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Hartford Police Union OKs New Contract With City

By JENNA CARLESSO

April 18, 2012

HARTFORD —— The Hartford Police Union has signed off on a new six-year labor agreement with the city that includes wage freezes in its first two years and raises in the subsequent four years.

The union approved the contract by a vote of 361-11 on Wednesday. Since its 456 members have been working under a contract that expired in June 2010, the new agreement runs from 2010 to 2016, union President Richard Holton said. Some members were not present at Wednesday's meeting.

There will be no retroactive pay increases for the first two years of the contract, Holton said. The final fours years will include raises, though he declined to discuss specifics because the contract still must be approved by the city council. It is scheduled to go before the council on Monday.

"I think the membership spoke loudly," Holton said Wednesday. "They like what we negotiated; they like what the city offered. There are options that allow them to have better a quality of life and career development."

The agreement also helps protect the city's pension plan, he said.

"We recognized over the last couple years that we have to take a proactive approach to make sure the pension fund is protected, and that we as employees protect our investments," Holton said.

The union has been working under an expired contract for nearly two years. City officials said negotiations had been underway for months, but had gotten close to an agreement only recently.

The city reached a tentative deal with union leaders earlier this month.

Mayor Pedro Segarra said Monday that he is seeking $1 million in union and nonunion concessions to help close a $56.2 million budget deficit in the 2012-13 fiscal year. City officials have said they are still negotiating with several city unions.