The Pleasanton City Council voiced its initial support last Tuesday for the city’s newest labor contract with the Pleasanton Police Officers’ Association, which includes salary increases and other pay incentives.
Following last week’s public hearing, the council will return on May 19 to formally vote and approve the agreement, as dictated by the city’s two-step process on approving labor contracts.
“Thank you for the hard work, professionalism that you do every day, 24/7 for our community,” Mayor Jack Balch told Pleasanton police officers during the May 5 council meeting.
According to Xaviera Scoggins, director of Human Resources and Labor Relations, the city engaged in five negotiation meetings with the PPOA, which represents 74 law enforcement employees including 61 officers and 13 sergeants, before reaching a tentative agreement for a successor memorandum of understanding (MOU) on April 15.
The current MOU expires May 31.
According to Scoggins, if approved at the May 19 council meeting, the new MOU will cover PPOA members from June 1 to May 31, 2029.
One of the key elements of the tentatively agreed upon contract includes salary increases for PPOA members. If approved, the salary ranges will be increased by 3% this June, 3.5% next year and 4% by June 2028.
PPOA members will also receive a 2% longevity pay this year, if they’ve served eight years on the force, and a 4% longevity pay if they’ve served a total of 12 years. Two years from now, on July 1, 2028, officers with eight years of service will receive another 3% increase while those with 12 years of experience will receive another 6% increase.
Scoggins said the longevity pay will replace the current MOU’s 2% master officer pay.
Regarding longevity pay, Balch said it’s not just a good element to have in the new contract; it also shows how committed the city is to keeping its officers for a long time.Â
“I think the longevity of our officers (is) something that our community understands is an asset and value to us,” Balch said. “When our community … knows the officers that are here, sees them regularly and builds trust and connections with them, we are able to have a community dialogue and that partnership matters.”
“I think that advances our public trust and appreciation,” Balch added.
Bilingual officers will receive $100 per pay period upon completing a certification process for this pay. Officers with shift hours between midnight and 6 a.m. will also receive a 3% increase starting this June and another 5% increase in 2028.
According to Scoggins, these new premium pays help address retention and recruitment and to “keep those competitive in the current labor market.”
During Tuesday’s public hearing, no one on the dais or anyone from the public had questions on the proposed contract or its key elements.
Everyone on the council voiced their gratitude for the city’s collaboration with the PPOA to ratify a new contract in a timely manner. This was a sharp contrast to when the police union declared an impasse in negotiations when the current MOU was on the negotiation table three years ago.
“I also express my appreciation to the PPOA for reflecting the professionalism that we desire all members to exhibit and which they do exhibit and making Pleasanton, hopefully, an employer of choice for officers,” Council member Jeff Nibert said during the meeting.
Others on the dais also added their appreciation for city staff, including outgoing City Manager Gerry Beaudin, for their work in getting this contract tentatively agreed upon.
“I do want to express my gratitude for both (human resources) and for the PPOA for engaging in constructive negotiations and coming to a quick resolution on their contract … and taking into consideration our financial objectives and some of the challenges that we have as we move forward,” Council member Craig Eicher said during the meeting.
