20060423 Don’t compare police to other city employees

Frederick FOP Lodge 91 Letter to the Frederick News-Post editor

Don't compare police to other city employees when it comes to their salary, benefits

Published on April 23, 2006

I would like to respond to recent comments made by Frederick Mayor Jeff Holtzinger about bargaining with the Fraternal Order of Police. As the president of the FOP representing the Frederick Police Department, neither I nor our organization agrees with recent comments.

First and foremost I want to state that we are currently bargaining with the city for a new contract. The current contract does expire on June 30 of this year. We are not going to bargain a new contract in the press. Whatever is said in negotiations stays in the room where it was spoken.

In his budget presented recently to the Frederick Board of Alderman, Mayor Holtzinger stated he wanted to bring the rest of the city employees up to the same level as the police employees. Mayor Holtzinger further stated the police were taken care of over the past several years, and he wants to take care of the rest of the city employees.

This statement couldn't be further from the truth. The FOP in its negotiations with the city year in and year out had to make concessions to obtain better benefits. I don't want to take anything away from the city employees for whom the mayor speaks. Every single one of them provides a needed service to maintain this city and should get treated fairly.

Yes the police employees did receive a 2 percent pay increase and a 2.5 percent COLA over the past three years -- but no one states what was given up in order to obtain that increase.

The mayor wants to compare the city employees to the police employees. It was agreed upon many years ago the police don't compare to the rest of the city employees. Why do you think collective bargaining was developed with the police and not the rest of the city staff?

Who works the hours the police work? Who gives up family outings regularly because during a lot of holidays leave is restricted due to anticipated problems? Who leaves for work every day of their careers with the very strong possibility it's the last time they may see their loved ones?

We all read the headlines daily. We have a record number of police currently on limited duty status due to job-related injuries, and the list grows at an alarming rate.

I have stated recently and will continue to state that all I want is to attract good qualified individuals to apply to the Frederick Police Department, and maintain them to complete their entire 22-year career here. We have lost many good police officers to competing agencies in this area. Let's take measures to stop that. With the increasing violence against police, we need to give individuals reasons to apply here and not look elsewhere.

Compare the police to other police when looking at salaries and benefit packages. Compare DPW workers to other DPW workers when comparing salaries and their benefits. Compare sanitation workers to other sanitation workers when comparing salaries and benefit packages.

No city employee should be compared to all other city employees. We all perform different work. Compensate us according to others who compare.

William Forder is president of FOP Lodge 91.