Tinley Approves Contract With Police After Nearly 2 Years Of Negotiations

TINLEY PARK, IL — After two years of sometimes heated negotiations, the Tinley Park Village Board on Tuesday approved a four-year contract with the Metropolitan Alliance of Police (MAP) Tinley Park Chapter #192.

Mayor Michael Glotz told the Chicago Tribune that the agreement contains 4 percent salary increases each year of the contract. The pact was ratified by members and was pending final execution, the union told the outlet.

In exchange for retroactive payments, the union also agreed to withdraw unfair labor practices charges, according to village documents.

A tentative agreement was reached between the village and the union in January, according to the board agenda, which added, "All necessary changes to the collective bargaining agreement have been made and reviewed by the Village, MAP Attorneys, and members."

The police union's previous contract expired in April 2024, but stayed in effect as negotiations dragged on.

The agreement comes after often contentious negotiations.

In July, the two sides remained deadlocked despite meeting with a mediator. A month later, tensions between the union and village leadership hit a boiling point, with three dozen officers casting a vote of no confidence in Tinley Park Police Chief Thomas Tilton, who was named chief in 2024.

But the union said the no-confidence vote was the result of "well-documented issues," not the stalled contract negotiations. The union president said the intent of the vote was to "address serious concerns with the leadership, culture, and operational integrity of the Tinley Park Police Department under Chief Tilton" — not collective bargaining.

The Village fired back in Tilton's defense, outlining swelling overtime costs surfaced by an audit among its issues during contract deliberations, and saying in a statement that the chief had "made significant strides attempting to fix bad and costly practices that have been going on for decades."

Now, according to the Tribune, union President Fadi Hasan and Vice President JP Garrity have issued a statement acknowledging "the road to this contract was not easy," but adding, "This agreement reflects the dedication and patience of our membership, who continued to serve the Tinley Park community with professionalism and distinction throughout a difficult and drawn-out process"