ST. LOUIS – A new contract could lead to one of the largest pay raises for St. Louis officers in decades.
The City of St. Louis and the St. Louis Police Officers Association recently agreed to terms of a new union contract, which is expected to be signed next week.
St. Louis Public Radio reports that officers could receive raises ranging from 8-13%, depending on their experience within the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Raises would take effect later this year.
Several agencies have sent statements to FOX 2 on the new agreement:
St. Louis Mayor’s Office
“Along with several other unions, the city has been negotiating around wages and antiquated language in an effort to improve competitiveness, operations, and accountability in our departments. This agreement will help the city be more competitive in hiring and retention. The City of St. Louis continues to expand alternatives to policing – community violence intervention, social work components, diversion programs, and dedicated funds towards youth programs – as we work to reimagine public safety and reduce burden on officers so they can focus on their main job: solving violent crime. Retaining local control of the department is critical in doing so.
In this agreement, the City won important language changes around accountability, including a provision that promotes local control of the police department. This is a testament to how under local control parties can work together towards a compromise solution.
The City will not share the written agreement until it is executed by both parties.”
Greater St. Louis Inc.
“Strengthening public safety in St. Louis is the most critical policy issue we must address to ensure the entire metro’s economic competitiveness,” said Greater St. Louis, Inc. CEO Jason Hall. “Investing in increased pay for those on the front lines of keeping St. Louis safe is long-overdue and will help the City recruit and retain the law enforcement we need. We applaud Mayor Jones and leaders from her administration, Chief Tracy, the Police Officers Association, and the Ethical Society of Police for getting this done.
“Today’s announcement also shows how Chief Tracy deserves the opportunity to lead the SLMPD and put in place the plans necessary to reduce violent crime in the City.
“Last August, Comptroller Green rightly raised the need to take new steps to address public safety in St. Louis, including addressing the compensation disparities and employing creative incentives to attract new public safety employees. We thank her for her leadership in bringing specific ideas forward and are pleased to see how today’s outcome reflected her call to action.”
The Ethical Society of Police
“ESOP has been involved in Collective Bargaining negotiations over the last few years, and we are glad to see it come to fruition at last. This pay raise applies to all SLMPD officers to finally put their wages within range of St. Louis County. This is a good start to help with retention but there is a lot more than needs to be done.
We have won half the battle, but the other half of the battle is making sure that the civilians and dispatchers who work under the police department umbrella as well as those who work for the city are compensated compatible to the surrounding area.”
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
