IRVINE : City, Police Union at Contract Impasse

An arbitrator may be called into negotiations between the city and the Police Department in a bid to break an impasse which has left employees of the 125-member department without a contract for almost one year.

The police union is seeking a 6.3% salary increase, which union officials say is based on the consumer price index.

“We are still miles apart in terms of the dollar amount,” said City Manager Paul O. Brady Jr., who has cut $22 million from spending and released 119 employees in the past two years.

“There is only so much money for salary adjustment, and the economic climate is far different than it was during the 1980s,” Brady said. “It’s a long, drawn-out process, but I’m looking to reach a settlement.”

Police Chief Charles S. Brobeck, who is not involved in the negotiations, said that the morale of the police force has been visibly shaken as a result of the impasse. “Anytime you do not have a clear-cut definition (on a contract), it will have an effect on the morale,” he said.

Agreeing was Lt. Pat Rodgers, president of the Irvine Police Assn., who said morale is “the worst I’ve seen in 17 years.”

Both sides remain optimistic about the chances for quick progress in the dispute, which Rodgers has pledged will not involve a strike. If negotiations are not fruitful by Jan. 6, Rodgers said, the union will seek the help of a state arbitrator.

“We realize that even if the arbitrator agrees with us . . . it is still up to the city. It’s their choice in the end,” Rodgers said. The union wants the pay increase retroactive to January, 1992, and is also seeking additional health and retirement benefits.

“In order for us to keep up with inflation, we need this increase,” Rodgers said. “The perception our people see is that the city does not see its employees as its most valuable assets.”

The minimum salary for entry-level police officers is $37,488. A police commander receives $86,472 a year. A 6.3% increase would approximate $2,365 a year for an entry-level police officer and $5,472 for a police commander.

“We are willing to pull up our socks to do extra, but we expect to be compensated,” Rodgers said. “We are not out to pillage the city treasury.”