The Chatham-Kent Police Services Board and the Chatham-Kent Police Association announce that they have reached an agreement on a 3-year contract extending through to December 31st, 2015. The current contract expired December 31st, 2012.
Mrs. Diane Daly, Chair of the Board’s Bargaining Committee, indicates that there were significant challenges in negotiating a new collective agreement as both sides were cognizant of the economic pressures, and the need to ensure that police officers in Chatham-Kent were paid at least in some relative comparison with their counterparts across Ontario. “Settlements across the Province have been averaging 3% or more per year in the police sector, so there is significant pressure to ensure that our officers, who do the same duties and put their lives on the line every day the same as other officers do, are compensated fairly and reasonably for the excellent work they do in our community, while at the same time recognizing that our local economy is experiencing difficult times.”
Pete Bakker, President of the CKPolice Association, which represents rank and file officers and most civilian staff of the Police Service, states “The Chatham-Kent Police Association is pleased that the tentative agreement reached with the Police Services Board has been ratified by our membership. After working without a contract for more than a year, we are glad to have reached a deal. Although the wage increase is substantially lower than the recent OPP settlement, this deal was fair in today’s economic climate.”
“I am very pleased that we were able to negotiate a three year contract acceptable to both sides and avoid the expense of arbitration” states Pat Belanger, Chair of the Board. “The spirit of cooperation between both parties allows our Service to move forward in a positive fashion for the foreseeable future.”
The agreement provides for a salary increase of 2.75% for 2013, 2.5% in 2014 and 1.25% in 2015. There were some minor benefit enhancements that were offset by other benefit clawbacks and some other language amendments to the overall package.
