The Airway Heights City Council approved an agreement with the city’s Public Safety Guild at a special Dec. 27 meeting following several weeks of unsuccessful negotiations.
The new memorandum of agreement gives Guild members a 4.5 percent wage increase every year for the next four years, including 2019. The city will also contribute $1,373 per year to purchase medical coverage for employee’s families.
The most recent contract between the city and the Guild, which is comprised of uniformed police officers and select fire personnel, expired Dec. 31, 2018. The current contract is effective through December 2022.
Terms were reached more quickly than some city officials expected, having anticipated that negotiations could push on well into January. City staff presented a draft agreement to the Guild on Dec. 17 which was approved by Guild members Dec. 21.
According to the memorandum, the city will increase officers’ yearly clothing allowance from $1,000 to $1,500, add vision insurance to its benefits package and provide recreation facility membership to employees and their families.
The city also agreed to implement a take-home car program for certain qualified officers effective the first of the year and committed to providing annual longevity bonuses based on the number of years of employment.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].
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