Police OK Wage Plan, but City Balks

Torrance police officers voted Wednesday to approve a tentative wage proposal, even though the City Council had turned it down in a closed session Tuesday evening.

Members voted 116 to 44 to accept the proposal, said Lt. Harold Maestri, vice president of the Torrance Police Officers’ Assn.

Detective David Nemeth, president of the union, said the tentative agreement was contained in a letter of intent that was signed by negotiators for the city and the officers at about 7:30 Tuesday night. A few hours later, the council rejected the proposal.

“The council felt the letter of intent did not totally comply with our instructions,” Mayor Katy Geissert said Wednesday. “There were differences or variations we couldn’t accept.”

The council directed its negotiators to continue bargaining, Geissert said. City negotiators may have “stretched a bit far” in arriving at the letter of intent, she said.

Geissert would not discuss specifics of the negotiations.

Maestri said the union is in touch with its attorneys and considers the letter of intent “a binding agreement.” He said that in 15 years of union negotiations, “I’ve never seen a council reject a joint recommendation to approve a contract.”

Councilman Timothy Mock said a key issue is that the council wants to target major salary increases to specific groups of employees, such as newer employees with eight years’ experience or less. The police, however, have preferred an across-the-board approach, Mock said.

He criticized the letter of intent. “It was basically giving the police officers everything they wanted,” Mock said.

The contract between the city and the union expired July 31. Police have continued to work and are not allowed to strike.