The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Police, Newtown reach contract deal
NEWTOWN — The police department’s new four-year contract carrying 2 percent annual raises is unique not so much because of the amicable spirit of those at the table but because of the absence of several key players who were not invited to the negotiations.
Newtown leaders and the police union suspected they could negotiate a new contract without union lawyers or labor attorneys — saving $20,000 in fees in the process
They were right.
“We thought at least we could give it a try,” said Leonard Penna, president of the Newtown police union, who signed the deal Monday night. “You have to give credit to our chief who has worked so well with us, as well as the town and the first selectman. This was his idea, and it couldn’t have gone any smoother.”
Penna is referring to Police Chief James Viadero, who took over the 45-member department in 2016, and
First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, who is in his second two-year term as Newtown’s top elected leader.
The contract, which is retroactive to July 1, calls for 2.25 percent raises in the first, third and fourth years of the contract, and a 2 percent raise in the second year. Under the contract, officers will pay 15 percent of their health insurance premium in the first two years and 16 percent in the third and fourth years.
“Originally, it was a threeyear agreement and we added a year to make it a four-year deal,” said Rosenthal said. “I’m pleased we were able to sit down with the union in good faith and talk informally.”
Although the talks were informal, both sides brought contract data from comparable departments to the negotiating table, a town leader said.
“Just because the attorneys weren’t present doesn’t mean the town wasn’t able to represent the taxpayers and get a contract drawn in the best interests of Newtown, and the same goes for the police union,” said Jeff Capeci, a member of the Board of Selectmen. “We didn’t want our contract to be an outlier one way or the other, because that is one of the metrics that a mediator will use to resolve differences.”
The relative speed and ease with which the contract was agreed to over a few meetings in May does not suggest labor contracts are routinely negotiated without attorneys in Newtown.
Capeci said he cannot remember the last time such a thing happened in Newtown. Penna said this was the first time in his 18 years with the police department that labor lawyers were told to stay home.
“I think there are good lines of communication and good trust that has been built between the government and the police department,” Viadero said. “That led to a fair deal for everybody.”
The deal comes at a time of good will between the town and the police department that has been growing for the last two years, after voters in 2018 approved a $15 million referendum to build a new police headquarters.
Police plan to move as soon as November into an expanded and remodeled former Taunton Press building on 12 acres at 191 S. Main St., three miles from the undersized headquarters at 3 Main St.
“The community is very supportive of us which we appreciate,” Penna said. “We are fortunate to be able to work in a community like Newtown.”