May 2, 2008

Negotiator: Daly City may face police exodus

Union urges officials to offer fair wages, benefits

By Christine Morente / Bay Area News Group

Daly City's police officers are working without a contract, and John Noble wants to fix that.

The negotiator for the Daly City Police Officers Association warned the city council this week that unless a fair wage and retirement benefits package is offered, "a flood" of police officers could leave the agency because of inadequate compensation.

Daly City officers' salaries and benefits are 6 percent below the average compared to other public safety agencies in San Mateo County, according to Noble, a labor relations representative from the firm Rains Lucia Stern.

"We don't understand the compensation philosophy of the council," said Noble, who added that the association is not close to an agreement. The labor contract expired 11 months ago.

Police Chief Gary McLane could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Daly City Finance Director Don McVey said he could not speak directly about the negotiations, but he said they are waiting to see what effect the state budget will have on the city.

"That does not directly affect negotiations, but it's something we have to consider," he said Thursday. "We don't know the final answer until the state budget is actually adopted. That could be in September the way things are going."

He expects to get the first clue May 15 when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger presents an updated budget plan to the state Legislature. The city is expected to begin budget talks in June.

On Monday, Noble pointed out during a council meeting that there is a crisis in staffing for police agencies nationwide and that "qualified candidates for entry-level positions are sorely lacking." He said recruitment costs can range from $80,000 to $120,000.

Daly City currently is recruiting for some vacancies in the police department.

Yet, Noble - a former police officer in Long Beach and Santa Rosa - fears that officers could be enticed by other agencies with the promise of better wages or other incentives.

"When I started in 1969, people walked across broken glass to work as a police officer," he said. "And when there were notifications that police openings were available, we used to get thousands of applications. Now, when police agencies advertise openings, they get very, very few applicants for the positions. It is just really, really difficult."

McVey said he is not worried about police officers leaving the department. He is not aware of any future meetings with the union.

"Daly City has a history of excellent retention of all of its employees," he said. "People stay here."