By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — City police officers have a new labor deal that will increase wages and allow the department to test out longer half-day shifts for some officers.
City Council members on Monday approved a labor agreement with the unions that represent both city police officers and firefighters. The unanimous vote came Monday evening after the contracts were discussed in closed session.
The new contract with Police Benevolent & Protective Association Unit 6 runs retroactively to Jan. 1 through 2025 and guarantees city police officers a 3.5% wage increase each year.
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It also allows the police department to convert its afternoon shift to 12 hours rather than the standard 10-hour shift.
Previous police chiefs Dan O’Shea and Chet Epperson had favored moving to 12-hour shifts, which they said studies showed were more cost efficient and could improve coverage. The department tested the 12-hour shifts once before, but it was ended in 2015 without ever being implemented departmentwide.
“It cuts down on the amount of shift changes that we have, and at the same time we’ll get more officers on the street during peak call volume,” said Nick Meyer, the city’s legal director.
If the experiment is successful this time, the department could transition all officers to 12-hour shifts after 2025 or sooner if the union and city agree to renegotiate the deal.
“Our hope is, obviously, that it’s successful,” Meyer said. “That it’s good for the officers and the city and that we both want to continue it and also expand it.”
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The wage increase for police officers represents an additional $8.9 million in salary costs for the city over the three-year life of the contract. The police department’s annual budget is $76.63 million in 2023, according to city budget documents.
Fire contract
The city’s firefighters will get a 4% pay raise retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022. That three-year contract with the International Association of Firefighters Local 413 includes a 3.5% pay raise this year and a 3% salary raise in 2024.
The increases represent an additional $7.2 million in spending on salaries for the city over the life of the contract. The Rockford Fire Department’s annual budget is $63.78 million, according to city budget documents.
Meyer said the city compared salaries with like-sized communities “to attract and retain the best-quality police officer and firefighter in the Rockford area.” Both unions have ratified the contracts. “I think it was a win for all parties,” Meyer said.
The contract also includes provision for running a mobile integrated health unit with UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital. That program, which partners firefighters with a mental health professional for certain 911 calls, is funded by a $2 million grant from the Winnebago County Mental Health Board.
The same model was already used to try to reduce calls among so-called “super-users” who are frequently admitted to emergency rooms. The newer version of the program uses the same model but targets those who use 911 services for mental-health issues.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.