Pay Raise

[Mike Glasser]

The City will announce this morning, a 10% pay raise for the NOPD retroactive to July 1, 2006.

[Officer Robert Ferrier]

for the information....not to sound greedy, but 10% is not enough.....but I guess it is a start.

[Mike Glasser]

But it's better than nothing, especially from a City with no money. If we can get the City to make the P/O II, III and IV promotions soon as well, at least the patrol officers can realize additional 5%, 10% and 15% raises along with the 10%, making the raises somewaht more meaningful. There will be many officers that can see as much as a 25% raise in that case. I will let you what I learn.

[Daniel McMullen]

Thanks for the info LT. What about longevity increases? Has the city caught up with them yet?

[Mike Glasser]

Those raises should be more or less automatic. If you think you are entitled to a "step" or longevity raise that you have not gotten, contact Payroll. If you have a problem please let me know.

[Billy]

10% is better then no % !

[Officer Robert Ferrier]

10% is better than nothing......hopefully this gets through, EMS and Fire are not happy and will scream loudly about not being part of the raise....Thanx again for the info Lt.

[Paul_Noel]

While I am very happy that we were able to obtain a long over due raise, I am very concerned that a 10% pay raise will not do enough to retain our veteran officers and attract quality recruits. Retention and recruitment should be the purpose of pay raise and I do not think that goal has been achieved. Until we are able to retain our good officers and attract quality recruits, our NOPD will not reach its full potentional. In any case, I am happy to be on the receiving end of a pay increase. With the financial state of the city we are lucky we received a 10% raise. Hopefully more raises will follow in the future!

[Forgotten]

10 characters

[Mike Glasser]

http://www.wwltv.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=77643&catId=53

WWLTv.com I-news for July 25, 2006

[James Gourlie]

Mike,

Your comments were extremely fair and well balanced. I agree with you that this pay increase will probably have little effect on the overall retention and recruitment of officers. It's really too little, too late. Your suggestion of built in cost of living adjustments is the right direction.

The department I work for now, is still trying to have the state recognize my training with the NOPD. However, I am still earning almost 40% more than I did with with the NOPD. In addition I am saving 260% on health care. The department offers cost of living and step increases along with yearly evaluation increases. Within the first three days of employment I became Tazer certified. I will be required to re-certify in SFST and intoxilyzer 5000 and the list of training required or available goes on.

Of course you know my situation and know there were other factors in my decision to leave the NOPD. However, when you compare what this and many other departments around the country offer, does the Administration really want or believe they can minimize the number of officers retiring or resigning?

[Mike Glasser]

Thanks JG. I have a few thoughts on this raise issue, and then I’ll leave it alone for a while. With respect to the raise itself, while 10% is not enormous, it still represents between $3,000 and $ 6,000 annually (depending on tenure & rank) per officer. When you consider that some officers work code 25 or grant overtime, or have a fair amount of court overtime, that will translate to substantially more. I have heard where some officers have called that a “slap in the face.” I find that to be extremely ungrateful and childish. In a crushed City that has no sound tax base and no money, they still give the police several thousands of dollars more per year, and they are insulted? If they are that offended, they should make their point by giving their extra money to the EMTs, who I am sure would be more grateful for it, or to the American Cancer Society or Muscular Dystrophy or some other worthy cause. There are always those people who will criticize a free hamburger because it wasn’t a steak.

As for the purpose of the raise, that’s another story. The raise puts extra cash in the pockets of the officers. But is it enough of a raise to compel police applicants to choose the NOPD over other agencies? Probably not, or at least, not many. Will it keep officers on the job who were considering other options? Probably not, or at least, not many. Realistically, post-K living in New Orleans is difficult at best, and everyone considers leaving every day. So what keeps the majority here?

Some are too close to pension or have too much time invested to start over or lose pensionable time moving to another jurisdiction and pension plan. But most could leave if they really wanted to. But why does anyone join the NOPD to start with? It was never, to the best of my recollection, the top paying department around (or at least not by much, if ever). The NOPD never offered take home cars to every patrol officer. And the NOPD has never been the Training Mecca of the South. So why come to the NOPD?

There are some soldiers who are stationed in Honolulu and some who go to Iraq. There are those soldiers who are in the service for the salary & benefits, and some who joined to go to war. They are the ones who go to Iraq.
There are some officers who joined the NOPD for the salary and the benefits. There are some who came to be crime fighters. They go where the crime is. And there is hardly anyplace I know of where there is more crime to fight or a greater need to fight it than right here in the Crescent City. All those people need is an excuse to stay. That excuse usually takes the form of a living wage. Many times it winds up being extra details or overtime or a second job to complete that living wage, but they do it because they want to work here. Those officers who joined because it paid more than their last job or has better health insurance, please go to JPSO or some other line of work entirely. Keep flipping through the want ads or internet looking for that next higher paying gig.

What we really need is an annual cost-of-living raise. A small percentage raise EVERY year, so that each year, you earn a little more than the year before. Something to look forward to. A way to battle inflation and the added costs of supporting a family.

I am not saying that dedicated officers should just suck it all up and just work more details, or leave. There are many reasons not to join or stay with the NOPD but only one reason to stay. I am saying that the ONLY thing NOPD ever offered over anywhere else was the chance to do an incredible amount of police work. And nowhere is it more desperately needed. They find a way to balance their dedication with their responsibility to their families. I started my police career at $700 a month with $100 State pay. I raised a child through high school and college and have done it for nearly 30 years, and I know what it costs to do that, in both money and personal time. But I wouldn’t trade my career with the NOPD, even with some of the major speedbumps I’ve endured, for a career with Mayberry P.D. no matter what they paid. But that’s just me.

[Billy]

Mike you said...
"I have heard where some officers have called that a “slap in the face.” I find that to be extremely ungrateful and childish. In a crushed City that has no sound tax base and no money, they still give the police several thousands of dollars more per year, and they are insulted?"

I have also heard this and when you talk to the person saying this the reason I have heard is because of the rumors that a 30 % or greater pay raise was suppose to be coming.

Looking at the big picture I think it shows the Mayor and the Chief are putting a lot of faith in the NOPD to help the city grow, who knows if the city grows back a good tax base we may see a bigger raise.

Just my opinion.

[James Gourlie]

There are many challenges facing the department and pay is only one of them. While the ten percent increase isn't going to have me uprooting my family anytime soon to come back to New Orleans, it is a step in the right direction. The department appears to have finally realized they must do something for their officers. My hope is that they would include PANO and FOP in further decision making and in the development of plans to revitilize the department.

LT, you have a lot on your plate, however you're the only person I know that doesn't look out of place sitting at a table for giants.

[Mike Glasser]

Billy, I do believe that the NOPD will get additional raises down the line and not too far down the line, either. Certainly, there is no downside for Superintendent Riley in his asking the City for more raises for NOPD personnel. The more they pay, the better candidates for new hire and retention he'll realize. It's the City administration who has to decide where their limited funds will go. Remember, what ever they add to our budget they take away from somewhere else.
I know evenyone is a little disappointed that the the raise isn't more than what it is. The younger officers are trying to support themselves and their families and the older officers are looking to build their pensions with their last few years. But I am confident that more raises will come before too long.

[Scotchymcdrinkerbean]

The City will announce this morning, a 10% pay raise for the NOPD retroactive to July 1, 2006.

Not quite yet though--remember, it is a proposal which will be decided on by the Council on September 1st, which is a Friday (historically the best day to let stories slide by under the radar of the public.)

[platoon26]

I don't know how true this new rumor is, but I was told that the proposed pay raise is just what it will be proposed. Supposedly, the pay raise will not take effect due to NOFD filing a lawsuit. Does anybody know if this statement is true? And if this is true maybe NOPD should file a lawsuit. It seems as though every time NOFD doesn't get their way a lawsuit is filed. I understand the men and women of NOFD has a dangerous job, but so does the men and women of NOPD. NOPD should not be compared to NOFD. NOFD employees not only work details, but have secondary jobs and receive a cost of living increase yearly and state supplemental pay. On top of that they actually work less days than police officers and they want a raise. Not saying they don't deserve one but the police department is in dire need at this moment in time. If NOFD gets a raise and keep winning settlements due to all of the lawsuits which are filed that department should be the highest paid in the country.