Niles, police union reach contract deal

Niles, police union reach contract deal

BY JORDAN COHEN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NILES — The union representing the city’s 25 patrol officers has reached a tentative agreement with the city on a new contract.

The two sides had been negotiating through a mediator from the State Employment Relations Board since a contract impasse was declared last June.

Mayor Ralph Infante declined to give details about the agreement with Teamsters Local 348, but indicated that it parallels a contract approved earlier this month by Niles firefighters.

The mayor said a clause in the firefighter agreement, which states that any wage or benefit increase given to another department must be granted to firefighters, has been included in the police agreement.

The firefighter agreement contained a three-year wage freeze, a lower starting salary for new hires and an additional vacation week.

Council moved the contract to second reading Wednesday after a brief executive session in which Infante provided specifics to council members. Due to the absence of two council members, special meetings have been scheduled for votes on the second and third readings.

A vote by union members is pending.

Attempts to reach Patrolman Todd Mobley, Local 348 steward, were unsuccessful.

“Everything we negotiated stayed within our budget,” Infante said. “In fact, we will save money with in both departments, especially with the police.”

The mayor said that federal stimulus funds will cover the costs of hiring two additional officers once the agreement has been ratified.

Local 348 is one of three police bargaining units that negotiate with the city. The other two, consisting of dispatchers and ranking officers, are represented by the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

In the firefighter agreement, the starting salary for new hires has been set at 60 percent of the previous base pay of $49,500 and will not reach that base pay level until five years of service.