We have been told the city of Pensacola announced today at Pensacola City Hall that Mayor Ashton Hayward has negotiated a 10-percent raise for the Pensacola Police Union. We have requested a copy of the agreement.
We had heard the agreement had been reached two months ago, but the mayor’s office didn’t want to announce until June.
Is Mayor Hayward looking for a “halo”to get him back into the mayor’s race?
Stay tuned.
Police originally needed a 8%-8%-8% for three years to deal with the retention problem. The city first offered a 1 1 1 and some change claiming the city was broke. Yesterday, the city offered 10 3 3. Clever, but doesn’t help. No ones impressed. People will still leave. Still the lowest starting pay in the area. A three year officer can take his portable FRS retirement and start out making $2000 more one county over. Oh, by the way the contract PPD Captains just got a raise. Kept that one quiet, didn’t they? Such transparency. The Officers union will meet again today with the city.
Sherri Myers was in a recent contract negotiation meeting where she told me the offer by the city was 1% total for 3 years. She said that the city told the police officers that the city was broke and that was the best they could do. According to Sherri, when the officers asked what it would cost to give them what they were asking for, and I do not recall here telling me what they asked for and it may have been 10%, the officers were told that the number was a big secret that they could not be told. Myers was infuriated. If her story is correct, then it is hard to believe that two months ago they all agreed to a 10% number. That said, it would be interesting if perhaps here on Rick’s Blog or Inweekly we could be told the difference between what various local law enforcement officers are paid as well as state officers.