SALEM — The police union leadership voted against bringing a tentative contract before its membership for a larger vote yesterday, dealing a blow to the city's attempt to reach a pact by Aug. 1.
Mayor Kim Driscoll said the city had reached a tentative agreement with the patrolmen's union that included changes to save the city money on health insurance and would have provided a pay raise and put more officers on patrol by hiring civilian dispatchers.
Driscoll said the union's executive board voted 6-1 not to bring the contract before the union membership.
"It's unfortunate that the officers couldn't even weigh in on this issue — they couldn't vote," Driscoll said last night. "I'm really disappointed ... and frustrated."
Already, well over half of the city's employees have accepted new one-year contracts that include changes to health insurance that do away with $5 copayments for doctor's visits and increase copays to between $15 and $25, depending on which doctor employees choose, among other increases.
Earlier this week, the city reached a tentative agreement with the school employees in the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union (AFSCME), which includes 104 people who are custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers or clerical workers. That union is set to vote Aug. 11.
However, negotiations continue with the police and firefighters unions — a total of roughly 162 employees. A July 1 deadline came and went to save a month's worth of expenditures on the old health care plan, but Driscoll had been hopeful the bargaining units would ratify new contracts by Aug. 1.
Nancy O'Donnell, president of the patrolmen's union, did not return messages from The Salem News.
When contacted last night, Detective Peter Baglioni, a union member, said he couldn't comment about the failure to bring a vote before the officers yesterday.
"I'm not on the negotiation team, I'm not on the executive board and I can't comment on this," Baglioni said.
Driscoll said the city is poised for a net savings of close to $1 million this year by adopting a new health plan for all employees. With the old plan, the city's health care costs were set to rise more than 12 percent this year.
If the AFSCME group accepts the contract, close to 1,100 city employees will have reached an agreement with the city.
"It's due for a union vote on Aug. 11, and we're looking forward to it," said Sandy Fenton, president of the school AFSCME unit. "It's a positive agreement, and I believe that the mayor and the superintendent and the School Committee are working with us the best that everybody can in the economy."
Driscoll is hopeful the AFSCME union will ratify the contract so that employees can be enrolled in the new health care before Sept. 1. (City employees typically enroll July 1, but school employees enroll later since new school workers are often hired at the end of the summer, right before the school year begins.)
The city has set aside $687,000 in the form of pay raises and other incentives to motivate workers to accept the changes to health insurance, including an account to reimburse employees for any inpatient or outpatient hospital deductibles, which range from $200 to $400 with the new plan.
Driscoll said the city is still working to reach a tentative agreement with the police superiors union, as well.
"I'm doing everything I can to try and reach an agreement," Driscoll said.
Already, more than 750 unionized city employees have agreed to a one-year contract that adopts the new health insurance and grants pay raises. Those groups are: the 663 members of the Salem Teachers Union and its paraprofessionals unit; the 82 members of the city side of AFSCME that includes employees in public works, City Hall clerical, parks and the city golf course; and the eight members of the School Administrators Union.
Additionally, the changes already went into effect for 158 nonunion employees — a group that includes library personnel, planning staff, department heads, principals and others — as well as 84 retirees under age 65.
Driscoll said that on Tuesday, the city had reached a tentative agreement with some members of the patrolmen's union's executive committee — an agreement that dealt with the changes to health insurance and the plan to hire civilian dispatchers.
She said the tentative agreement mirrored what other unions have received so far. Members of other unions have received a 1 percent raise and a 2 percent pay hike for employees at the highest step of the pay scale.
"They'd be receiving some of our savings on health care through the incentive and we'd be able to put five additional police officers on the street," Driscoll said. "That's very important considering we're down 17 officers.
"In the end, they voted not to allow the members to take a vote. I'm surprised, frankly."
Staff writer Amanda McGregor can be reached at amcgregor@salemnews.com.
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