The Hinsdale Village Board tentatively approved a new three-year contract with its police officers effective May 1.
The contract gives the officers a raise of 2 percent in each of the first two years, and then 2.5 percent in the third year of the agreement, police union and village officials said.
According to the wage scale provided by the village, the starting salary for a new police officer hired after May 1 is $64,310. After an 18 month-probationary period, he or she advances to the next level, where the salary will be $68,878 as of May 1, 2017.
For the next six years after an officer comes off probation, he or she receives an annual step increase, in addition to the raise guaranteed by the contract.
An officer who had worked six years with the department as of May 1, not including his probation, would earn $93,371 this year.
The maximum salary an officer can earn, which is based on the number of years worked and a performance evaluation, is $96,732 this year. As of May 1, 2018, the last year of the new contract, the maximum salary will increase to $101,133.
Nineteen police officers on the Hinsdale Police Department are covered by the agreement, said Emily Wagner, Hinsdale’s administration manager. The officers ratified the agreement on May 2, she reported.
Attorneys are reviewing the agreement, before it is officially adopted. The previous contract, which also was for three years, expired April 30.
Representatives of both the village and the police officers said negotiations went smoothly and agreement was reached after just three meetings.
The village and the Fraternal Order of Police have had a bargaining relationship for many years, said John Roche, an attorney with the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, who represented the Hinsdale officers.
“A lot of issues that could come up have been dealt with over the years,” Roche said.
Changes in the agreement include allowing employees to use more hours of accrued sick time to care for a family member.
This year, officers can use up to 24 hours of accrued sick time to care for a family member. Effective May 1, 2017, all village employees will be able to use up to 32 hours of accrued time in the fiscal year. On May 1, 2018, the maximum will increase to 40 hours of accrued sick time to care for a spouse, child, stepchild or parent.
Also under the new agreement, the premium pay for detectives called in to work when they are off-duty will rise from 1.5 times the rate of pay to double the rate of pay.
“The village is pleased we were able to reach a voluntary agreement that is mutually beneficial for the members of the Police Department and the village,” village manager Kathleen Gargano said.
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