Police Union, Village Board Reach 2-Year Bargaining Deal

Oswego IL

10 November, 2021

5:00 PM

Description

OSWEGO, IL — The Oswego Village Board reached a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, the labor union that represents village patrol officers, officials said Wednesday. The deal, made at an Oct. 19 Village Board meeting, will provide a 2.75 percent wage increase on May 1, 2022, and another 3 percent increase a year later to "keep police compensation competitive with comparable Chicago-area communities," according to a news release. All previous terms of the agreement will be kept in place. "The willingness of both sides to come together quickly on this demonstrates the special relationship we have in Oswego with our police officers," Village President Troy Parlier said in a statement. "I want to thank all the hard-working police officers who serve our community, especially facing the unique challenges of the last year." Subscribe to Patch's free Oswego newsletter and get real-time email alerts. MAP's chapter president, Shane Burgwald, echoed Parlier's sentiments in his statement and said members are "pleased to reach agreement so quickly," allowing them to focus on helping the community. Oswego continues to see an increasing number of officers retire as they reach eligibility, but it also is "facing challenges" to hire new officers. The two established wage increases are meant to keep compensation and benefits competitive in an effort to recruit high-quality officers, village staff said in the release. The police pension in Oswego is almost 90 percent funded, according to village budget documents, well above the state's average of about 55 percent. In a recent budget report presented to the Village Board, officials said when possible, they are committed to funding the pension beyond what is required. The funding is made possible partly because of strong investment returns, Patch reported. RELATED: Recent Audit Shows Oswego To Be In 'Good Financial Condition' Village staff are currently reviewing State of Illinois requirements to implement body-worn cameras for all police officers, and the Village Board and union agreed to further discuss the process before the gear is implemented. "This will be a big change for our officers, but we know we can navigate this requirement together," Police Chief Jeff Burgner said in a statement. "We take pride in maintaining a positive, open relationship with our members. They do great work in our community each and every day." (For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Oswego Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!)