After a surprise rank and file rejection last year, Key Biscayne’s unionized police reached another tentative agreement Tuesday after Village officials offered an added sweetener – a 5% increase in base wages for officers on top of a cost-of-living raise.
Police union officials said they expected a ratification vote next week. But unlike the November rejection, union President Marcos Diaz said he expected the second time would be the charm. The bargaining unit of 32 covers both officers and sergeants.
“I think everybody wants to get this done,” Diaz said after the session concluded. “It seems a lot better, in our view, than some of the previous offers.”
At the time of the rejection, union officials said the sticking point was deletion of “rifle pay,” extra compensation that impacted a large number of officers. The new deal deletes that payment in future years, but increases base pay.
If ratified, a starting police officer position in Key Biscayne would pay $69,272 in the next fiscal year.
The added wage bump would take effect in the second year of the contract this coming October and would be cumulative with a cost-of-living increase that also affects sergeants and lieutenants. For police officers, that means a 5% increase retroactive to October 2023, and another increase of at least 5% this coming fall.
“We heard them loud and clear,” said Village Manager Steve Williamson, who said the administration compared officer wage scales with neighboring municipalities and found Key Biscayne was falling behind.
“We want to make sure we are in line with similar agencies in the area. It helps us recruit, it helps us retain, and it helps the professionals we have right now,” he said.
If the deal is ratified by the rank-and-file, it would head to the Village Council for approval.
Bargaining units covering Fire Rescue Department and civilian workers have already ratified three-year deals, but Williamson did not think those units would knock on his door for a wage reopener.
“Definitely not,” said Council Member Ed London, who said that the unions covering other departments had reached fair agreements with the Village.
“Each deal stands on its own,” he said.
The tentative agreement comes even as a group of officers have filed a petition to switch unions.
Key Biscayne police are currently represented by the International Union of Police Associations, based in Sarasota, Fla. But a group of officers asked the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission in December to conduct an election to let employees decide if they want to be represented by the Dade County Police Benevolent Association, a rival labor group.
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Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.