To view entire letter as PDF, please click HERE
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Dear Fellow Tampa Police Officers and PBA Members:
We have reached a Tentative Agreement with the City of Tampa regarding the second year wage re-opener of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
This is the exact language from the City:
“An employee at the maximum rate for their pay grade as of September 30, 2012 and who is not eligible for a step increase in FY 2013 shall receive a onetime lump sum non-reoccurring payment of 2.0% of the employee’s annualized pay (per Appendix A). Said payment shall be made on the employee’s first pay date in December 2012. Said payment shall not be less than .1% of the employee’s gross pay inclusive of overtime for the prior fiscal year.”
In other words, the City offered all MPO’s, Senior Corporals / Sr. Detectives, Senior Sergeants and Senior Lieutenants who are at that pay grade by September 30, 2012 a onetime 2% lump sum pay increase that is pensionable and will occur on the first pay check in December, 2012.
All Officers, Corporals / Detectives, Sergeants and Lieutenants who are in the Step Program will receive their Step increase of roughly 4.2%, but will not receive the additional 2% award.
This is not a COLA, but a one-time award, or bonus for senior officers; the great majority who have gone without any type of pay increase during the past three years.
This is a chart showing the 2% increase in pay for officers who are beyond the Step program:
GRADE + 2.0 %
P-1 / MPO $1,507.17
P3 / P-4 (SR) $1,679.39
P-5 (SR) $1,849.54
P-6 (SR) $1,689.38
P-7 (SR) $1,757.18
P-8 / Step 6 $1,849.54
P-10 / (SR) $2,069.18
Additionally, the Lieutenants Bargaining Unit asked that they receive Overtime pay during the RNC versus the Compensatory Time they now receive. The City granted that request and issued a Memorandum of Understanding to the PBA, which is attached.
On a completely different issue, the PBA received phone calls and visits over the last three weeks with officers wanting us to know that the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Deputies would be getting a 3% across the board pay increase. That is simply not correct information. This is a copy of the memo issued by Chief Deputy Jose Docobo on July 3, 2012. I have highlighted three important parts of the memo:
DAVID GEE, SHERIFF INTER-OFFICE
Hillsborough County MEMORANDUM
Tampa, Florida
DATE: July 3,2012
TO: All Sworn Personnel
FROM: Chief Deputy Jose M. Docobo
RE: Pay Increases
MESSAGE:
Although no increases were included in our current FY12 budget, we have been working diligently since the beginning of the fiscal year on cost saving measures that would enable us to conserve sufficient funds to permit us to keep moving sworn personnel through the pay steps, while at the same time, minimizing the financial impact such a move would have on the budget. As a result, we have been able to develop a plan that would move everyone in the law enforcement and detention deputy, detective/pilot, corporal and sergeant, and lieutenant pay plans that are in the first through second to last step, to their next respective step. These moves represent an overall increase of approximately 4.3%, with those moving into their final step realizing a substantially higher increase.
In addition, personnel who are already at their final step will be paid a performance stipend ranging from 2.0%- 3.0% of their current yearly salary. The amount of the Stipend will be based on the employee’s last performance rating as of July 3,2012. Employees with an overall rating of 3 will receive 2.0%, employees with an overall rating of 4 will receive 2.5%, and employees with an overall rating of 5 will receive 3.0%.
These adjustments will apply to personnel who have completed, or will complete, their initial probation period by the end of the current fiscal year, and personnel on conditional probation promoted prior to January 1, 2012. Personnel who have been placed into the PIP program, have received less than an overall performance rating of a 3, or who have received punitive discipline (suspension or demotion) during the previous twelve (12) months will not be eligible for either a step increase or performance stipend. In addition, personnel who are, or have been, in a non-duty status for thirty (30) days or more during the previous (12) months will have any increase or performance stipend delayed for the amount of time in non-duty status upon their return to foil duty.
In order to determine what your new rate of pay will be, refer to the existing pay scale for your rank and move to the next higher step. Increases and performance stipends are scheduled to be implemented in the pay period beginning July 9,2012 and will be realized in the July 27, 2012 paycheck.
Potential performance stipends for civilian and unclassified employees will be. communicated sometime in the fall for implementation in November. Any performance stipends will follow similar guidelines as above.
1) The first highlight deals with deputies advancing a Step. HCSO Step’s have been frozen for at least three years. Now, all deputies who were in the current frozen Step will advance one step.
2) Deputies beyond the Step program will be given a one-time 2 -3% increase based solely on a performance evaluation. All TPD Officers beyond the Step will be receiving the 2% bonus with no conditions attached.
3) Deputies on non-duty status, or who received a below average evaluation or having received a suspension or demotion, will not be receiving a Step or an award of any kind.
There is a significant salary difference between TPD and HCSO. This information is from the Hillsborough County Civil Service Board Classification and Pay Plan, Effective April 16, 2012 and The Agreement between the City of Tampa and The Tampa Police Benevolent Association:
PAY COMPARISON TAMPA POLICE VS. HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Master Deputy / MPO Senior Corporal Senior Sergeant
TPD $ 75,358.40 $ 83,969.60 $ 92,476.80
HCSO $ 71,650.00 $77,946.00 $ 87,796.00
DIFFERENCE $ 3,708.40 $ 6,023.60 $ 4,680.80
This re- opener is not perfect in this uncertain economic time, but w e have been researching information with other PBA Chapters and Charters from around the State of Florida and no large agency, (500 or more) sworn officers outside Hillsborough County are receiving any type of pay increase that we can find. If you personally know of any, please let us know.
When we talked about this initial contract one year ago, we discussed with all of you that in comparison to Miami-Dade County, who was losing major benefits, pay and giving concessions, we at TPD were losing nothing. On Friday, July 13, 2012, The Miami Herald ran the following article entitled, Miami Seeks $40 Million in Union Concessions. The link to the story is posted at: www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/13/2894532/miami-seeks-40- million-in-union.html I invite you to read about continued lost ground in Miami, one of the highest paid law enforcement agencies in the State of Florida. It is not my intention to upset or scare anyone, it is my intention to show you what is occurring around us at the moment and show you that we are gaining and not losing ground.
I also want to speak directly to all Step participants. If you feel that you are being slighted in any way, please remember that you will be receiving a significant increase in your pay this coming year. A great majority of senior officers voted to take nothing the last three years to ensure that the Step plan stayed in place. They did that for you. Please return that favor.
Lastly, we asked for an equipment allowance for the roughly 330 TPD Officers who are on the Crowd Management Group. The City does not consider that as part of the Wage Re-Opener, but we are still in ongoing meetings with Mayor Buckhorn to get something for each of you. We should know their response soon.
The language of the re-opener is attached to this e-mail and there will be two informational meetings to answer any questions or concerns you may have. The meetings will be held on Thursday, August 2 and Friday, August 3 between 4:00 – 5:00 PM at the Tampa Fire and Police Pension Office Board Room, 3001 N. Boulevard, Tampa, with a tentative ratification vote soon after.
As always, please feel free to call or visit the Tampa PBA with questions.
Respectfully,
Greg Stout
