Pleasanton Police Union Declares Contract Negotiations Impasse

PLEASANTON, CA — The City of Pleasanton and the Pleasanton Police Officers’ Association declared an impasse on Wednesday in negotiations over upcoming contracts. Current contracts for Pleasanton police officers expire Wednesday, May 31.

The Pleasanton Police Officers’ Association said in a statement that the Pleasanton Police Department is experiencing “significant staffing shortages” that have resulted in the disbandment of specialized units and prompted emergency scheduling. The PPOA said that in the past year, the department has failed to meet minimum patrol staffing levels over 200 times.

On Monday, Pleasanton Weekly reported that the PPD has temporarily disbanded three units in special enforcement, crime prevention and traffic units, and reassigned its officers to cover patrol duties due to staffing shortages.

The PPOA said that the main reason for the staffing shortage is below-average compensation. As of June 2022, a Pleasanton police officer can expect to make anywhere from $50 to $61 an hour ($104,770-$127,275 a year), while sergeants can make anywhere from $59.79 to $72.70 an hour ($124,363 to $151,216 a year), according to city records.

Transparent California shows that Livermore police officers in 2021 made base salaries of around $117,000, and total benefits of around $363,000. An Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Deputy in Dublin can expect to make a starting salary of $95,014-$104,561, while a more experienced deputy can expect to make from $110,656 to $134,368, according to current job postings.

The City of Pleasanton said Thursday that the PPOA rejected its offer of a 15-percent pay increase over a three-year contract for officers, and an 18-percent raise for sergeants, which it said represents one of the largest pay increases for police personnel in its history.

The city said in a news release that it agreed to an initial six-percent increase for officers and nine-percent increase for sergeants, starting June 1, with additional increases over the next two years. The city also agreed to PPOA requests to triple the city’s contribution to employees’ retiree health savings accounts, and provide an additional five-percent premium pay for specific departmental assignments.

The city said that proposal on offer would increase city costs by more than $6.6 million over three years, at a time when city expenditures are expected to outpace revenue.

The PPOA said in a statement that this offer would still place officer compensation below market averages and medians. It also said that the city has rejected proposals for career incentive programs to promote the retention of experienced officers, and proposals to restore certain minimum standards for qualified candidates.

“The urgency to attract and retain highly qualified personnel stems from vacancies, injuries,
and the exodus of personnel to other law enforcement agencies, creating a need for the
Department to hire at least 25 police officers within the next two years,” the PPOA said in a news release. “This significant discrepancy puts Pleasanton at a disadvantage in recruiting and retaining the best law enforcement professionals, and all but ensuring further staffing shortages.”

Pleasanton Police Chief David Swing told Pleasanton Weekly that the recent staff deployments will mean that enforcement of certain traffic-related issues will “not be as extensive as it has been,” but “critical functions of those units will still occur.”