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St. Paul Police, Mayor At Loggerheads Over Pay

ST. PAUL (WCCO) ― St. Paul Police Officers are not happy with their latest contract offer from the city's mayor. The St. Paul Police Federation says they will lose cops because of pay.

They've released a radio advertisement and have been posting signs to inform the public about the non-competitiveness of St. Paul's police salary compared to Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.

"The mayor refuses to acknowledge it or do anything about it," said David Titus, president of the St. Paul Police Federation. "The Federation is making sure that the taxpayers realize that they're being punished by his acts."

The Police Federation says Mayor Chris Coleman refuses to pay them competitively because their organization did not give him their endorsement in the most recent election. The Mayor's office disputes this claim.

The Police Federation agreed to a pay increase of 3.25 percent for the next three years, but requests an additional 2.3 percent in the last six months of 2010 to bring their wages up.

Currently, starting pay for officers in St. Paul is $46,000, which ranks them 14th. Minnetonka Police Department ranks highest, at $51,000 for their starting wage.

When it comes to pay after five years of service, St. Paul drops to a rank of 25th -- $59,000. The top department at the five-year mark, at $74,000 per year, is in Eden Prairie.

Approximately 600 officers in St. Paul have been working without a contract since the beginning of 2008.

Coleman's spokesperson says the city has not yet lost a single officer because of pay issues. They added that the city has added officers from 73 other jurisdictions. They called the controversy a "desperate piece of political theater."

Both sides are expected to go to arbitration. No date has been set.

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