Police Officers in Annapolis, Md., who are represented by UFCW Local 400, recently ratified a strong, new contract that improves the pay scale, as well as health benefits and working conditions.
The two-year contract, which covers 100 Annapolis Police Officers, establishes a new pay scale that reduces the number of years officers must work to reach the top of the scale and provides a 6 percent increase, on average, over the life of the agreement. It also increases retiree health and welfare benefits and expands the use of take-home vehicles for SWAT Team members.
The new contract also includes the following key provisions:
- Including the rank of Lieutenant in the bargaining unit.
- Ensuring that at least one union steward will be in attendance at the Chief’s Advisory Board meetings.
- Filling temporary job openings with officers currently on promotional lists and allowing their time in those positions to count toward probation if promoted.
- Adding Thanksgiving as a holiday paid at an additional half time pay if worked.
- Clarifying how voluntary and non-voluntary overtime is assigned.
- Establishing a new city-wide tuition reimbursement program.
- Adding an optional additional fifth year to the Deferred Retirement Option Plan.
- Providing a $20,000 signing bonus to new hires (not included in the contract, but agreed to in bargaining).
“In the long run, the new pay scale will be extremely beneficial to officers and new hires won’t have to wait as long for their raises,” said Officer 1st Class T.J. Woolfolk, who is UFCW Local 400’s lead police shop steward. “And retiree health care will be split 60/40 with the city, an improvement over the previous 50/50. In any bargaining, you always want to do better, but I’m very appreciative of where management met us and felt that we brokered the best deal possible.”
UFCW Local 400 has represented Annapolis Police Officers since 1980.
