DETROIT – Detroit has unveiled a plan to give its police officers a 4 percent raise -- and to increased the starting wage for new officers from $31,000 to $36,000.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig announced the boost in pay on Monday, saying it's a necessity to improve morale within the police department and to both recruit and retain officers.
"We know this isn't the solution. This is a step," Duggan said.
The increased pay is part of contracts reached with Detroit Police Officers Association (DPOA), the DPLSA (Detroit Police Lieutenants & Sergeants Association) and the DPCOA (Detroit Police Command Officers Association).
Details of the contracts are:
- A 4% across-the-board pay increase for all officers, effective Jan. 1, 2016.
- An increase in pay for starting officers from $31,700 to $36,000, effective Jan. 1, 2016.
- An additional year extension on the contract to June 30, 2020, with an additional 3% base pay increase on July 1, 2019.
- $2,000 per year in tuition reimbursement for all officers
- A 2% increase in base pay for any DPOA member with 2 years of college
- A 2% increase in base pay for any lieutenant or sergeant with 4 years of college.
The unions will submit the contracts to their members in the next two weeks. If they are ratified by the unions, the parties hope to get City Council and FRC approval by the end of December so that the officers will see the raises in January.
Duggan said the increases will cost $41 million, but it will be paid through three sources:
- Reduction in consultant fees, $28 million
- Funding of construction of new 8th Precinct from capital funds, $8 million
- Other Police Department operational savings, $5 million
"We have the hardest working police officers in America," Craig said.
DPOA, DPLSA, and DPCOA took a 10% cut in wages in 2012, in addition to pension and health care cuts received by other unions. In 2014, under collective bargaining agreements ratified during bankruptcy, DPOA received an 8% base wage increase and DLSA and DPCOA received 5%.
View: Detroit police, union background on collective bargaining/wages
DPOA received a higher base wage because it agreed to significant work rule changes that paid for the difference.