COLDWATER — The city council approved new three-year labor contracts with police and fire unions on Monday night, giving employees a 9% pay hike on July 1.

The increase will raise the competition between police agencies in the area for the hiring and retention of police officers to a new level. 

The contracts are with:

• International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2555 covering 13 firefighters.

• Police Officers Association of Michigan, Coldwater Police Division has 14 patrol and community service officers.

• Police Officers Labor Council of Michigan, Coldwater Police Division – Supervisory Unit with five sergeants and lieutenants.

Four years ago, the command officers went to binding arbitration with the city. The final contract was retroactive to July 1, 2020, and ended this month.

The POLC union received pay raises in line with other city staff, with an annual 3% salary increase for the first two years and a 2% increase for the last two years.

That contract, with a 10% overall increase, fell behind inflation of 17.8% over those four years.

While inflation was 1% in 2020, during COVID-19, it increased to 4.7% in 2021, 8% in 2022, and 4.1% last year.

With a 9% catch-up for this fiscal year, the contracts call for a 3.5% increase for the second year and 3% for the third year.

The increases are in line with the current 3.3% national inflation rate through May 2024. 

City Manager Keith Baker said the contract increase does not bring employee pay up to what was lost through inflation over the last four years.

When ratified, the contracts give each covered employee a $1,000 bonus, which is not built into the pay scales.

Baker said the one-time bonus became common practice with past contracts. 

Public Safety Director Joe Scheid, speaking for police and fire staff, thanked Baker for working diligently with the council to finalize contracts for fire and police unions. “Thank you for the consideration shown. I think it’s a very good contract,” he said.

Union City and Quincy raised starting police pay to $23 and $24 an hour in April. The new Coldwater Police starting pay for a new patrol officer is $29.94, with raises at three and six months and then yearly, according to the contract.

In the contract’s third year, a Coldwater patrol officer will make $71,926 a year.

The Branch County Sheriff Department’s starting pay is $24.82 an hour, with an additional $4,120 one-time retention bonus paid to newly hired deputies. 

Sheriff John Pollack told the county commission Monday he is still two deputies short of the six authorized last year by the commission to begin 24-hour patrols after recent resignations.

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Under the new contract, Coldwater Firefighters’ starting pay, based on a 53-hour work week, goes up to $56,305 a year and would be $67,990 by the end of year three. 

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com 

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater Police Fire pay raises contract catches up to inflation