AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The union representing Austin Police officers won't negotiate with the city on a one-year extension of their current agreement, setting up a stalemate that could see staffing levels within the Austin Police Department reach new lows.
Austin Police Association board members voted unanimously Thursday to not pursue a one-year deal with the city, according to a message sent to APA members Thursday afternoon.
"If Council continues to disregard and fails to take a vote on the tentatively agreed to four-year contract, our current contract will expire and APD will revert back to operating under Chapter 143 of the Local Government Code as outlined in state law," the association said.
The current agreement between the APA and the city expires on March 31. Prior to that, officers who are eligible for retirement have until next Friday, Feb. 24, to file paperwork to retire under the payouts and benefits in the current contract. City estimates say as many as 250 officers could be eligible.
Last Thursday, City Manager Spencer Cronk and APA announced that negotiators had reached a tentative agreement on a four-year deal.
"For two contract cycles in a row now, we have bargained in good faith with the City and reached a tentative agreement," the APA message continues. "Two contract cycles in a row now, Council has voted down these proposals at the last minute even after being advised by their own staff that the proposed contract was a reasonable compromise by both sides."
Despite the tentative agreement on the four-year deal, council members voted 9-2 on Wednesday to direct city staff to begin negotiations on a one-year extension of the current agreement. Council members who voted in favor of the one-year proposal say it's important to wait for voters to decide in May on dueling ballot items on police oversight before securing a long-term contract with officers.
"We believe that it is time to make it clear to Council that we need long term stability and that they cannot reject contracts they have known about for months and expect officers to just accept whatever they ask of us or hand us," the APA message continues. "Though Chapter 143 is not perfect, it is a legislatively established system that does offer us some stability to fall back on."
