City, Austin police union agree to talk
Contract negotiations to begin soon
After nearly a year of being without a long-term contract and no bargaining, the city of Austin and the union representing officers of the Austin Police Department have agreed to start negotiating this month.
As the department continues to be plagued by nearly 340 vacancies, a contract is considered a key component to attract recruits and retain officers approaching retirement or considering leaving.
Mayor Kirk Watson told the American-Statesman
in January that getting a long-term contract with the Austin Police Association union was one of his main goals for this year.
However, with the city currently facing a lawsuit related to the implementation of the Austin Police Oversight Act – also known as Proposition A – union President Michael Bullock previously said the union would not be able to reach an agreement with the city until that matter was settled in court.
A main factor in that lawsuit is the use of what’s known as a “G-file,” a secret personnel file used by the Police Department under state law.
Austin voters overwhelmingly approved the proposition last May for increased accountability of police, which included getting rid of the G-file. That file is still in use, though, with the city saying previously that it would be against state law to force the department to get rid of the file. Activists disagree, and it became a main point of the lawsuit filed in December.
A judge will hold a hearing on April 9 where the city – and now the Austin Police Association, which petitioned to join the lawsuit last month – and Equity Action, the organization that sued city leaders, will make their case to a judge who will decide the future of the use of the G-file in the city.
Even though this issue still looms
overhead, Bullock told the Statesman on Wednesday that he believes the union has found a path forward to begin negotiations. However, he said the union’s concerns remain the same.
The union is concerned that, by eliminating the G-file, all complaints against officers would likely become public, including those that were investigated and determined to be unfounded.
Reaching a resolution on the lawsuit and a contract is “about finding balance,” Bullock said, between the expectations of voters, the city and officers, as well as officers’ “ability to effectively police a city.” He added that a contract is a “key component” for the department to “get out of a staffing crisis.”
Last year, former City Manager Spencer Cronk announced – to the surprise of the City Council and Watson – that the city and police union had reached a deal.
But with the upcoming election on police oversight, the City Council and Watson asked to not pass a four-year contract and to consider working out a one-year contract instead to allow voters to make their voices heard.
The previous Austin Police Association president, Thomas Villareal, rejected that idea. The union and the city have not been to the bargaining table since then.
Bullock said officers want a four-year contract for long-term stability, but his members are concerned they could get a contract agreed to and then the city rejects it as has happened with the previous two contracts. In 2017, the then-City Council rejected a contract brought before them, although one was eventually approved nearly a year later.
It’s uncertain how long negotiations could last. Bullock said they intend to move “as quickly as the process allows.”
A news release sent by the city on Wednesday said there is still “much work to be done – but both the APA and City are committed to finding a mutually acceptable and beneficial resolution.”
“We are confident any agreement reached between the APA and the city’s bargaining team will address community concerns, navigate current legal challenges, and be approved by Council,” the release stated.
Watson sent a newsletter Wednesday about restarting negotiations, stating that while a longterm contract is needed to establish pay and benefits for officers, the city has passed ordinances this year and last to secure wages and benefits for officers, along with pay raises.
“I have been saying for some time now that it was critical for the City to get back to the bargaining table with the Austin Police Association,” Watson said in the news release. “I’m pleased we’ve agreed to a date to begin those negotiations. Our police officers need to know that they’re supported, we need to fill vacancies, and the best way to show support and fill positions is by getting a long-term contract.”
Both sides are expected to return to the bargaining table on March 13. A time and location have not been set yet, but they will be made public when established, according to the release.
“I have been saying for some time now that it was critical for the City to get back to the bargaining table with the Austin Police Association.” Mayor Kirk Watson