Feud over pay cuts nears end as Hollywood makes peace with cops
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HOLLYWOOD – A deep wound felt by Hollywood’s police officers eight years ago in the form of slashed pay and severe pension cuts is on the verge of being healed.
On Wednesday, Hollywood commissioners gave initial approval to a plan that would restore pension benefits at an estimated cost of $4.5 million a year.
And on Feb. 20, commissioners are expected to sign off on a threeyear police contract on the same day they give final approval to the pension proposal.
“The hatchet is buried,” union leader Jeff Marano told the South Florida Sun Sentinel after Wednesday’s unanimous vote, which prompted more than 50 officers standing around the room to break into applause.
The trouble began in 2011, when Hollywood leaders declared financial urgency in the face of a $38 million budget shortfall. To bridge the gap, they cut the
pay and pension benefits for all city employees, including police officers. The fallout was grim. The 12.5 percent cut in pay forced some officers into foreclosure or bankruptcy, said Marano, who represents more than 300 Hollywood officers.
“I had one lieutenant who had to go live on a
boat,” he said. “Another lieutenant had to go live with his parents.”
Mayor Josh Levy said the time had come to make things right.
“These are the folks who actually put their life on the line every time they respond to a dangerous situation,” he said. “We want to do the right thing. We want to restore these benefits that were taken away.”
Hollywood made pension restoration a priority
this year in order to put a “very difficult and disruptive chapter behind us,” Assistant City Manager George Keller told commissioners.
Hollywood has already paid $18.8 million toward this year’s city contribution for the police pension plan. Under the new pension agreement, the city will contribute an additional $13.5 million over the next three years.
To make the numbers
work, union leaders made concessions as well, Keller said.
The rank and file agreed to pay more toward their pensions and health insurance costs, They also agreed to take a lower pay increase.
Because of those concessions, Hollywood will save an estimated $3.8 million over the course of the three-year contract.
Officers agreed to give up merit increases through September 2021. They also agreed to take a 2 percent cost-of-living increase each year instead of the usual 4 percent.
Next up, Hollywood officials are expected to vote on a new contract for the city’s firefighters in the coming weeks.