‘Progress being made’ with police union, city
The San Antonio police union made some effort to meet the city’s priorities while not conceding any point during a second negotiation session to reach a new labor contract Friday.
Union negotiators were open to a few changes, including some of the city’s clarifying language. The meeting ended with a tentative agreement to favor San Antonio residents among those admitted to the police training academy.
“Sometimes progress isn’t obvious, but progress is being made,” said Danny Diaz, the president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association.
Differences emerged between the city and the police union regarding disciplinary action. The issues arose during the summer as thousands protested the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
One contentious point in the negotiations centered on the timing of discipline.
Currently, the police chief can only discipline an officer within six months of a misconduct incident occurring.
The city wants the chief to have the authority to discipline officers within six months of learning about misconduct, as opposed to six months from the date of the misconduct itself.
Ron Delord, the union’s chief negotiator, proposed the current rule apply to minor misconduct, such as improper use of equipment and deviating from department policies.
But for major incidents like excessive use of force and discrimination, the chief could take discipline
action within six months of a sergeant — or anyone ranked higher in the department — discovering the incident, Delord said.
Another difference between the two sides related to arbitration, which can happen after an officer appeals a disciplinary action.
The current contract allows third-party arbitrators to overturn disciplinary actions against officers if they find the police chief acted unfairly in bringing charges.
The provision has led to arbitrators allowing 10 officers fired by the chief to return to the force, city records show.
The city proposed that arbitrators would only be able to overturn the chief ’s actions if they did not find “substantial” evidence.
The union wants arbitrators to rule on whether or not the chief or the city proved its case by a preponderance of the evidence, a tougher standard.
“It’s not what you wanted, but we countered,” Delord said.
First Assistant City Attorney Liz Provencio and Deputy City Manager Maria Villagómez, who were the main negotiators for the city, said there was still
work to do after Friday’s meeting.
“We have started to make some progress,” Villagómez said.
Near the end of the negotiations Friday, the union and city reached a tentative agreement that would favor San Antonio residents when the department is choosing applicants for training and hiring.
“That’s a step in the right direction,” Villagómez added.
The current contract expires Sept. 30. The next negotiation meeting is March 5. Negotiators have 60 days to reach a new agreement.
Hanging over the negotiations is the ballot initiative in May, which could take away the San Antonio Police Officers Association’s right to collective bargaining for wages and benefits.
The initiative was pushed by the organization Fix SAPD, which submitted more than 20,000 signatures to get it on the ballot.
“Citizens’ voices need to be more vocal in the contract,” said Fix SAPD cofounder Ojiyoma Martin. “They’re still not addressing all 10 issues we find egregious in the contract ... They are still skirting around the main issues.”