What THEY

want you to know

about the Vallejo Police Salary Survey

or

How what goes up can never go down (at least in Vallejo)

By Robert Schussel, Ph.D

1/11/12

Purpose

To provide an analysis of the City of Vallejo seven city salary comparison that determines the size of the raise VPOA members (Vallejo Police Officers Organization) receive.

Background

As part of negotiation while the City was in bankruptcy in 2009, seven cities out of an initial comparison group of fourteen were selected for a salary comparison survey. To determine the percent raise the City of Vallejo Human Resources Department contacted the seven cities and obtained the top step salary for the rank of police officer. If the City pays some or all employees' contribution for their pension, this amount is added to the salary. VPOA (Vallejo Police Officers Association) members receive the average of the 7 comparison cities, some of which are among the highest paid in the Bay Area. While the survey was to be completed by October 1 2011 it was not made available to the public until November 1, 2011.

For the 2010/11 fiscal year VPOA members received a 6.29% raise PRIOR ARTICLE. The City reported that for 2011/12 VPOA members will receive a (slight) .0824% raise (about $100 for the rank of Police Officer). With both years' raise the top step base salary for a Vallejo Police officer is $102,060. This does not include educational incentives, longevity pay etc.

The results from the individual cities as well as the manner in which the City of Vallejo calculates pay increases raise some serious concerns.

Caveats

The information for this article was obtained from several sources:

--California Public Records Act requests

--websites of the 7 comparison cities

--discussions with the Director of Human Resources and the Vallejo City Attorney.

Methodology

If a city requires an employee to pay more than a 9% contribution (which VPOA members are required to contribute) toward their pension the additional amount is NOT taken into consideration. A similar situation exists for comparison city employees who are required to take furlough days. The lost pay is not taken into consideration for the salary survey. The City claims this methodology is standard throughout the state. However nothing in the VPOA Supplemental MOU (Memorandum of Understanding i.e. contract) addresses the City position nor did the City produce any evidence supporting this claim. Failure to consider the downward impact of these factors on the comparison cities' wages acts to drive up the wage calculations for Vallejo.

Example if an employee in city A makes $100,000 per year and contributes 9% toward their pension and an employee in City B makes $100,000 but is required to make a 13% contribution (about $4,000 more than city A) both are considered to make $100,000 per year. Currently Alameda requires 11% and Hayward requires a 12% employee pension contribution.

The Vallejo HR Director stated that unless the gross wage shown on the paycheck is reduced the additional pension contribution is not taken into account for the salary survey.

It should be noted that if a city paid some or all of the employees' pension contribution the amount was included in the employees' wages. Currently only San Leandro pays the employees 9% contribution but is requiring Police Officers to be furloughed for 6 days (about a $2,000 pay reduction). The pay reduction resulting from the furlough is not taken into consideration.

Findings

1) The City states that due to past practices "it is required that the City and the Union both agree on the survey results and the actual amount of the raise" before the raw data is released.

A written policy does not exist.

As of this date I have not received a letter from the City Attorney that justifies the city's position that it has the legal right to with hold the raw survey data until VPOA approves it.

2) The yearly pay of VPOA members has increased by 6.37% for the two years 2010/11 and 2011/12.

Vallejo wages have remained highly competitive in relation to the comparison cities and other departments statewide. While other cities (including comparison cities) have seen wages decline through wage freezes, furlough days, increased retirement and medical contributions contract provisions prevent Vallejo wages from doing so.

3) Only two of the cities (Berkeley and Richmond) gave their Police Officers a raise for 2011/12. In fact the pay of Oakland Police declined by 9% because Oakland Police now contribute to their PERS retirement. Previously, the City of Oakland paid for police retirements. In conversations the Vallejo HR Director had with union officials it appears likely the Berkeley police will also get a pay cut this year.

4) Additional required employee pension contributions ( 2% Alameda and 3% Hayward) and pay reductions due a required furlough (San Leandro) were not taken into account in the salary survey. No written description exists on how "pay" is determined. Clearly, the unwritten policy is: Round up, don't put it in writing, keep quiet and hope nobody asks questions.

5) If furlough days and additional employee pension contributions were take into account the 7 city survey average pay would have been reduced by $927 per officer annually. The agreement with VPOA will NOT allow a pay reduction even if the average for the 7 cities declines.

Comments

The way salary surveys are used by the City of Vallejo is fundamentally flawed and should no longer be used to determine compensation. In many ways it is like a Ponzi scheme that enriches the unions. When one city gets a raise they all get a raise. When the comparison city average declines, Vallejo never follows. (as per the contract). This is a major contributor to unsustainable wages which are out of step with the principles of competition or city revenues.

The current methodology used by Vallejo does not take adequately into account trends such as when the highest paying cities are cutting wages (most cities have frozen or decreased pay), furlough days (which reduces total pay) or additional employee pension contributions (which has the effect of reducing pay). VPOA members pay has not and will not be cut even if the seven comparison city average declines. Additionally, the seven comparison cities chosen for the Vallejo contract comparison tend to be the most highly compensated on average.

It also appears that the City's management hides the decision making process from the public until it is too late to do anything about it. The typical knee jerk response to public (or VIB) inquiry is to invoke "Past practices, work product or confidentiality" to prevent the taxpayers from knowing what is going on until the decision is finalized. In several instances VIB has had to resort to threatening lawsuits in order to get data the public should be entitled to.

Final Comments

To date I see no evidence that City Negotiators and Management have taken proper steps in protecting the public in labor negotiations. In plain English they have often given the unions whatever they wanted and left the taxpayers on the hook to pay for the "good deal" that was struck.

How can one explain a salary survey in which wages can go up but never down? selecting cities with the highest wages for comparison? not taking into account furlough days or increased employee pension contributions? and claiming that the raw data must be approved by the unions before it is released (a potential violation of the Public Records Act). Because documentation does not exist it makes it impossible for us (the public) to determine what is being done with our money.

Clearly, the benefits of upward wage compaction are enjoyed by management as well as some of the other employees. This creates an inherent conflict of interest and a lack of motivation to protect the interests of the citizens in labor negotiations. Unless something changes we can expect more of the same: A case of the fox guarding the hen house.

Comments

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traveler   |January.16.2012 Circa 70's my father (dark Mexican) was pulled over for a minor traffic violation. The police officer held a gun to his head while my brother was in the car. True Story. While all cops are not bad; some are. @anon try being brown one day. My husband w/very dark skin tone was parked sitting in his car in the parking lot of his work talking to his child on the cell phone. All of sudden here comes the cops shining a light in his eyes--questioning him w/out any probably cause. My father (age 65) recently drove to Napa to see a concert with his date. He had a flickery faulty break light (on the rear-view window of his late 1980 cadillac with "Vallejo" license plate). Oh about 3-cop cars with flashing lights pulled him over just for his faulty break lights. His fair-skinned girlfriend couldn't believe this happended. I told her to get use to it b/c now she is dating a Mexican. Why of course racial profiling does exist. Since my father can't change is skin tone, I told him to trade his old cadi in and get a Volvo and to not put his "Vallejo" license plates on when he plans on visting those Cities.

Anonymous   |January.15.2012 During the post WWII demographic shift, Napa City built lots of subdivisions that had racial covenants. White Mare Island workers moved in and took their racism with them which still permeates Napa politics. Have you seen "Crash"? I understand that the LA police chief makes it required viewing. The opener where the two AA youth are complaining that two white passersby are racist then pulling guns to carjack them is chilling. For Pete's sake all you AA moms, stop telling your sons that they are tragic victims and suggesting they have the right to take with force what they think is their due. The other night, a group of AA men got out of a car to inspect my Honda sitting on the street. Luckily for me it was not good enough for them to fence. Another AA man was going door to door at 80 p.m. with some wierd story. Checking who is home or vulnerable?

wharf rat   |January.15.2012 Re white flight Napa white people = 88.0% AA napa = 1.0% Vallejo White people = 37.0% AA Vallejo = 24.0% if driving while black in Napa watch out make sure you have bail money available and do not mix it up with the cops ..

Anonymous   |January.14.2012 I support Vallejo's police officers and believe that they've been targetted and in some cases unjustly, but the behavior of some of Vallejo's finest at the Dec 13th City Council Meeting was a real eye opener, even scary. Ms. Gomes' efforts to create a review board may not be as unjustied as I originally thought.

Monica   |January.14.2012 Teachers in the district are also in a dangerous line of work, and they don't get to carry a weapon. Yes, I'm being sarcastic, but the point once again is the fact that the current pensions are UNSUSTAINABLE. This was proven by the bankruptcy, yet still we are being pushed for high wages when 80% percentage of the taxpayers have taken wage cuts at best or lost their jobs at worst.

More money   |January.14.2012 More money cannot prevent death, any kind of death, otherwise Steve Jobs would still be with us...

Anonymous   |January.14.2012 Don't count the increase in sales tax revenues before it materializes. Chances are the constant decline in quality of life causing another round of "white flight" in Vallejo will intersect the sales tax revenue projection for a net decline in the General Fund. That pesky "Law of Unintended Consequences" again. So if the PSUs hold out for more and more does not materialize, Vallejo is broke again.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 Vallejo has some screwed up unions that believe they are entitled to everything they can extract from the current budget with an eye on the 10 million increase in sales tax revenue. I like the paycuts and pension cuts one of the other anonymous posters mentioned.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 How disgusting to use the death of an officer to justify overinflated pay and benefits that helped bankrupt Vallejo. Despicable. If we were paying people equal to the danger of their jobs, then fishermen, loggers, pilots, farmers, roofers, etc. would make more than VPD officers. They don't get anywhere near that kind of pay. And I don't hear them telling us who depend on them that they'll withhold fish, wood, travel or fruit/vegetables because we "disrespect" them. I don't hear our brave service men and women threatening to leave our country vulnerable until we pay them what they believe they should be paid. No, I've only heard that from the Police. Pay or die, suckers. I doubt there was one person in this city that wasn't saddened by the death of officer Capoot. But we will not be bullied by your dragging him out when your contract is up and you want to justify continuing your ever-rising pay and benefits. The party is over. Welcome to reality.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 PS Assuming that general lived "on the economy" as the military puts it an housing isn't provided the allowance for Vallejo is $30K a year. So a 5 star Admiral living in Vallejo proper would earn $210K, which rank and file Vallejo cops regularly beat. Don't get me wrong, I think cops should earn a good living, but what we're paying now is obscene. And the danger argument does not buy you one cent with me when a 22 year old marine facing daily IED attacks earns so much less. It makes you mercenaries.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 Remember that the guy who comes in, does his time for 4 years gets almost nothing of that, just the low pay. It's a sacrifice. So here's what he currently is qualified for: Pay nothing into their pension - Nope Retire at age 38 (18 + 20 yrs service) - Nope No restrictions to family medical or dental - Nope Have housing provided - Nope Use of a Commissary (life time use) - Nope Use of an Exchange. - Nope Discounts at many big box stores by showing Military ID - Nope Every single last one of your benefits, save housing, requires you to do 20 years in the service to get those perks and pay. Still not anywhere near the 6 figures Vallejo cops make year after year, and then the 6 figures in retirement. A 5 star general, with 20 years, takes home around $180K. Even with top of the line housing provided, medical etc a rank and fill Vallejo cop, once over time is included, can easily out earn General Petraeus. We're paying our cops like Army generals. Most service members ETS (get out) long before retirement so they won't see a dime of those benefits. They aren't doing it for the money. They'll have a few good benefits, namely the GI bill, but for the most part they won't get much at all monetarily for their service. Travel? Really? Hope you like deserts. The rate of deployment, at least while hubby was in, was much to fast paced to travel.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 Let's reiterate the point for the slow thinkers among us (VallejoGuy). Police work is truly dangerous. We have just lost one of Vallejo's most valuable employees and a valuable community member who not only kept you and I safe but also found the time to touch young people and act as a role model and mentor to children who may not have had a responsible male figure in their lives. When you and your minions wring your hands with delight, posting nonsense about these employees as "beer bellied", "uneducated", "morons". Take a minute and consider the reality of the situation. These public safety employees are in fact, highly educated, high functioning individuals that need to walk a razors edge each and every day. On the one hand they are tasked to deal with the dregs of society and on the other hand they are threatened with legal consequences by liberal azzholes that can not figure out where the real threats to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are coming from.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 The VPD should take a pay cut equal to the 7.5% pay increase they received during bankruptcy, lower their paid leave to something that represents real world levels levels, increase their pension contribution by a minimum of 4% to help cover the cost of their increased and retroactive pension benefits, pay 25% of their healthcare cost, eliminate the use of sick leave payouts and service credits, agree to pension calculations based on highest three years of compensation. They should also eliminate from the pension calculation: uniform allowance, educational pay, holiday pay, sick leave, K-9 pay, longevity pay, etcc... That would help put more police on the street.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 You are right Vallejoguy. We should make potholes and senior center hours larger than life but make irrelevant or trivialize real tragedy

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 I left out free travel anywhere in the world

VallejoGuy   |January.13.2012 Anyone who politicizes the death of an Officer should be ashamed of themselves. As one Anonymous commenter has done below.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 @Anonymous Unlike your husband cops do not have the option to: Pay nothing into their pension Retire at age 38 (18 + 20 yrs service) No restrictions to family medical or dental Have housing provided Use of a Commissary (life time use) Use of an Exchange. " Discounts at many big box stores by showing Military ID You should make the pay comparison based on "total compensation"

Dont talk about that   |January.13.2012 VPOA does NOT want to hear about the military pay! Does that mean they "have it in for" the military? I don't think so, yet anyone questioning VPD pay is anti-cop, go figure. This sounds like the same logic the unmentionable one uses.

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 My husband made 1/3 what a Vallejo cop does while he was deployed to Iraq. Why do cops, who get to go home to their families, deserve to make so much more?

Anonymous   |January.13.2012 Now that we have had a real life tragic demonstration of just how dangerous police work is, I think the pay and benefits are in the right range. A little negotiating here, a little adjustment there and we all move on. A least the people who are not captives to their own hate and emotional sickness can move on. The rest of you just carry on with the same old, same old.

Mousy   |January.12.2012 So you're saying we should trust a police consultant in regards to pay studies? Regardless of his current methods he has stated on the record that Vallejo Police are among the very best paid in the state, if not the best. Net present value greatly reduces the value of future benefits for today's pay. I know because I do those sort of calculations at work. It can be quite shocking how much more $$ today can matter over future benefits. Right now you're happy because it makes you look like you're paid less than you are, but in the long run it will pit pay today against pay tomorrow. NPV will always weigh a raise today higher than a raise tomorrow, so use with caution. You may not get what you want when you retire using it as a method for compensation. Personally, I like the shift to NPV for pay calculations. Cops should be paid handsomely today or tomorrow, but not both as we are doing now. An NPV approach forces cities to take that into account, and will wight compensation to the front end. Just like it is for the rest of us.

Anonymous   |January.12.2012 I heard you the first time, anon. It doesn't change anything regarding the VPD contract. Call in the Bomb Squad have them blow that contract up. Time to start from scratch and have every item of the new contract debated in a public forum before anything is approved.

Anonymous   |January.12.2012 "Policepay has completely overhauled our wage survey reports. �The present value method had been completely abandoned and replaced with a cash flow model. � We now separate active employment wages and post-employment benefits."

Anonymous   |January.12.2012 The policepay model was on target and is still accurate. The VPOA used the same methodology as policepay only they went out of their way to hide the fact in order to bamboozle the public. They used a few tricks and had a council majority willing to overlook the obvious as long as someone would state their contract paid the median of something - anything. The VPD is still one of the highest compensated departments in the state and nation. Nothing has changed except the contract is worse!

Anonymous   |January.12.2012 Policepay has 'rethought' their formula. "Policepay has completely overhauled our wage survey reports. �The present value method had been completely abandoned and replaced with a cash flow model. �We now separate active employment wages and post-employment benefits." Throw out the old' total compensation argument. That is sooooooo 1990's. Join 2000

Half truths   |January.12.2012 When you only pick the best paying cities average means you are some of the best paid in the State Also not included is total compensation.Vallejo according to Policepay.net was the second highest in the State for total compensation.

Don't Getit   |January.12.2012 What am I missing here Bob? Your chart shows them being paid about an average salary. That's what they have been saying and is in the MOU (a public document). So what is it they don't want us to know??? I think your headline is misleading so say the least.

Another Reader   |January.12.2012 The Malcontented whined when Vallejo was at the top of the list; now they still whine and Vallejo is in the middle of the list. Nothing like adjusting the whining to fit the situation. LOL

Anonymous   |January.11.2012 Great work! Thank you! We depend on VIB for investigative reporting thaf we will never get from the horrid!

wharf rat   |January.11.2012 BEWARE Berkeley is 420 MILLION underfunded for pension liabilities !!! some are retiring with more than their working pay something smells in Denmark !!! learn from others do not repeat their mistakes ...

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