By Michael Moore Jr.
The Bradenton Herald
BRADENTON, Fla. — A local police union recently won a legal battle against the City of Bradenton over unpaid wages.
An arbitrator ruled that the city owes 14 police officers and two sergeants salary adjustments and over a year’s worth of unpaid wage increases.
The Southwest Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents officers with the Bradenton Police Department, filed a class action grievance in October 2023 after arguing that the city didn’t honor the terms of a labor contract.
“The contract would have provided long overdue raises during the years in which the officers’ salaries were frozen by the city,” according to the union.
The police union called the ruling a “major victory for the hard-working men and women who risk their lives maintaining safety in the City of Bradenton every day.”
“We are very pleased with the arbitrator’s decision, which is not only a victory for our members and their families, it’s also a victory for the citizens of Bradenton who care deeply about their police force and understand that investing in our workforce is an investment in public safety as well,” said Southwest Florida PBA President Mick McHale .
The City of Bradenton did not respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
The Bradenton Police Department declined to comment when reached by the Bradenton Herald.
Arbitrator sides with Bradenton police union
The matter went to arbitration after the union and the City couldn’t reach an agreement about “step increases,” periodic built-in pay increases based on an officer’s experience and position.
Sixteen Bradenton police personnel were not paid “step increases” that were supposed to go into effect on Oct. 1, 2023 , according to the ruling. The arbitrator ordered the City to pay retroactive wages to the police affected during that time.
The City argued there was a misunderstanding during contract negotiations, but arbitrator Theodore H. O’Brien ruled that the language was clear.
“In my opinion, one thing is clear from the evidence in the record — the negotiators agreed, during collective bargaining, to place all bargaining unit members on a step that is consistent with their years of service. There is no other way to interpret this contract provision unless one chooses to ignore the clear language of that paragraph,” O’Brien wrote in his ruling.
O’Brien also ordered the City to pay the full cost of the arbitration, which was $10,000 plus their attorney’s fees.
McHale and the police union praised O’Brien’s ruling and said the raises were long overdue.
“They worked for years without receiving the raises that reflected their essential service to our city. And in response, the City brazenly and shamefully tried to deny them the money they were owed and legally entitled to. We are pleased that these men and women will finally be made whole and we will continue to vigorously fight to protect their employment rights,” McHale said.
An arbitrator ruled that the City of Bradenton failed to provide Bradenton Police Department officers with owed wage increases. T
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