Baltimore Police Department, FOP Agree On Labor Deal With New Pay Incentives
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Police Department and the union representing sworn officers have reached an agreement on a new three-year labor contract that lifts the starting salary for officers, provides across-the-board pay raises in 2023 and includes other financial incentives, the department said Thursday.
The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 ratified the new contract on Wednesday, police said.
Under the agreement, the starting salary for new recruits will be bumped up 10%, to $60,146, starting in July 2022.
At the start of 2022, a "patrol incentive" for officers who work patrol during an entire fiscal year will be doubled to $2,000, and extra compensation for night and evening shifts will more than double.
The department is also offering members with an associate's degree, bachelor's degree or master's degree an annual increase of $1,500, $3,000 or $4,500, respectively, each year, police said.
In July 2022, all officers with more than 11 years of service will receive a 2% pay raise. The following year, all members will receive a 2% salary bump, and officers with more than 19 years of service will get an additional 1%.
Top brass have identified $8 million in the budget that can be cut to offset the cost of the new salary provisions, police said.
In a release, the department said the new pay structure is designed to combat attrition. Over the last five years, more than two-thirds of the officers who left the Baltimore Police Department had less than five years of service.
"We are confident that this targeted approach is a smart investment that will significantly enhance our efforts in attracting new recruits, while also incentivizing retention for our experienced officers," said Police Commissioner Michael Harrison. "We are pleased to have worked alongside the City and Union in putting our officers first and building a safer Baltimore."
The contract also places the department in alignment with a series of sweeping reforms passed earlier this year by the Maryland General Assembly.
"I am pleased that representatives were able to agree on terms that improve the ability to retain and hire new officers and align our department with statewide police reform efforts," said Mayor Brandon Scott. "The Baltimore Police Department remains a trusted partner in my effort to tackle violence, and we will continue to work with the FOP to identify ways to lower costs and reduce unnecessary burdens on our brave officers."
The contract is still subject to the approval of the Board of Estimates.