A first-class constable with the Chatham-Kent Police Service will be making just over $99,000 at the conclusion of a historic five-year contract announced this week.
Chatham-Kent Police Services Board chairman Diane Daly said contracts for front-line and senior sworn officers had expired Dec. 31 of last year.
The 230 members covered in the two contracts ratified it by a 98 per cent margin.
Rank and file officers will see 1.85 per cent increases in each year of the deal while senior officers, including detectives and inspectors will see a wage freeze this year and increases of one per cent in 2017, 1.5 per cent in 2018 and 2019, and 1.75 per cent in 2020.
Daly said the speed of the agreement was due to reluctance by either side to enter a lengthy process.
“It’s the first time we’ve settled this quickly,” she said.” Randy (commission member mayor Randy Hope) said lets get it all done.”
“We’re all taxpayers; we want to keep it as low as we can but everybody wants an increase. We’re all happy,” Hope said. “We’ve never had a five year contract so there’s a sense of certainty on salaries that will make budgeting much easier.”
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Mayor Hope said the contract reflects the economic reality of the municipality’s ability to pay and recognizes and values the contributions of police officers.
He said he is glad Chatham-Kent avoided the provincial arbitration system that he said has been used as a scapegoat by politicians and unions alike.
“Everyone says the arbitration system is broken but lets but the blame where is belongs, on the politicians and unions who gave a half-hearted attempt at bargaining and then tossed everything into arbitration,” he said. “It let them blame the system when it was really their fault. If you want a local contract, then bargain one.”
The only remaining police contract is with four senior civilian employees which Hope said is heading to mediation.
“I can’t speak to it obviously but we have outstanding issues we haven’t been able to resolve,” he said. “We’re still hopeful that arbitration can be avoided.”
Const. Marcel Demaiter, president of the Chatham-Kent Police Association released a statement noting, “The keys to reaching a local deal and being able to avoid arbitration during our collective bargaining was co-operation, understanding and reasonableness by both the board and the CKPA.”
