Merced police, City Council agree on contract with raises

In an attempt to make officer pay more competitive in Merced, City Council members unanimously approved raises and benefits in a new contract adopted Monday night with the Merced Police Officers Association.

The city and the union agreed to a five-year contract that would deliver a 2 percent raise on July 1, followed by raises of 2.25 percent, 2.5 percent and 2.75 percent in the next three years.

Under the new contract, the city also will pay a higher percentage of the officers’ health benefits. Other benefits included in the contract are additional pay for special assignments such as the Disruptive Area Response Team or Gang Violence Suppression Unit.

Detective Joe Deliman, the president of the police union, said not all officers were behind the new contract, but that the agreement is taking “baby steps” in the right direction.

“We’re content for right now,” he said. “This allows the city to budget to get more officers on the street.”

To help the city balance its budget a few years ago, officers, like many city employees, agreed to concessions that included pay cuts. Deliman noted that officer pay will not be restored to its level before the cuts until the final year of the contract.

Other concessions will be restored, such as the pay bump for officers who work night shifts.

The new contract comes about a month after the union battered the City Council and other leaders on Facebook, saying their “mismanagement has driven the department and city into the ground.”

Several members of the council voiced support for the new contract. Councilman Michael Belluomini said he was pleased with the outcome. “I think it shows the council’s support of police officers,” he said.

There has been an elevated focus on public safety in the past year with residents, police and firefighters bringing up the topic at public meetings.

Last year saw a record number of homicides in the city, and the police union began to press even harder after a Merced officer was shot Feb. 28.

There are 88 spots for officers in Merced’s budget, though a few positions are empty. That number is down from the peak of 111 in 2007.

Councilman Mike Murphy also spoke in support of the new contract but said the work is not over. “The next step is going to be trying to increase those ranks,” he said.

Other areas of public safety have also recently gotten attention from the council.

The city moved last month to add money to the overtime budget of the Merced City Fire Department so it can avoid brownouts, when the department works with a short staff to save money.

The City Council is in the middle of budget season, so it remains unclear if it will find the money to continue to avoid brownouts or hire more officers.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Merced police, City Council agree on contract with raises."