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MPD union, city contract negotiations
As the Milwaukee Police Association and the city remain in the midst of contentious contract negotiations, details normally dealt with behind closed doors are now out in the open.
MILWAUKEE - As the Milwaukee Police Association and the city remain in the midst of contentious contract negotiations, details normally dealt with behind closed doors are now out in the open.
‘Unacceptable’ wages
By the numbers:
Alex Ayala, the union's president, said officers are working with "unacceptable" wages from 2022. That's when their contract with the city ran out.
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"What the mayor's offering is a slap in the face," said Ayala.
Newly released documents show the MPA is asking for a 12.75% increase spread out over the three years, while the city is proposing a 9% increase over the three years with no back pay in 2023.
Alex Ayala
Mayor, MPA president
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News caught up with Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Friday.
"I want our police officers to be paid, but I also recognize the challenges that the city faces as well," he said. "I think we'll get there and make sure there's something acceptable to both the union as well as the city."
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"Officers are dying, officers are getting shot and getting killed in the line of duty, so I don't know – are we worth 12.75? I mean that's the question I want to ask the mayor," Ayala said.
The mayor said, like previous negotiations with other unions, the conversation is best held at the table. He said he stands behind the force.
Cavalier Johnson
"I value the work that our police officers do each and every single day in Milwaukee," said Johnson.
Ayala said that's hard to believe.
"Otherwise, I would've gotten a phone call already saying, 'hey, Alex, I want to settle this, let's give you the wages that you guys are asking for,'" he said.
Milwaukee police downtown staffing shortages, officer pay issues
Milwaukee police are investigating staffing shortages downtown. FOX6 uncovered that only a few officers were working downtown one night this week.
Contract negotiations
What's next:
The union and city are negotiating a contract that's set to end this December. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, both sides will head to arbitration in September.
"I am very confident that our data and our research shows that we're going to win arbitration. If the city wants to gamble on that, let them gamble," said Ayala.
Johnson said he thinks both sides can negotiate something that is mutually acceptable.
The Source: FOX6 News conducted interviews and referenced information from the Milwaukee Police Association, Milwaukee Police Department and City of Milwaukee.