After a year and a half without a contract, New Haven's finest could soon be seeing a new 5-year deal. A vote on the New Haven police contract is planned for Wednesday night.
The contract has been a hot button issue with New Haven's police officers and even led to some expedited retirements because of the threat of what could happen.
The officers have been worried about their wages, health care and pension, while the city has been worried about burdening the taxpayers with too large of a police budget.
“It's a fair contract in the sense that it preserves what's important to the union in terms of wages and benefits, and I think for us what it does it delivers to taxpayers an affordable agreement,” Mayor John DeStefano said last month.
However, not all the rank and file believe it's fair, and they're worried about their livelihood.
Police Union President Lou Cavalier Jr. said last month that the contract keeps things pretty much status quo.
It provides a 9 percent wage increase over the entire contract, only a small increase in benefit payments and keeps a pension for veteran officers after 20 years on the force. New officers coming onto the job wouldn't see the same benefits, but would have that information ahead of time.
If the police officers approve the new deal, the Board of Aldermen will have to approve it.
The contract would run through 2016.
