Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association negotiate 12 percent raise in detail rate

Sandulli Grace, PC, client the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association increased the primary detail rate for Boston police officers by 12 percent under an agreement reached with the City of Boston, from $33 to $37.
The settlement caps a decade of litigation regarding the City’s unlawful changes to the detail system. In 1996, the City changed the detail system to prioritize certain assignments and did so without fulfilling its legal obligation to provide notice and an opportunity to bargain with the Union. The Union, with the assistance of Sandulli Grace, PC, charged the City with violating state labor laws. The Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission agreed with the BPPA. In a published decision, the Commission ruled that while the City has the right to set priorities for detail assignments, it must negotiate the implementation of such priorities with the BPPA. Furthermore, the Commission ruled, the City must negotiate any changes in the context of ongoing successor negotiations, if the Union so requests.

The pact establishes two detail rates. The priority rate, $37, applies to all critical details including those on major routes. The second rate, $33, applies to all other details. The BPPA’s research indicates that the far majority of details will use the higher rate.

In addition to agreeing to the higher rate, the City also agreed to eliminate the monthly work (320 hours) cap, Instead, the parties agreed to limit maximum number of weekly number of hours that a police officer may work to 90. This limit applies only to hours actually worked and does not include paid leave, for instance.

BPPA President Tom Nee told the Boston Globe, ”I think the real story here [is that] ‘the city and the union were able to get something done without pointing bazookas at each other."

Base pay for patrol officers was about $46,000 at this time last year, but detail work and overtime pushed numerous salaries to more than $100,000. Unlike in other states, cities in Massachusetts routinely require that police officers direct traffic at construction sites.

As part of the deal, the union also agreed to settle three other smaller pending labor grievances.