York police receive smallest contract increase in decade, in line with GTA trend
Union members will receive pay increase of less than 2 per cent a year

YorkRegion.com
Sept. 7, 2016
Jeremy Grimaldi

York Regional Police officers will still be getting a raise every year, but it’s been scaled back from previous annual rises.

The news comes days after the police union and the York Regional Police Services Board signed their new contracts, some six months after their last agreement expired and mere days before conciliation was scheduled to begin.

The new four-year deal will be the trimmest in decades, with employees receiving a pay increase of just less than 2 per cent annually, having restrictions put on some of the health benefits and an elimination of a three-month salary gratuity after 30 years of service.

The rise is the lowest it has been for at least 10 years and possibly 20 years, years where police in York saw their salaries rise 3 and 4 per cent: In 2013 it was 3 per cent, 2014, 2.35 per cent and 2015 2.65 per cent.

However, these numbers appear to be part of a growing trend in GTA policing, with both Peel and Toronto police receiving similar deals recently.

 About 85 per cent of union members voted in favour of the new deal.

Union members will see limits set on physiotherapy and course tuition reimbursement, however they will see an extension of benefits to other physical and mental health benefits, namely psychological services, vision care, retirement healthcare spending and chiropractic care.

The contract comes months after services board chairperson and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti made comments to yorkregion.com suggesting the negotiations were going to be more difficult than in the past.

“For many municipalities, the cost of police compensation is up to 90 per cent of the service’s operating budget and that is not sustainable," he said at the time. "Arbitrated salary and benefit awards in policing have exceeded the rate of inflation, the cost of living and the salary adjustments negotiated or provided to other unionized and non-unionized staff in our communities. This is not sustainable."

When asked how he felt about Scarpitti’s comments, Todd Sepkowski, union president, suggested his comments were simply part of the negotiation process.

“I can’t speak for Mayor Scarpitti, but I think we have to recognize he has a role and we have a role,” he said.

As far as the contract goes, Sepkowski further noted that the union is keen to improve the efficiency of policing in York Region and that this contract is all about sustainability.

“This result provides value by focusing on sustainable policing, meaning York Region will continue to have a strong police service that is able to attract and retain the top police officers and civilian staff in Ontario,” he said.

Scarpitti struck a similar tone in his comments, suggesting the contract strikes the right balance between safety and fiscal responsibility.

“We want to make sure that our police officers and civilian staff are compensated for the important and valuable work that they do, but we need to also make sure that police services are affordable,” he said.

Despite the conciliatory tone, there remain certain outstanding issues. York Regional Police are continuing a work-to-rule campaign, despite it being scaled back, in which members are wearing T-shirts, ball caps and badges to voice their displeasure with certain police policies, including what the union called “punitive oversight” of officers.