'Highly Unusual': LAPD Union Declares Impasse In Contract Talks

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Officials with the union representing nearly 10,000 Los Angeles Police Department officers announced Friday the "highly unusual" step of declaring an impasse in salary negotiations with the city.

KNX 1070's Margaret Carrero reports officials with the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) and attorneys held a news conference on the steps of City Hall at 10 a.m. to publicly announce the decision.

In a statement, union officials called the move "highly unusual", noting that "most labor impasses are called for by management or municipalities, not labor organizations." The union statement blamed the city for a "lack of good faith bargaining."

Following the expiration of the contract with LAPD officers in June, union members rejected a proposed one-year deal in July that would have raised officers' starting pay from $49,000 to $57,000 and restored the overtime pay budget to about $70 million.

The proposed contract lacked pay raises for existing officers, which LAPPL President Tyler Izen called a "slap in the face" to his members and led to a draft agreement being voted down.

"Public safety delivered by well-trained, quality individuals cannot be had on the cheap," said Izen.

City Councilman Mike Bonin told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that other city agencies have suffered during financially lean years even as they kept the LAPD growing.

"When we put public safety first, we need to make sure that we don't particularly neglect our transportation department, our planning department, our recreation and parks department, our library, and God knows, our fire department," said Bonin.

LAPPL officials have long complained that their salaries fall short of those for police officers in neighboring cities.

In July, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the pay dispute is more about a "mathemetical problem" than any lack of respect for the job police officers do on a daily basis.

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