RTM Approves Labor Contracts for Police, DPW

The on Monday approved the labor union agreements for both town police officers and public works employees, each in a 68-2 vote.

for 27 employees in the town Department of Public Works and Parks and Recreation Department, increases wages by 1.75 percent in the first year (which ends June 30, 2012), then 2.5 percent the second year and 2.25 in the third.

The agreement increases wages retroactively by 1.85 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, and by 2.25 percent this year. Wages would increase by 2.5 percent in each of the following years.

For each contract, a voluntary high-deductible health savings account plan will be started for the employees as an alternative to the traditional PPO plan. Town Administrative Officer Karl Kilduff told RTM members that he wouldn't be surprised if no one in the public works union chooses to take the health savings account, but he thought there would be some interest on the part of police officers.

Other changes in health plans were made in each contract. Changes in the rules for prescription medications should save the town money, Kilduff said.

Language for the contract for the police union—a document of about 48 pages—was sent to various Representative Town Meeting members, said James M. Patrick, vice chairman of the RTM Public Health & Saftey Committee.

But the document wasn't made public before the vote. Patrick said he wasn't certain whether the document sent to him was the agreed-upon language or whether it was a draft.

Patrick chaired the meeting of the committee, which gave its unanimous recommendation to approve the contract after meeting only an hour before the full RTM meeting.

"Meeting an hour before the RTM meeting on any issue to be brought to you is less than ideal," Patrick told the full RTM. Bruce Orr, chairman of the RTM finance committee, made a similar observation, saying, "We're frankly not too thrilled with the timing."

But both committees unanimously recommended approval.

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Police contract:

Fiscal Year

(July 1-June 30)

Wage IncreaseUnder the

Proposed Contract

Other

(clothing, cleaning, education incentive

Wages

Additional

Cost of New

Contract

Provisions

Total

Cost of Contract

Source: Town Administrative Officer Karl Kilduff

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RTM members discussed the police contract more than the public works contract during the meeting.

Asked by one RTM member whether Darien was still attractive for police recruits, even if wage increases in the current contract are lower than those of other departments, Kilduff said the department has remained quite attractive.

Police officers in other departments have been hired by Darien, saving the town the costs of training new recruits, he said. Police chiefs in the area have tried to avoid hiring police officers who have been recently trained at the expense of a municipality, he said, but Darien has hired officers with at least five years of experience in other departments.

Asked why negotiations with the police union dragged on for 19 months, Kilduff said town officials and Police Chief Duane Lovello wanted to make some changes in working conditions, in some cases to improve the department and in other cases to save money, and it took a while to explain those changes to the police union, and a while for the union to accept them.

For instance, Kilduff said, the town wanted the ability to have less staffing in some situations than had been traditional, so that fewer higher-ranking officers might respond at some scenes, and fewer regular police officers, as well.

Another change in the contract comes into play when union members ask for days off on what's considered "short notice"—less than five days—under the terms of the new contract, the days won't be granted if the result is that the department has to pay out overtime to get an officer to fill in for the officer taking leave.

The public works union "represents most of the employees in the Highway, Sewer, and Parking Divisions of the Public Works Department as well as the park maintainers in the Park and Recreation Department," according to the town website.

The town is still in negotiations with the Town Hall employee union.