Toronto police officers are getting a raise thanks to an arbitrated settlement between the city's police services board and the Toronto Police Association.The award, which comes after 13 months of sometimes acrimonious bargaining, will mean that by the end of three years, Toronto police will finally be paid more than Peel Regional Police officers - a goal for the union.
The pay hike over three years will amount to a 10.309 per cent wage increase, and increase the city's costs by 9.9 per cent. That means that at the end, a Toronto first-class constable will earn $81,249 - $238 more than the counterpart at Peel.
The agreement also establishes an annual health care spending account for retired officers between 65 and 75, of $2,500 in 2009 and $3,000 in 2010.
Both union and management were satisfied with the settlement.
"It's an award that we can quite satisfactorily live with," said Toronto Police Services Board chair Alok Mukherjee. "I'm pleased that a protracted discussion has come to an end, on a basis I think is fair."
Toronto Police Association President Dave Wilson said the union didn't get everything that it wanted - officers must still work on the new February holiday Family Day, and various other management rights are retained. But he said it was a good settlement given the times.
"We think based on the current environment and based on what's going on around us, we're satisfied with this," he said. "We think the arbitrator has done a good job of balancing the needs of the police service's board and the police service. Clearly there isn't as much as we wanted in this deal, but it does give us a couple of key points."
He pointed out that a Toronto police officer is only slightly ahead of Peel.
"But it keeps us in a place that keeps us competitive," he said.
Mayor David Miller, who sits on the police services board, said the settlement is fair but it will have an impact on the city's budget. The wage package alone means it will cost an additional $65 million over the course of the contract. By 2010, Miller predicted the police budget will top $1 billion.
"The award by itself will create a pressure in next year's budget equal to a two per cent property tax hike," said Miller.
But he said officers in Toronto deserved the pay hike.
"The city of Toronto is a tough place to be a police officer - they deserve to be fairly paid," he said.