Mesa City Council set to OK police contract boosting pay, conditions

Mesa City Council is set to approve a contract with the Mesa Police Association to improve wages, compensation and working conditions.

The memorandum of understanding, or MOU, will cover the asks through fiscal years 2023 to 2026. The City Council has the authority to approve contracts following the November election when the city asked voters to change the city charter.

The Mesa Police Association is asking the city to make the department more competitive with boosted wages, weekend premium pay and sick time incentives.

Previously, the conservative Goldwater Institute think-tank challenged the city’s negotiations with public safety groups. In 2017, Mesa paused discussions between the City Council and public safety groups.

The charter continues to prohibit collective bargaining — a more formal process that establishes a contract between the employee groups or representatives and the employer. An MOU can be modified or terminated at the discretion of the City Council.

What the Mesa Police Association seeks

The public safety group is seeking various changes including wage adjustments, attendance incentives and working conditions. Meal breaks will be adjusted based on any additional hours worked beyond their scheduled shift.

Wages

Beginning July 1, the minimum proposed base pay for a sworn police officer will increase by 7% from the current pay to about $32 an hour, or $66,939 yearly salary, and cap at $45 an hour, or $94,435 a year.

For sergeants, the MOU proposes the minimum starting pay to be $49 an hour, or a $102,719 yearly salary, topping out at $57 an hour, or $120,187 a year.

For the next three years, based on annual performance evaluations, officers and sergeants would qualify for an additional 5% step increase on top of a market adjustment.

Officers and sergeants would be allowed to cash out up to 40 hours of compensatory time into pay at their current regular rate of pay up to two times in a calendar year.

As part of the wage MOU, the city is considering weekend premium pay to officers as part of a six-month pilot program. The hope is that it will improve attendance during those shifts. The city will evaluate the results following the six months and decide whether to extend or terminate the program.

Members of the police association will receive a $1,200 uniform allowance once a year in the second pay period of July. Bilingual officers can receive up to $100 bi-weekly compensation based on their certification. Hours

The city is incentivizing “perfect attendance” by offering a $500 incentive twice a year if officers and sergeants don’t use any sick or dock time throughout the year.

Members on patrol will also receive 15 hours of vacation time for every six consecutive months they don’t use sick time.

Officers injured on the job won’t lose out on the incentive.

The MOU will require unit members to receive a 72-hour notification of a change to their normal work schedule for a planned city event. If not, the member will receive premium pay at time and half of the employee’s regular rate of pay for that shift change.