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Cops in Ft. Lauderdale are fed up and they're not going to take it anymore. Tired of understaffing and working without a contract, the union is undertaking a number of aggressive measures designed to educate the public about their problems. Drivers in Ft. Lauderdale were recently faced with a serious question posed by a billboard: "What is your safety worth?" it asks.
The billboard, taken out by the Ft. Lauderdale police association, is warning residents and tourists alike that the police department is dangerously understaffed and that officers have been working without a contract. A half-page ad that ran in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel had a similar advisory warning and officers even brought their message to tourists by handing out flyers at the International Boat Show last October.
And Ft. Lauderdale cops say the effort may get even larger – they are thinking about running their ads on TV and radio and in various travel publications. The cops say that despite recent drops in crime, the trend probably won't last and the staff levels are dangerous for officers. The contract expired late last year and negotiations in a time of budget cuts have proved difficult. Police say they want a better retirement plan along with a two percent annual increase in their paychecks.
But public employee pensions are on the chopping block because of a weak economy and dwindling tax collections. Ft. Lauderdale prevailed over its largest union this year, persuading general employees to give up a city-backed pension for future hires. Instead, they'll have 401K accounts like those in private industry, where the city contributes a fixed nine percent of salary. That plan did not get a warm reception at Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 31.
Police originally wanted 31.5 percent raises over the three-year contract. When they couldn't get that, union president Jack Lokeinsky said they'd settle for no raises. The bigger concern was retirement. Police pensions are much more costly, requiring the city this year to pay the equivalent of 49 percent of an officer's salary into the retirement fund. The officers contribute 7 percent. City spokesman Ted Lawson said union contract negotiations give rise to strategies like the union's ad campaign.
But the city still thinks a contract can be reached, he said, and neither side has walked away for good. "We're going to work as hard as we can to resolve this as soon as possible," Lawson said. "It's unsettling, and this is an example." A flier advertising jobs for Fort Lauderdale officers says the salary starts at $43,393 and goes up to $63,897.
Top pay can be reached in six years. Officers get up to five weeks of vacation. An officer hired at age 20 can retire at 40 and earn 67.6 percent of their annual income as long as they live. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        
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