Unable to reach a deal with city negotiators, the union representing Stockton’s police officers and sergeants is opting to try out its newfound ability to seek binding arbitration. The union is aiming to secure a new contract after five months of working without one.
The Stockton Police Officers’ Association’s president, Patrick High, said in a social media post that talks are at an impasse and the city has rejected the union’s final offer. So officers plan to leave it to a three-member independent panel to come up with a new contract.
High said the city’s inability to compromise “leaves us with no choice but to declare an impasse and proceed to arbitration, as provided under the Measure N amendment to the City Charter.”
Measure N, passed by voters in November and also known as the Keep Stockton Safe measure, allows the police and firefighters unions to take their contract disputes to an independent “board of arbitrators” for a binding decision. The three-member panel would include one member proposed by the city, one by the police and firefighters’ unions and one mutually agreed upon by both the city and the unions. The board’s decision is final.
There was no immediate reaction from city officials. The council formally opposed Measure N at a special meeting in July, citing concern that an independent board would consider only the case before them without weighing larger issues involving impact on budget and public safety.
High said the police department is seriously understaffed, noting officers who otherwise would be on street duty are working in the telecommunications center because the city has been unable to maintain enough dispatchers.
“This may not concern those who view us as replaceable or unnecessary, but it matters deeply to those of us who serve every day, and it certainly matters to the residents who call 911 and receive a busy tone,” High wrote.