City Refuses Contract Talks, Police Say
A union representing police officers in Santa Paula is asking city officials to begin contract negotiations, a request that has so far elicited no response, union leaders said.
In two letters dated Sept. 14 and Monday and addressed to City Manager Peter Cosentini, union representative William Davis asks to begin salary talks on behalf of the 29-member force.
The City Council voted last month to give Santa Paula police officers a 2% raise for the coming 12 months, but officers and dispatchers had asked for a 4% raise retroactive to the end of their last contract in 1997.
Prior to the council vote, the officers switched unions and joined the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, hoping that a more powerful union would be more effective in negotiating with the city.
Union officials wants to negotiate higher salaries for officers during the 2000-2001 fiscal year.
Davis says city officials have refused to meet with union officials until next year. City officials could not be reached for comment.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
