PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — On his way out the door, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has negotiated a contract extension with the city’s police union, with a raise and a bonus.
Kenney is negotiating extensions with all of the city employee unions to help Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker begin her administration with no labor issues pending. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 agreed to extend its contract for one year until June 2025, and will get a 5% raise and an $1,800 dollar bonus next July.
Deputy Mayor for Labor Basil Merenda says the agreement fits within the city’s budget. As the department works to fill nearly 1,000 vacancies, he says it provides incentive for current officers to stay.
“I think it’s very good for police officers,” he said. “It helps retain hard-working police officers that put their lives on the line day in and day out.”
Parker has pledged to make public safety a top priority upon taking office. She also promised to name a new police commissioner in the next week.
The city is still negotiating with firefighters, blue collar and white collar workers, according to Merenda, with the hope of giving the Parker administration some breathing room during her first year in office.
“They can focus on other policy issues the first hundred days without having to deal with labor concerns,” he said.
A statement from the FOP’s new president, Roosevelt Poplar, says the union is honored and humbled by the agreement and is working to get a contract extension for sheriff’s deputies as well. Poplar notes officers have been working tirelessly to keep the city safe.