Benicia Police Officers Association Responds to Contract
Here is the full text of the statement released by the BPOA.
The Benicia Police Officers’ Association (BPOA) narrowly ratified an agreement to lower the pay of current Police Officers and Sergeants by approximately ten thousand dollars a year each. This is in addition to the ongoing concession of forty-six hundred dollars we gave up last year. In less than one year each Officer and Sergeant has taken nearly fifteen thousand dollars of reductions in their annual income. We the BPOA recognize that the city is under financial hardship, our frustration with the City is a result of their mismanagement and failure to address other savings opportunities. As the Chief Negotiator Emily Prescott of Renee, Sloan, Holtzman and Sakai, LLP said during negotiations late last year, “the City wants the BPOA to have difficulty paying their mortgages”. Mission accomplished, there are currently nine of thirty officers who have either lost their homes or were forced to short sell it as a result of the City’s inability to make hard decisions.
The City waited until the last minute to exercise the reopener in the current Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Benicia and the Benicia Police Officers Association; forcing steeper cuts and making it impossible to find solutions or exchange information in a timely manner. As each months delay caused each Officer and Sergeant to lose an additional five hundred dollars. The BPOA agreed to this contract only because the City made it clear that if we did not accept the offer that it would be more painful.
The BPOA approached the City and pleaded with them to not fill the two vacant police officer positions, the reopener that was ratified was for the specific and narrow purpose of preventing layoffs. How can the city claim layoffs when they are hiring? The two officer positions would have saved the City nearly two hundred and forty thousand of the three hundred thousand dollars the officers were forced to concede. The BPOA brought solutions to the City to help solve the structural deficit, among them was to move to CalPERS health insurance a move that would have saved the City and the employees several hundred thousand dollars. As mentioned above the focus of the City was not to save money but to harm its employees. Some of the employees of the BPOA now pay nearly twelve hundred dollars a month for health insurance, in addition to the 14.336% of their salary towards retirement equaling more than twelve hundred dollars a month.
The morale in the Police Department has never been lower. The City’s shift from a compassionate, employee friendly city was confirmed when the City hired the Firm of Renee, Sloan, Holtzman and Sakai, LLP. We are disappointed that the City moved from a long term philosophy of working with its employees and being a place people enjoy working to one of sending its employees to evictions and Bankruptcy Court. Our officers may be forced to pick up secondary income or more overtime further leading to burn out and even lower morale.
The BPOA will continue to attempt to work with the City during this year to address the City’s structural deficit and address ongoing issues like Health Care, staffing and any other savings that can be found to restore the financial stability that the Citizens and Police Department of Benicia deserve. The fiscal irresponsibility by this City manager and City Council has to stop.
The BPOA is proud to serve the citizens of Benicia and are thankful for the support they have shown the BPOA over the years. We hope that the Citizens of Benicia will join us in telling our City Council to find another way to balance the budget other than on the backs of the employees.
joel
9:18 pm on Sunday, September 4, 2011
Ok let's be serious here ,
the average income for the resident is $ 82000 based on statistics , income/ compensation for Benicia Police Offcers is $ 156 395 the requireremernt to fund their 90% pay scale retirement account is around $ 4000 000 to date in the City coffers per officer , we go up to $305 000 for the police Chief , this for a City of 26000 peoples , Something is not right in that real data , there is only one way for the City's future , bankruptcy and more taxes .City payroll is actually over $30 000 000 .
Did someone called California the Golden State .
bcitizen
2:40 am on Monday, September 5, 2011
The cal pers system for public safety is not an automatic 90% of their salary for retirement. It is based on a formula of 2-3% for every service year put in. Please get your facts straight before posting. Also it really doesn't matter what the average income for a Benicia resident is. What a more fair comparison us what is the average salary for a poice officer in the bay area is with things leaning towards similar cities in the area
jimpugh
9:13 am on Monday, November 21, 2011
No one believes that police officers in Benicia should not be paid at least the average for cities the size of this one in the state. I don't beleive many will argue against the opinion that they should at least receive the average. The problem lies in the fact that the average is simply extraordinarily high and is quickly heading this state toward bankruptsy. Paying police officers (including health and retirement cost) over $100,000 a year is not justified for a city of this size . In no other state in the country (perhaps New York might be included) are police officers in cities as small as this one paid that kind of money. In times such as this (especially) these numbers simply infuriate the average citizen who is just trying to keep his job.
Dennis Lowry
6:54 pm on Monday, November 21, 2011
JB, The document released by the BPOA alleges that the City's bargainer said the following, “the City wants the BPOA to have difficulty paying their mortgages”. I contacted the City Manager when this first was issued and he assured me in writing that this quote is not true. I think it is worth your pursuing whether it is true or not. If true, I would lead an effort to cancel the contract with the present negotiating team. If not true, I believe it proper for the BPOA to issue a retraction and an apology. I challenge you and/or the BPOA to produce evidence that the statement is true and let the chips fall where they may. Dennis Lowry
joel
8:48 pm on Monday, November 21, 2011
I was slamed when I said " police , firefighters are putting Cities in Bankrupcies" Was told it does not matter what the average resident earn , they want more than the resident , I have an idea built your own City and try to run it the way you want every other Cities run across the bay area , there is not a single one in financial difficulty.
Robert Livesay
7:05 am on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
That comment may have come from the team doing the bargaining for the city. I also read that comment. Not sure who said it. Very inflammatory. I suggest all residents read the police blotter in the Benicia Herald every Sunday. We are a well protected city. We should be very proud of our city police force. Yet at the same time we reward a Director for poor planning. Valero/Good Neighbor money to the tune of $150,000. Director knew all along the dept. was going to have to give back up to the CSC. Did not plan for it. Yet we want to reward that Department. BAD, BAD! The City Manager backed the Director in his lobbying the City Council for the money. Then we punish the Police Dept. for a good job and have them pay 5% into the employer side of the CalPers. Remember the Police Chief lived within his budget on overtime of around $250,000 when in recent years it was as high as $470,000. Where is that $500,000 the mayor saved in overtime? Remember also the city did not fill the position when the present Police Chief was promoted. Now we are talking over $200,000 saved by not filling the postion over $200,000 saved in overtime from the past high.. Add that to the fictious overtime saving of the Mayor Patterson of $500,000 and now you have over $900,000. We all know the $500,000 was not saved by Mayor Patterson. So why anyone would want to put the safety of our residents in jeopardy is beyound me. All along putting a climate control person as a priority.
JB Davis
8:19 am on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Bob,
I would suggest everyone read the police blotter published each weekday on Benicia Patch.
Robert Livesay
8:59 am on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sorry JB
joel
9:26 am on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
JB actually I do , they are very biais many do not result in any conviction .
Robert Livesay
10:41 am on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thats because there was no crime committed. Just a distirbance. Thats how you want. Loud noise, loitering, speeding, talking on a phone, etc. read the log. Very amusing at times. Police do a good job. Explain their bias.