Police Lose Ground in Contract Battle

A bitter labor clash in Huntington Beach took a new turn Tuesday when city negotiators said a $200-a-month deduction in police pay is needed to cover medical expenses but officers called the move an unexpected and unappreciated pay cut.

Police said the deduction is being used to bail out the city’s “failing” health care plan, but city leaders counter that officers were well aware of the monthly deduction and that the city’s medical plan is sound.

Police in Huntington Beach, the county’s third-largest city, have been working without a contract since September.

Talks have been volatile, with police picketing council meetings and asserting that the city treats its officers so poorly that the department is no longer able to attract or retain qualified people.

The city has steadfastly denied the claims.

The monthly $200 deduction, to take effect in January, is being charged only to police officers because they are the only group of employees working without a contract, city leaders said. Other city employees’ contracts have agreed-upon medical payment plans.

The labor clash evokes memories of 1998--the last time police here signed a pact--when officers erected a “homeless” encampment on the City Hall lawn before finally signing a three-year deal that gave them a gradual 10% raise.

“It’s almost like it’s personal,” said Russell Reinhart, director of the Huntington Beach Police Officers Assn. “They don’t even want to sit down and talk with us anymore.”

Huntington Beach police are paid less than those at any other law enforcement agency in the county, said Bob MacLeod, general manager of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.

An independent ranking of Orange County police salaries was not available Tuesday.

The department’s low pay has prompted officers to leave, Reinhart asserted. He said the department is now understaffed because of unsuccessful recruiting efforts, forcing the city to pay overtime just to keep officers on the streets.

The city’s starting salary for an officer is $3,692 a month, or $44,304 a year. The top salary is $4,574 a month, or $54,888 a year.

“There’s nothing we can do when they decide to cut our pay and benefits but quit and go work for another agency,” Reinhart said.

City officials said their three-year offer includes an immediate 10.5% raise, 3% the following year and 5% in the final year--a deal the city contends would make police salaries the fifth-highest in the county. The police union wants a 13.5% increase the first year and a guarantee to be among the three best-paid police departments in the county, said Bill Osness, the human resources executive who negotiates for the city.

The rancor has divided council members.

“It’s ridiculous--it’s just a matter of time before we start losing officers,” said Huntington Beach Mayor Pam Julien. Julien contends the $200 deduction amounts to a pay cut and is “not a fair thing to do.”

Councilwoman Debbie Cook said she just wished the two sides would end the dispute “so we can go about our business.”

“I don’t really understand why [the officers] haven’t accepted the offer,” she said. “It sounds good.”

The city and the police association reached an impasse in September. A state mediator was brought in during October, but talks stalled again Dec. 11.

The two sides have agreed on several issues, Osness said. “It boils down to the salary issue right now,” he said. “We’re hoping to break the log jam. I’m optimistic that we’ll get there.”

City officials want to resume talks and bring back a state mediator. The police union wants a judge to prevent the city from touching pay or benefits during negotiations.