Police, Borough Reach Tentative Contract Deal

Canonsburg borough and its police department have come to a tentative three-year contract agreement, officials confirmed this week.

"I think it went pretty well," Councilman Rich Russo, who sat on the borough's negotiating team, said. "We avoided arbitration, and both sides were happy about that."

The tentative agreement calls for police to receive a 3.25 percent salary increase—an 81-cent-an-hour hike—each of the three years, Russo said.

The agreement also calls for police to contribute 2 percent of their gross annual base salary toward their health care plans. Another 2.5 percent will go toward their pension plans.

Under the current contract, police paid 1 percent toward their healthcare in 2009 and 1.5 percent in 2010 and 2011.

Russo said the agreement must be ratified by the police union before council can take a vote. He said he expected that action to be taken at council's November meeting.