We have received concerns from multiple officers regarding the terms negotiated in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) set to take effect in July 2025. We want to provide clarity on how the process unfolded and the challenges we faced.
Although we won the arbitration, the state employed bad faith tactics by having the governor exclude from his budget any funding for all CBAs—not just ours. The funding process for our arbitration award, which is completely out of our control, relys solely on the State Assembly Members and Senators. They were going to deprive all of our members of all compensation and benfits that we previously negotiated and won through arbitration.
### The State’s Initial Proposal during negotiations:
Had we accepted their terms, officers would have faced a **20–25% reduction in total compensation** due to the following proposed cuts:
1. **Elimination of muster pay** (except for High Desert and Southern Desert) – approximately **10-14% decrease in pay**
2. **0% salary increases**
3. **Complete Elimination of retention bonuses** – approximately **3% decrease in pay**
4. *Reduction of holiday pay to straight holiday pay (2x)** – approximately **5% decrease in pay**
5. Elimination of uniform allowance** – approximately **2% decrease in pay**
6. No personal days
7. Union Leave cut in half.
Is there any question as to why we went to Arbitration???
Despite these challenges, some officers are focusing solely on the fact that we did not receive the full **16% raise awarded during arbitration**. However, it is important to recognize the significant concessions we fought to preserve. The state forced us into arbitration, requiring substantial financial resources time, and energy, only to later claim a lack of funds. Additionally, the governor’s budget did not allocate funding for **any** CBA across the state. The State Assembly gutted the bill, that was proposed after the arbitration awards that we won, down to only include $2,000 retention payments, while eliminating all of the following: muster pay (for EVERY SINGLE FACILITY), specialty pay, personal days, uniform allowance, annual leave sell back, and union leave.
### What We Successfully lobbied to keep:
Through extensive meetings, legislative advocacy, direct communication with the governor’s office, lobbying efforts, writing letters, monitoring bills, rallying support from outside lobbying groups, tracking down personal cell phone numbers, texting Senators, phone conversations with Senators, catching senators walking through the hallways, waiting in their offices for hours just to talk to them for 10 minutes, legal consultations, discussions with members of the Senate Finance committee, organizing speakers and appearing at the Senate finance committee, we secured the following:
1. **Preservation of muster pay for all officers at all locations**
2. **1% annual salary increase for 2026 and 2027**
3. **$1,000 annual retention bonus**
4. ** 5% specialty pay**
5. **Holiday pay maintained at 2.5x**
6. **$2,020 uniform allowance retained**
While this outcome is not what we were awarded in arbitration, it represents a **significant improvement** over the state’s initial proposal and a drastic recovery from what the State Assembly did to the funding bill. Without these efforts, officers would have faced a **20–25% reduction in total compensation**.
The amount utilized to fund CBA benefits and compensation throughout the state was roughly $89 million for all 13 bargaining units. Of that $89 million, $59 million was to fund both (2) FOP CBAs. FOP's bargaining units are roughly 20% of the total "unionized employees," FOP fought for and obtained roughly ***67% ***of the total funding spent on CBAs. That doesn't even count the 1% raises each year and it does not take into account the other half of non-unionized state employees who are eating the entire PERS increase, while getting zero raises.
If any of you are feeling that there is a large unfairness here, maybe put yourselves in the shoes of those who did not have FOP representing them. We always strive to get you everything we possibly can. There are going to be times when that does not result in a large increase to pay or benefits. You are welcome to join us in putting in the countless hours spent away from our loved ones fighting for our members. What happened with the arbitration award not being funded is a massive disappointment to all of us. Based on the circumstances that we were faced with and the outcome that we acheived, we are proud of the efforts of all FOP team members.
To all of those who have reached out to express gratitude and appreciation for our efforts, you have no idea how wonderful that makes us all feel. To know that it is not the majority of members who forgot about the over 40% in total compensation increases just 2 years ago, really means a lot to us. We truly hope that anyone who questions our resolve or our efforts takes the time to really read this statement and gains some understanding of what we have all been through during this session. If you can imagine what it is like to shoulder the weight of 1300 members while navigating everything outlined in this statement, maybe you can give us a little grace when critiquing our results.
We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we navigate these challenges. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D5VEWmY8C/? Help us elect one of our own! Kelly Quinn is a Sergeant at HDSP and loyal member of FOP and he needs OUR help on June 9th, Primary Election Day. We have 8
Great recovery effort after the initial gutting of the CBAs.