Contract

[Unregistered]

There is a rumor going around that Vinny negotiated away .5% of our COLA for a VEBA account that the city does not match. VEBA is like deffered comp, except you use the money for health care cost. Also the City has declined to participate in any post employment Health Insurance subsides and will not fund any changes. They have agreed to take your raise and set up a mandatory savings account for you with your own money.

So basically the city is taking part of your raise and forcing you to put it in your own health insurance savings account.

News flash PBA, Im capable of saving my own money. If the city is not doing anything to reduce insurance cost, I don't need them to help me save my own money.

To put in perspective, That .05% each year for three years increases my pension $900.00 a year for the rest of my life.

Taking part of my raise and putting it in a VEBA account will net me $1500.00 over the three year contract, which at the expiration of the contract the city will no longer have to participate.

It does not take a financial wizard to tell you what's the best option.

If this is true you just negotiated a worse deal for the membership than the 3-3-3 the city offered.

If the City is not helping to reduce the cost of post employment health insurance just give me my 3-3-3 and let's be done with it. Don't mandate I have to give up my raise to fund my own savings account for a contract that expires in 36 months. Don't bring us crap so you can have a legacy that you got us something.

Other rumor is that we are looking at lower COLAs so the bike squad can get specialty pay. As nice as it is that you want to get them an extra $1400.00 a year because they ride the river walk all day looking at hot women. I work the ghetto and put up with more BS in an hour than they do in a month. If you want to get them speciality pay, I could careless, But don't make the rest of the membership pay for it out of our COLA.

Do what gets the entire membership the most. It's clear the mayor is not taking on the burden of retirement health insurance cost, so do the next best thing. Get the best COLA for the membership so they can increase their pensions to help pay for insurance.

Hopefully these are rumors, and your not truly that foolish.

[Unregistered]

Beyond moronic. Zero chance that would pass.

[Unregistered]

If we dont get our money in pay raises, everyone on my squad is voting to reject the contract. Vinny, dont fk this up.

[Unregistered]

We would be fools to accept a 3%, 3%, 3%. We deserve more.

This question was asked during one of the PBA Roll Calls after an officer questioned the 3% COLA:

Explain to me why we should should get a better raise than other City Employees? What makes us different or more valuable than other employees?

I was shocked that such a question was asked. Really the PBA, the Mayor, etc, don't know the answer to this question.

Let me see, we are the ones that chase criminals on foot or vehicles, we are the ones that get into resist, we are the ones that because of the actions of a few, are hated, we are the ones that get shot at, ambushed, etc, we are the ones that in most cases have to work holiday, weekends, etc. The list goes on and on as to the WHYS.

When was the last time that you heard of other City employees getting ambushed while they were having their lunch, gassing up their car, while working a detail?

Enough said!

Law Enforcement should get the highest COLAS period. Fire Department should get the second highest COLAS.

So as far as I am concerned, if the general city employees received 3/3/3, the fire department should at least get a 3.5/3.5/3.5, and we should get 4/4/4 or even better 3/3/3 for general city employees, 4/4/4 for fire, and 5/5/5 for us!

Bottom line, it would be an injustice to give us the same COLA as a general employee. I am sure that most of them are good people, hard workers, etc, but THEY DO NOT TAKE THE SAME RISK THAT WE DO!

[Unregistered]

We would be fools to accept a 3%, 3%, 3%. We deserve more.

This question was asked during one of the PBA Roll Calls after an officer questioned the 3% COLA:

Explain to me why we should should get a better raise than other City Employees? What makes us different or more valuable than other employees?

I was shocked that such a question was asked. Really the PBA, the Mayor, etc, don't know the answer to this question.

Let me see, we are the ones that chase criminals on foot or vehicles, we are the ones that get into resist, we are the ones that because of the actions of a few, are hated, we are the ones that get shot at, ambushed, etc, we are the ones that in most cases have to work holiday, weekends, etc. The list goes on and on as to the WHYS.

When was the last time that you heard of other City employees getting ambushed while they were having their lunch, gassing up their car, while working a detail?

Enough said!

Law Enforcement should get the highest COLAS period. Fire Department should get the second highest COLAS.

So as far as I am concerned, if the general city employees received 3/3/3, the fire department should at least get a 3.5/3.5/3.5, and we should get 4/4/4 or even better 3/3/3 for general city employees, 4/4/4 for fire, and 5/5/5 for us!

Bottom line, it would be an injustice to give us the same COLA as a general employee. I am sure that most of them are good people, hard workers, etc, but THEY DO NOT TAKE THE SAME RISK THAT WE DO!

100% agree! I know everyone I've talked to will vote NO on a 3/3/3. Sorry, but we are worth a lot more than that for the amount of revenue and growth hat the mayor has been emailing us about for the last 3 years!

[Unregistered]

It's a political thing to give us more money than civilians because the vast majority of people can't understand our value and the risks we take so to them they feel like why should we get more money than them. Although I agree we deserve more, I think a consistent 3% COLA to keep up with Inflation coupled with a step scale is fair. That's a question I'm wondering, do the civilians have a step scale comparable to ours? Because In Reality every year oyou go up a step and get 3% COLA you are getting a 6% raise. I know this 6% raise every year goes back down to just the 3% COLA for maxed out MPOs but at that point you are making way more than you started at still doing essentially the same job everyday assuming your just a regular patrol officer or MPO. You can't put a price on risking your life but at some point if we get greedy there will be backlash from the public. 3/3/3 so I can keep my buying power and eventually I will reach MPO. With a few courts hours, paid holidays, shift diff etc I tag a $90,000 a year lifestyle for coming in and humping the same zone I used to hump harder for half that amount.

[Unregistered]

There are a few of us here at TPD that already retired from other agencies and have health care for life. We are not interested in the VEBA. We would like a provision to opt out of this soon to be costly mess and just take the 5.25 % and call it a day.

[Unregistered]

My squad is voting NO for anything less than 5 5 5.

[Unregistered]

My squad is voting NO for anything less than 5 5 5.

I know the exact squad you are referring to and man, I tell you what.....you guys are worth it. you guys are badasses no doubt.

[Unregistered]

My squad is voting NO for anything less than 5 5 5.

I love it!

Statistically about 4% of the cops do the majority of the work and danger....but you guys take the credit and want the raises as you pu$$ies sit under a tree.........seen it for years, its just getting worse with this new breed.