar amount of what are we writing a big check for, it’s the ongoing cost that we have to live with in perpetuity,” he said. “Forever, hiring a police officer will be more expensive for the city of Syracuse.”