Hollywood police asking for 12.5 percent raise to make up for pay cut in 2011

Contract negotiations between Hollywood and its police union have deadlocked, with the biggest sticking point a clash over officers' pay, a union leader said Friday.

Officers are requesting a 12.5 percent raise to make up for the city slashing their pay by that much in 2011, said Jeff Marano, president of the Broward Police Benevolent Association.

Hollywood imposed the pay cuts after declaring "financial urgency" in the face of a $38 million budget shortfall.

The pay increase requested by the union would have cost taxpayers $5.5 million and another $4.1 million in pension-related benefits, says a letter posted on Hollywood's website by City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark.

Instead, City Hall offered the officers a 2 percent raise, prompting the union to declare an impasse on Dec. 11.

City spokesman Jaime Hernandez declined to comment, citing the pending negotiations.

The three-year contract was set to expire on Sept. 30.

"We asked for 12.5 percent," said Marano, who represents nearly 300 officers in Hollywood. "We would have to get a 24 percent raise to put us in the middle of the pack in Broward County. We are the third largest agency in Broward and we're one of the lowest paid."

Low morale over the "drastic" pay cuts is pushing some officers to look for jobs elsewhere, Marano said.

"We have confirmed that 17 people are either in the process or planning to apply to the Broward Sheriff's Office," he said.