(Hauppauge, NY-December 2, 2013) Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced that a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been signed with the Suffolk Detectives Association (SDA) for a contract covering January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2018. The contract is the result of months of negotiations and represent labor and management working together outside the arbitration system on an agreement which is fair to both parties.
The contract continues to make future law enforcement officers more affordable for Suffolk County taxpayers. Under the current SDA contract, new detectives have four steps to top step, which they can reach within four years. The MOA specifies that police officers who were hired prior to 2013 and are made detectives under the contract will now have 10 steps to reach top step, which will take 10 years. Police officers hired in 2013 or later under the latest PBA agreement who are then made detectives will have 12 steps to reach top step, which will take 12 years.
“I want to thank President Plant and the leadership of the SDA for engaging in tough but fair negotiations,” County Executive Bellone said. “As with any negotiation, neither side got exactly what they wanted, but we ended up with a fair contract which continues to make future law enforcement officers more affordable and helps with our current fiscal situation.”
"Though the process was lengthier than anticipated, I am still gratified that we were afforded the opportunity to negotiate a settlement with this administration,” SDA President Bill Plant said. “There is no doubt that this agreement is fair and equitable for both labor and management. It proves that continued communication is the key to the collective bargaining process."
The contract provides immediate relief for Suffolk County’s budget by having zero percent increases for 2011 and 2012 and no retroactive pay for 2013. The raises in the contract are the same as the PBA contract which was unanimously passed by the Suffolk County Legislature on October 9, 2012 and which had increases which were below historic arbitration awards and similar police contracts in Suffolk County. That contract, which was the first negotiated contract in 20 years, began the trend of making future officers more affordable by freezing starting salary for new officers at $42,000 and making sure it takes new officers 12 years to reach top pay as opposed to just five years under the prior contract.
Additionally, the SDA agreed to possible deferrals for 2014, 2015 and 2016 if the funds are needed to replace revenue budgeted for but not realized or to offset an unbudgeted expense.
The MOA will be Laid on the Table at the Suffolk County Legislature tomorrow and will be eligible for a vote at the December 17th General Legislative Meeting.
###