OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg police union members say the sitting council was right to approve a recent contract following months of negotiations, despite a call by incoming city councilors to postpone the agreement until they take office.

Incoming Mayor Jeffrey M. Skelly and councilors-elect Steven Fisher, John Rishe and Bill Dillabough have called on council to wait until they take office to settle union contracts. However, the sitting council has continued to close deals over the past month and is expected to settle the firefighter’s labor contract soon.

The letter was issued by the Ogdensburg Police Supervisory Unit, the Ogdensburg Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, and the United Public Service Employees Union as their affiliate.

Joel Manjarrez of the United Public Service Employees Union signed the letter.

“This letter is in response to public comments that have been made by members of the incoming City Council and the concerns that have been raised by a few members of the public regarding the recent contract negotiations between the City and the Union.

“From the outset, I would like to address the demand that was made upon the sitting Council to delay or stall negotiations for no reason other than to avoid its responsibility under the contracts. First, it’s important to mention that an undue delay that is motivated by arbitrary reasons, or no reason at all, would amount to bad faith bargaining and unlawful conduct. That kind of behavior would have inevitably and unnecessarily exposed the City to an improper practice charge and accompanying legal fees presumably. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the incoming administration is not a party to the current collective bargaining relationship, and it would therefore have no standing or authority to make bargaining demands. Accordingly, the new administration’s position on collective bargaining would be no different than that of the general public.

“As the public may already know, negotiations are a give and take where gains are obtained, and concessions are made. That is precisely what took place during negotiations. The Union, for example, made significant concessions in the area of healthcare which will result in short and long-term savings for the City. Additional givebacks were made when the City rejected some of the Union’s economic proposals, forcing the Union to abandon many of them. The Parties also reached an agreement that offers a mutual benefit. Any member of the public that is able to compare the old and new contract will notice that the parties added a health insurance buyout option. That allows an employee to opt out from the City’s health insurance plan in exchange for a fraction of the cost. That will result in significant savings for the City, especially as the number of Unit members taking the buyout option goes up.

“Indeed, the Union was able to negotiate fair wages over the course of seven years. But context matters. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage for Police Officers in New York State is $74,860, which is above most of the annual salaries that are in the current contracts. When measured against comparable areas, the Ogdensburg Police Department is notably underpaid and that carries personnel and financial consequences. The Department, for instance, has faced an issue retaining Officers that are understandably attracted to higher wages, causing them to take jobs with other departments. That inability to retain personnel is a costly endeavor and it is typically addressed by offering competitive wages. More than a general wage increase, the raises acted as a market adjustment to bring the department closer to what is normal and within the industry standards.

“In addition, fair and competitive wages attract qualified candidates that are interested in staying with one department. And candidate qualifications undoubtedly matter considering the level of crime in the City and the need for public safety. According to the Uniform Crime Reports, for instance, the City of Ogdensburg had 395 property crimes; 80 burglaries; and 315 theft-related offenses in 2018. As reported by a separate source, those numbers, which only include known offenses, are above Federal and State averages for crimes in those categories. Another growing problem is the production and sale of Methamphetamine. In 2018, the Department found 49 Methamphetamine labs and it is on schedule to surpass that number in 2019.

“To conclude, we ask the public to think objectively and to avoid falling for political trickery. It is a well-established strategy, one that we reject, to suppress wages and to then pin workers against themselves while willfully ignoring the true causes of financial hardship. Instead, we ask the public to embrace the value of fair compensation and the importance of having a police force that is committed to public safety and to the community in which they serve.”