Agreement fails between Metro and officers’ union

Jen Lawson

Thursday, July 7, 2005 | 10:47 a.m.

The union representing Metro Police's rank-and-file officers and the police department administration failed to reach an agreement in contract negotiations Wednesday, and both sides agreed to bring in a mediator to help them reach a resolution.

The mediator is expected to become involved in the negotiations within 30 to 60 days.

"We're not saying we've reached an impasse," said Detective David Kallas, executive director of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.

"Rather than sever negotiations completely, we decided to move forward in the spirit of cooperation and bring in an outside party to evaluate the information and make recommendations."

The union and police officials have been in negotiations over its labor contract since February. The current contract expired June 30, but Kallas said it's not unusual for officers to continue to work without a new contract in place.

The sticking point is salary, Kallas said. Last week he appeared before Metro's fiscal affairs committee, a board composed of city and county officials who oversee the department's finances, and urged them to approve the proposed salary compensation package, which he described as reasonable given the cost of living increase since their last contract negotiation in 2001.

Details of that proposal have not been released.

Kallas said the department might face difficulty attracting quality applicants if the department doesn't increase salaries.

Metro currently offers a starting salary of about $42,000 and the median sale price for a home in the Las Vegas Valley is now $302,000.

If the mediation fails, the next step is arbitration.

"It is our sincere hope that that won't happen," Kallas said. "I think we can find a reasonable solution rather than going to someone who will dictate what needs to happen."

Undersheriff Doug Gillespie said he was hopeful that the mediation would help the union and the department reach an agreement before it gets to that point.

"The fact-finding (mediation) process isn't mandatory, but in participating in it, it shows both sides are willing to negotiate rather than go to arbitration," he said.

The union consists of 1,900 dues-paying members that represent the department's 2,300 officers and detectives.