Police pay deal shuts mayors out

Mayor Kirk Caldwell said Friday that he and other Hawaii mayors tried to meet with an arbitration recommendation panel about their concerns over significant increases in standard-of-conduct differential pay being considered for the state’s police officers but were told a decision had already been made.

"The mayors got together when we were told what the award was going to be. … We wanted to meet with the (arbitration) panel and pre­sent our case on the standard-of-conduct part of it," Caldwell said. "We never got a chance to. As we were moving forward … the window was shut, and they said, ‘We’re going to (go) forward and make the announcement.’"

The arbitrated agreement gives police officers in the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers a raise in the differential from about $1 to roughly $4 an hour over the next four years. For taxpayers the increase means about $43.4 million in added costs to a package that will cost $200 million over four years.

"That’s a tremendous increase, and I’m concerned, looking forward, next time we negotiate, how is that going to jump?" Caldwell said.

Caldwell, who received the SHOPO endorsement in last year’s mayoral election, said he understands and appreciates the need for a standard-of-conduct differential. However, he said, "we didn’t think it was going to be as high as it was, and I was hoping we could have gone back and talked about a more gradual increase."

For more than a decade, officers have been receiving $1 for every hour that they work, essentially as compensation for being required by HPD policy to be on call and adhere to the department’s standard of conduct 24 hours a day.

That differential goes to $2 an hour for most officers this fiscal year under the new contract, then climbs each year to a high of $3.80 an hour by July 1, 2016, Caldwell’s report said. Higher-ranking officers get $2.20 an hour this year, then $4 an hour starting in 2016.

Officers are also getting semiannual base salary increases that add up to about a 16.8 percent increase over four years. They are also getting an additional $500 annual allowance if they are required to carry a firearm.

Caldwell announced the agreement last week but gave no details then about the increase in the standard-of-conduct differential.

The mayor said he was barred by the agreement from disclosing those terms publicly until SHOPO had a chance to provide the details to its membership.

HPD Chief Louis Kea­loha said the raises will not cut police services or programs. "After working without a contract for the past two years, the pay raise is deserved and good news for the officers," he said in a statement. "I understand the city’s financial concerns and want to assure the public that the raises will result in greater productivity and accountability from our officers."

SHOPO President Tenari Ma’a­fala could not be reached for comment Friday.