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After more than 10 months of contract negotiations
and with assistance from a mediator, the secretary of state’s office
and the union representing Capitol police officers reached a tentative
agreement last week. Their first since joining the Policemen’s
Benevolent Labor Committee last August [see R.L. Nave, “Capitol
police unionize,” Sept. 7], the contract provides officers of the
55-member force an immediate 36 percent pay increase, effective July 1,
raising their base salary to $45,612 per year. On Jan. 1 of next year, the officers will receive an
additional 2 percent, followed by a series of 3 percent raises each July
through 2010 until starting pay reaches $50,839. Officers will also receive
a lump payment of $6,000 worth of back pay.
Union members ratified the agreement in a 53-1 vote,
says Sean Smoot, PBLC co-director.
Smoot adds that among the benefits secured under the
agreement, officers can now bid on what shifts they’ll work.
He says that the issue going forward will be
longevity — bonus pay based on years of service — which his
members did not obtain in this agreement because everyone’s hire date
is the same.
“It was a tremendous deal for a first
contract,” Smoot says. “I don’t know what your experience is
dealing with police officers, but it’s often difficult to get two of
them to agree on anything, so to have 53 of 54 members who were present
agree, they must have been pretty happy.”
From the beginning, officers wanted equal pay to that
of other state police agencies, but, Smoot says, the Capitol officers will
not achieve full parity with similar departments, such as the Illinois
State Police and the Department of Natural Resources’ conservation
police officers, until the final year of the contract. Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the legislation that
created the force of armed officers in 2004 after the death of William
Wozniak, an unarmed security guard, in a shooting inside the Capitol.
Talks between the PBLC and Secretary of State Jesse White’s office began
last fall, but Smoot says last year’s election cycle made scheduling
meetings difficult. Dave Druker, a spokesman for White, says that the
Secretary of State’s office is “very pleased” that a deal
has been reached. The officers will participate in a formal signing
ceremony with White at his office in the Capitol.
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com
This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2007.
