Wenatchee City Council Approves New 3 Year Police Contract

The Wenatchee City Council approved a new three year collective bargaining agreement Thursday night.  The Wenatchee Police Guild President Brian Chance said he was pleased to get new language into the agreement. " There are a lot of practices that have been established that have been going on for years within the agency that have been verbal agreements or understandings through past practice.  This year we were able to discuss some of those things and  get them solidified in ink in the contract"  Chance said the Wenatchee Police Guild vote last week to ratify the contract was unanimous.

Police Guild President Sgt. Brian Chance

Police Chief Steve Crown said he was pleased to complete the new contract after lengthy negotiations that began last August.   "One of the things you have to keep in mind is salary and benefits and you have to stay (competitive) in that market.  I don't think it was necessarily a contentious issue, but hitting the right number, that took a little time" said Crown.

The new contract, retroactive to January 1st, is in place through December 2020 and reflects a 2 point 75% increase for this year and 4% increases in both 2019 and 2020.  Officers serving on SWAT will receive a 2% premium. It increases education incentives to 2% for Officers with an AA degree, 4% for a BA/BS  .

Mayor Kuntz noted that approving the agreement was the right thing to do but the contract increases in 2019 and 2020 will be a factor in the budget.