Tensions reach tipping point in Ocoee police negotiations

OCOEE – Negotiating pay raises is known to induce anxiety in many people, but for the Ocoee Police Department, it’s been a years-long struggle.

For the past 18 months, the Central Florida Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association has been representing the Ocoee Police Department in ongoing negotiations with the city of Ocoee for a new employment contract.

And it hasn’t gone well.

To date, both parties have had 10 meetings since June 2015 and have agreed on everything — with the exception of four contentious issues: pay raises, pension reforms, health insurance and uniform upgrades. As a result, an impasse was declared.

During the Feb. 7 Ocoee commission meeting, police officers and PBA representatives came with signs reading “STOP stalling negotiations” in a show of solidarity for their cause. Two Ocoee officers, who are also PBA representatives, expressed their frustrations with the situation during public comment — despite the warning made by City Attorney Scott Cookson that such an action would constitute an unfair labor practice.

“When I was in the police academy, I remember our instructors talking about the stresses of police work … but no one ever mentioned the stresses of battling your employer for fair benefits,” said Mike Alexander, an Ocoee Police patrol sergeant.

However, Ocoee City Manager Robert Frank maintained the salary and benefits package the city offers is generous and comparable to those found in other Central Florida police departments.

“As we said from the beginning, the package that the city is offering as far as salary and benefits — including, specifically, pension and cost of health care — is an excellent package that is probably better than 90% to 95% of the agencies around us in Central Florida,” Frank said.

Frank also believed the accusatory signs were uncalled for and that the sentiment likely came from individuals not privy to the city’s efforts to finally settle the problem.

“I believe anyone who says (the negotiations) are being stalled does not have access to see the emails going back and forth where we’ve tried to get the union to schedule a time and their attorney was not available,” he said.

The major disputes regarding the contract terms are the proposed pension reforms and pay raises, said Ocoee police officer David Ogletree, the Central Florida PBA chapter’s vice president.

Right now, he said, some union members and police officers are dissatisfied because they view the current arrangement of the wage top-up scheme as inconsistent and unfair. The top-up pay creates significant salary discrepancies between patrol officers in supervisory positions and other more recently created positions, despite requiring similar levels of responsibility, he said.

“We’re not against the wage raises that they proposed to us in the package — those are great,” Ogletree said. “If we can keep those in the package, then that would be wonderful, but I think that (top-up) pay is kind of what has made our members upset because there’s no common ground.”

Regarding pension plans, the union has requested a two percent cost-of-living increase for retirement, which, Alexander said, was met with firm resistance. In return, the union offered to split the cost by contributing more money to the police pension fund, but the offer is still up in the air.

“We’ve not seen any salary surveys or benefit surveys that show their pay is not where it’s supposed to be,” Frank said, when asked about the city’s reluctance to accept the union’s request.

An additional request involving health insurance also has stirred discord, but the union has begun to accept the increase likely was inevitable considering the rising cost of health insurance nationwide, Ogletree said. Currently, Ocoee police officers pay $50 per month for the individual plan and $250 for the family plan.

Also desired for inclusion in the contract was a uniform upgrade to a load-bearing vest, which Ogletree described as attire commonly used by law enforcement in Chicago, New York City and England that shifts the weight away from an officer’s hips and to the upper body. 

However, the city’s considered it too militaristic during a meeting last spring, Frank said.

After the last meeting before an impasse was declared, the city presented a final contract that the union members ultimately voted down. The impasse hearing, which will presided by a special magistrate, is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.

Ogletree said he personally feels let down by the whole situation, and think it’s brought morale down in the department, but he hopes for the best in the end.

“It’s an uphill battle, but you’d think that if you’re a commissioner on the board, you’d want to make your employees happy, you know,” Ogletree said. “And make your police force happy.”

Correction: A previous version of this story stated the impasse meeting would be held, Tuesday, Feb. 21. This is incorrect, as the impasse hearing will be held Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. The execution session, which will not be open to the public, will be held Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected]