Every Rochester police officer who worked during the height of the pandemic is in line for a one-time $4,000 payment under a proposed bill expected to pass City Council next month.
The payment stems from a labor arbitration award for members of the city’s police union, the Rochester Police Locust Club, that also gives officers retroactive raises dating to 2019, when the union’s latest collective bargaining agreement with the city expired.
While the payout specifically benefits officers who worked during the pandemic, it is the result of a variety of factors according to the city.
“The award was not solely based on any one particular factor such as COVID,” said Susan Warren, assistant director of the city’s Department of Management and Budget, in a statement.
A new version of the agreement, which was settled by an arbitration panel and covers the next five years, marked the end of four years of acrimonious negotiations between the union and the city.
As part of the contract, officers who worked between March 2020 and March 2022 will receive the $4,000 payment. Retroactive salary adjustments for all officers who worked without a contract include raises of 3% for 2019, 3.5% for 2020, 3.5% for 2021, 4% for 2022, and 4.5% for 2023.
Those raises are in line with previous annual wage increases.
To cover the costs, the bill before the City Council calls for transferring $16.7 million from the city’s contingency and tax relief funds to the department. Another $1.3 million will be transferred to the city’s undistributed funds to cover social security and Medicare obligations.
Mike Mazzeo, president of the Rochester Police Locust Club, could not be immediately reached for comment.
The legislation was submitted by Mayor Malik Evans, and is set to go to vote by the City Council on April 25. Evans wrote that the labor settlement will lead to greater flexibility within the Police Department.
“The city will benefit from this award in the form of greater flexibility afforded in personnel assignments, transfers, and recruitment backgrounding efforts,” the legislation reads.
In August, CITY/WXXI reported on the rising costs of police overtimedue to a number of issues, including short-staffing. The conditions led to some officers bringing in salaries at over $250,000.
In addition to settling the collective bargaining agreement with police, the city also settled its contract with Rochester firefighters, who are represented by the International Association of Firefighters Local 1071.
Under legislation covering that deal, firefighters will receive $2,000 if they were on staff between March 2020 and 2022, and are set to receive raises of 3% for 2021, 3.5% in 2022, 4% in 2023, 3.5% in 2024, and 3% in 2025.
In total, the fire department will receive $3.8 million from the city’s contingency fund to pay for the agreement. Another $287,200 will be used to cover fringe costs of the agreement.
