In May 2012, Human Resources sent the police pay scale that would go into effect on June 1, 2012 to Ron Martin, President of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association. At that time, he notified Human Resources that there was a pending grievance concerning the police pay scale that went into effect on September 1, 2011. As a result of the disagreement over the proposed pay scale, Human Resources conducted a complete internal review of the process used to establish the September 1, 2011 pay scale. We feel confident that our original calculations for police officer position were correct; however, there was a secondary calculation error which resulted in officers at the rank of sergeants and above had been overpaid.
In an attempt to resolve the situation, the City met with Police Association representatives and its legal counsel. Several meetings have occurred over the summer; however, no resolution has been reached. Following the steps prescribed in the collective bargaining agreement, arbitration will begin on this matter on September 19, 2012.
In an attempt to address this constructively without implementing a disputed pay scale that includes lower pay ranges for sergeants and above, which would be an immediate pay reduction for certain employees and a requirement to pay back any overpayment of pay during the previous year, the police pay scale effective September 1, 2011 and subsequent pay scales have been frozen, including pay steps, pay raises and any increases.
The attorney representing the Association was contacted on September 6, 2012 and invited to participate in formal mediation with a federal mediator prior to Arbitration. He has agreed to a mediation session scheduled for September 13, at which time we hope to be able to reach mutual agreement to a solution to this issue so we can quickly move forward with the appropriate pay scale and adjustments for all sworn officers for FY 2013. We advised the Association and legal counsel that the decision to maintain the status quo was an opportunity to avoid exposure to the Association since there is a possibility members of the Association will have to pay the City back for overpayment. If the mediation offer is not accepted, we will proceed to arbitration on the 19th as planned.
Our goal is to resolve this dispute quickly and to minimize any adverse impact to any sworn employee. However, it is important that all employees understand the situation and the interim measures being put in place until this situation is resolved.
Linda Ball Thomas, PHR
Human Resources Director &
Civil Service Commission Secretary
City of El Paso
