2 Fairfield police unions get pay raises for 2017, 2018

The city of Fairfield has now completed union contract negotiations with all five of its bargaining units, but three have a wage re-opener this coming January.

City Council approved the union contracts for Fairfield Police Department’s officers and supervisor unions with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 166.

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Both bargaining units will receive a 2.9 percent increase in wages retroactive to April 1, 2017, and another 2.9 percent increase on April 1, 2018.

In return the city received concessions from the two FOP unions related to the promotion process.

“The previous contracts said the promotions for sergeant and lieutenant the city went through a process and who ever scored number one on those was who was promoted,” said Assistant City Manager Greg Preece. “This instilled the rule of three, where the city manager can select the best qualified person out of the top three.”

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These two police union contracts are different than the union negotiations for the other three bargaining units — AFSCME Local 3646, IAFF Local 4010 and IUOE Local 20 — which received 2.5 percent raises but agreed to re-open wage negotiations in January 2018.

The union contracts for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3646, International Association of Firefighters Local 4010 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 20 were signed this past spring.

Preece said the reason the police union contracts weren’t signed until October was likely due to coordinating schedules, “and getting down to the issues.”

The FOP Lodge 166 used outside council, he said.