Lincoln police agree to 3-year contract, 9 percent raise

LINCOLN – Police officers represented by Teamsters Local 340 have agreed to a new three-year contract that provides pay increases totaling 9 percent.

The five-member police union has been working without a new contract since its old contract expired on July 1, 2000. After a 35-minute executive session on Monday, the Town Council approved the new contract 6-1. Councilor John Weatherbee opposed it.

“I think it’s a fair contract,” said Town Manager Glenn Aho. “I believe the union made reasonable concessions for the wage proposal that they have been given,” said the manager.

Mike Knights, the union’s shop steward, said the contract was not great, but it was OK considering the economic condition of Eastern Paper’s Lincoln mill. “We hope that by the time we get to negotiate again, the mill will be back running strong and we can maybe get some things back,” he said.

“Our intention was to bargain in good faith and to give some concessions hoping the next time around they will appreciate the fact that we gave up some call time and some sick time to save a little money,” said Knights.

The shop steward said the biggest issue is health care costs. “The town has to sit down and deal with the whole health care issue with all of its employees and not just the police,” said Knights.

The new contract is retroactive to July 1, 2000, and runs through June 30, 2003. Aho said there were no changes to health care coverage.

Changes were made in areas of the contract regarding the definition of hours worked in calculating overtime pay, compensation for sick leave, the call-in time paid, and residency criteria.

Police officers don’t have to reside in Lincoln, but they must live within a 15-mile radius of the Lincoln Public Safety Building. Officers hired after May 12, 1999, who do not already reside within 15 miles of the station, have 12 months to do so. An officer who fails to meet the 12-month deadline without receiving a waiver from the Town Council will be dismissed. Only the council can grant a waiver to this requirement. Aho said no current employees would be affected by the new requirement.

Police will receive five sick days a year with 100 percent pay, but will be paid only 80 percent of their salary for any remaining sick days they take without having a written statement from a physician. Employees who provide the chief with a doctor’s note and who need more than five days in one year, will be paid 100 percent.

Aho said holiday time and personal days off would not be counted toward a 40-hour workweek when it comes to calculating overtime pay. He said only actual hours on the job will count when it comes to paying overtime. For example, should an officer take two personal days off during the 40-hour week and then work extra on Saturday, pay for the extra day will be paid at straight time rate rather than at the overtime rate.

Another change in the contract deals with police call-in time. Currently, if an officer is called into work to perform overtime duty, they are paid for five hours whether they work one hour or more. Now, an officer will receive a four-hour call-in, unless the officer is called in to work within four hours of the start of his regular shift. In that case, the officer will be paid for the actual time worked at time-and-one-half pay rather than a four-hour call-in.