After several months of back and forth negotiating with the City of Soledad, COPS, the Soledad Police Officers Association and the Police Sergeants Association were able to reach an agreement that will increase officers pay by 24% over two years.

Officer Jose Rodriguez, President of the Police Officers Association said, “This is one of the best contracts that we have ever been able to negotiate. This would not have been successful if it wasn’t for the leadership that COPS provided.”

The City originally proposed a three-year contract with a 4% salary increase per year. When COPS conducted an audit of the City’s finances it was discovered that the City had a large reserve that was getting bigger every year. Armed with this information, COPS and the Associations where able to create a more reasonable proposal that was more generous than what the City was proposing. It’s important to know all of the City’s financial information before beginning contract negotiations. During the course of the negotiation meetings the City had slowly increased their offer to 20% over two years, but the Associations stood firm and would not agree to a contract. This led to a declaration of impasse by the City.

In an effort to build community support for the officers, a public information campaign was employed. Mike DiCesare, COPS Director of Member Services, attended several campaign events including picketing in front of City Hall and speaking at City Council meetings. Soon thereafter, the City agreed to an additional 4% over the term of the MOU, which meant an approximate increase of $530 per month for the first year and an additional $597 per month for the second year.

For the Sergeants it was even better; the City also agreed to pay for their portion of their PERS retirement contribution, an additional 6%. David Garcia, President of the Sergeants association, said, “I can hardly wait for the next round of negotiations. COPS was there for us all the way. They really are experts when it comes to negotiations.”