Compton Police Get 7% Raise in Pay Retroactive to Last July

City police officers will be getting bigger paychecks this month, just in time to pay their Christmas shopping bills. The City Council Tuesday unanimously approved a 7% wage increase retroactive to July 1, when the police union’s labor contract expired.

Under the new contract, which expires in June of this year, a police officer will earn between $2,833 and $3,314 a month, depending on his or her level of experience. The old contract called for monthly wages of between $2,644 and $3,093.

Lieutenants will earn between $4,407 and $5,168 a month, depending on the number of years they have held the rank. Under the old contract lieutenants earned between $4,113 and $4,820 a month. Sergeants’ pay will range from $4,033 to $4,725 a month, compared to a range under the old contract of between $3,764 and $4,407 a month.

The 140 police officers will receive their raises, as well as their retroactive pay, by the end of this month, said Michael T. Heriot, the assistant city manager in charge of labor relations.

The city’s approximately 500 other employees, most of whom are represented by the Service Employees International Union, received 5% pay raises earlier this year. Like the police, SEIU workers have a one-year agreement with the city that expires in June.

It is difficult to persuade workers to accept labor contracts that extend beyond one year, Heriot said. “I hope maybe we’ll be able to get a 2-year contract next time around,” he said before the meeting.

In other action, the council also approved raises for the city clerk, the treasurer and the city attorney. The vote was 4 to 1 with Councilman Maxcy Filer opposed.

According to city payroll records, the clerk and the treasurer now receive $20,544 a year for carrying out their basic city duties. They are also paid, however, for additional duties such as supervising city records and acting as staff for the city Redevelopment Agency, which brings their yearly earnings to about $62,000.

As a result of the council action, their base pay will rise to $26,000 annually in July, plus 5% each year after that through 1993. The additional base pay will put their total earnings at about $68,000 annually starting in July.

The city clerk is Charles Davis. The treasurer is Wesley Sanders Jr.

City Atty. Wesley Fenderson Jr. is also getting a raise in his basic pay, which is now about $12,900 a year. Beginning in July, his basic pay will be $20,246 a year. In subsequent years through 1992 his pay will rise by 5% each year.

However, the total annual pay for Fenderson, who also oversees code enforcement for the city and does legal work for the Redevelopment Agency, is about $73,460. With the increase in basic pay, his total earnings will be more than $80,000 in fiscal 1989-90.