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Crime & Safety

Lake Bluff Police Union, Village Finalize Collective Bargaining Agreement

New agreement includes adjustments in salary and overtime pay

After almost a year of negotiations, a two-year collective bargaining agreement between the Village of Lake Bluff and the Lake Bluff’s Police Union. The Village Board approved the agreement at its May 9 meeting.

The previous agreement between the Village and the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police expired last April. The new agreement, effective until April 30, 2012, includes changes in wage adjustments and altered residency requirements.

Village Administrator Drew Irvin said the time it took to finalize the agreement is typical.

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“It certainly isn’t uncommon at all for police and fire contracts to take about a year,” Irvin said.

Lake Bluff Police Chief Bill Gallagher also said he wasn’t surprised at the length of negotiations, but he is happy to see the deal finished.

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“I’m delighted with the fact that the negotiations have been finished and that the agreement has been signed,” Gallagher said.

Under the agreement, wages increased in both May 2010 and 2011 by 2.750 percent and 2.875 percent, respectively. After the 2.875 percent increase, a starting Lake Bluff patrol officer salary is $61,786. The agreement will effect the 10 patrol officers currently in the union.

Changes were also made to the stipend given for a “Field Training Officer”. The officer will receive a stipend equal to two hours of overtime compensation at the appropriate rate for each shift they work training a recruit police officer. In the new agreement, the stipend will continue until the recruit police officer is certified for solo patrol.

Overtime pay schedules were also adjusted in the new agreement. Previously, overtime pay was based on 30-minute increments. In the new agreement, overtime pay will be determined in 15-minute increments. Overtime pay for officers is one and one-half the officer’s normal hourly rate.

According to Lake Bluff Patrol Officer and Union Steward Merritt Price, who has been with the department for 12 years, said although the agreement took a long time to finalize, the results are good. 

“I think both sides are happy,” Price said.

Aside from pay changes, the residency requirement was also adjusted in the new agreement. Previously, officers were required to live 30 driving miles from the station and could not live outside the state of Illinois. In the new agreement, the residency requirement has been changed to a 30-mile radius from the station and “within Illinois” has been removed. Notably, the Illinois-Wisconsin border is less than 30 miles from Lake Bluff.  

The document also includes policies on employee rights, vacations and insurance, as well as a no strike, no lockout agreement.

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