EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The City of El Paso and the El Paso Municipal Police Officers’ Association have completed their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) discussion.
In a historic vote, the association approved the proposed agreement. More than 1,000 association members voted in favor of the new agreement, while only 10 voted against it, according to the City of El Paso.
The agreement is set to go before the El Paso City Council during the regular city council meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 28.
The city says the CBA includes pay raises for everyone across the board and a $10,000 pay raise for police cadets. Cadets are said to not be a part of the CBA due to them not being formally police officers until completing the Police Academy. The city adds that cadets will get a 13 percent increase when they become police officers and a 2.5 percent increase each year after.
“Our main goal of the CBA negotiations was to improve recruitment and retention of existing staff and this agreement accomplishes this goal. Public Safety is a priority in our Strategic Plan, approved by the Council in 2015. We have increased the number of officers with the ‘2015-16 Hire 300 Plan.’ We have also replaced equipment, vehicles, and motorcycles, and we have increased staffing with more training academies budgeted each year since the passage of the 2015 Strategic Plan. We are also executing the 2019 Public Safety Bond, another demonstration of our commitment and this community’s commitment to public safety,” said City Manager Tommy Gonzalez.
The City’s Police and Fire Departments reportedly make up about 60 percent of the city’s overall budget at about $305.7 million for Public Safety in FY 2023, according to the City of El Paso.
