New Haven Police Union and City Announce Tentative Contract Agreement

Staff reporter

Sophie Sonnenfeld, contributing photographer

After nearly two years of negotiations, the New Haven Police Department union has reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year contract for officers.

The collective agreement has been presented to union members for review, Officer Florencio Cotto – union president, Elm City Local – and Mayor Justin Elicker announced on a Tuesday Press release. If the 326 police officers currently represented by the union vote to ratify the contract, Elicker will present it to the Board of Alders for approval.

The agreement came after the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration imposed binding arbitration on the city and police union in early August, a move that hired a state-appointed third party to oversee contract negotiations. Subsequently, tensions between Cotto and Elicker increased criticized each other for delaying the process.

Union members will meet Monday for an information session, according to NHPD Officer Christian Bruckhart.

“We encourage all of our members to carefully review the details and participate in the upcoming vote scheduled in the next few weeks,” Cotto said in the news release.

The tentative contract calls for a nearly $20,000 increase in officers' starting salaries, a 25 percent salary increase over six years and new, less time-intensive work schedules. Other proposed changes include modified pension and health insurance plans, an online tool for reporting non-emergency crimes and tougher disciplinary procedures for officers charged with crimes.

New police recruits will receive a salary of $70,000 each year, a nearly 38 percent increase in starting salary over the previous contract. Elicker said this pay increase makes new NHPD officers “among the highest paid” in comparatively large cities in Connecticut.

The starting salary for police officers in Bridgeport is over $71,000, while new Hartford police officers have an annual salary of over $63,000. New recruits for the Yale Police Department over $76,000 every year.

The salary increases included in the contract total $7.5 million, in addition to $5.6 million in retroactive compensation. Civil servants would receive retroactive raises of 2.5 percent for the last two fiscal years since the end of the last contract and annual raises of 5 percent through 2028.

The goal of the raises is to “reward and retain” current officers, the press release said. The NHPD has had difficulties recruiting officers and retention in recent years.

“Part of the problem with recruiting was that you haven't had a contract for two years and our pay and benefits were certainly low compared to neighboring communities,” Bruckhart said.

The agreement also updates work schedules for patrol officers and administrative staff with the goal of providing them with a “better work-life balance,” the release said. Under the tentative contract, patrol officers would work five days, followed by three days off. Her current contract calls for a 5-2, 5-3 schedule – five days off, two days off, five days off, three days off.

Under the interim deal, officers charged with crimes could go on unpaid leave to ensure “appropriate accountability.”

“Every day, our officers perform outstanding work in very difficult circumstances, putting their lives on the line to keep our residents and streets safe,” Elicker said in the news release. “This is a contract that all parties can be proud of and one that I hope both union members and the Alders board will support.”

The current city budget funds 389 sworn police officers for the 2024/25 fiscal year.