MINNEAPOLIS — While significant work remains to be done, the announcement of an agreement between Minneapolis city leaders and the police union on key issues suggests progress towards a new contract is being made.
On Friday, Mayor Jacob Frey announced that the city and the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis have signed a letter of agreement on the issues of officer recruitment and retention. The agreement calls for existing officers to receive $18,000 in incentives over three years, while new officers will get $15,000 over the same time period.
The Minneapolis Police Department is currently at critically low staffing levels, a situation fueled partially by a wave of resignations and retirements following the murder of George Floyd and widespread civil unrest that followed. City leaders say current market conditions and competition across the country for hiring officers make offering retention and hiring incentives necessary.
In exchange for agreeing on incentives, the union reportedly agreed to the city's desire to reform the process of bidding for, and filling open shifts. The Minneapolis police chief, currently Brian O'Hara, will gain additional authority for assigning officers to vacant shifts, decreasing the number of days those positions currently go unfilled.
“As an employer, we need to compete to recruit and retain police officers – that's no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention,” said Mayor Frey. “Our officers are doing incredibly hard work every day, and we need to pay them accordingly. It’s also clear that stronger managerial authority for the Department and Chief is a key piece of our overarching reform and safety work. This letter of agreement is a step in the right direction to both pay our existing and new officers more and strengthen our ability to effectively staff critical shifts.”
"I have been clear that we must act urgently to address our hiring and retention crisis," Chief O'Hara added, "And that includes financial compensation and incentives that reflect the reality that being a Minneapolis cop today is the toughest job in policing."
Frey's administration has submitted a Request for Council Action (RCA) to the city council asking that they approve the letter of agreement, saying the matter will be ready for consideration at the budget committee meeting currently set for Tuesday, November 14.
The city believes the agreement would become effective immediately following Council approval.
While the letter of agreement can be seen as progress in the quest to hammer out a full contract with the police union, a news release from the city emphasizes that it is just one part of the ongoing process.
The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis released a statement saying it was "grateful to get the agreement signed," but added that the pay needs to be addressed.
"The bigger issue at hand is that the City of Minneapolis does not have pay that is competitive with competing agencies," the statement reads, in part. "We look forward to quickly working toward an amicable agreement with the city that recognizes the need for competitive wages, which will attract the best applicants and retain the officers were have."
Stacey Gurian-Sherman is a lawyer on the steering committee for Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract and has been attending negotiation sessions. Gurian-Sherman doesn't have a problem with the incentives, but is worried about separating this deal from the broader contract and lack of public input.
"Now the city council's being asked to pass a financial gain for the Police Federation and for police officers, without any balance without the consent decrees," said Gurian-Sherman.
Frey said besides retention and recruitment, reform, accountability and officer wellness are priorities in negotiations.
"You cannot pick one of these from everything that is on the table," said Gurian-Sherman. "There is no balance here."
Gurian-Sherman is also concerned about a lack of public input on this particular agreement, with a city council budget committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday,
"I think it's happening too fast," she said.
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