Scotia police officers won a big victory on Thursday in their ongoing fight with village officials for a pay raise.
The police union wanted a 3.5 percent increase to the salary schedule for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, a comparable raise to what other village employees received during this time. Village officials rejected this idea, but the union's proposal was basically approved by the New York State Public Employees Relations Board, which approved a 3.25 percent wage increase for the three pay periods from 2009 to 2012 and 2 percent increases for the next two years. The average increase is about 2.75 percent a year.
"The award is a compromise," reads the NYS PERB report. "Although it does not fulfill all of the wishes of either party, it is accepted by all three panel members."
Read the full settlement below.
The police argued their members should be paid like officers in surrounding Schenectady County municipalities, like Glenville, and not like officers in the villages of Herkimer, Hudson Falls and Ilion. Scotia officials suggested the comparison to other villages because they have a similar population and the same type of government. The panel found that the town of Glenville was the most relevant comparison for the Village of Scotia, because the village is located in the town and they share other commonalities.
Regarding the village's ability to meet the demands of the police union, the panel found that the village wasn't as poor as it claimed. "The panel finds that the village has the ability to pay for this award and that the wage and other increases awarded herein constitute a fair and reasonable award," reads the report.
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