A new three year contract is in place between the Village of Glencoe and its public safety officers.
On Dec. 21, village trustees approved a new three year pact with its 22 rank-and-file officers represented by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council.
The new contract for the rank-and-file come months after the hiring of Sean Loughran, a Chicago Police Department veteran, as the new village’s public safety director. He took on the role following the retirement of Cary Lewandowski last year.
Under the terms of the new agreement that went into effect on New Year’s Day, public safety employees will receive a 4.25% annual salary increase on Jan. 1, a 4% raise on New Year’s Day 2025 and a 3.75% raise in January 2026, according to village documents.
The 2024 base salary range for public safety officers ranges between $85,187.86 and $125,373.85, according to Human Resources Director Sharon Tanner.
In addition to the salary increases, officers will now be able to participate in the village’s Family Care Leave program on the same terms as non-bargaining unit employees. There will also be new hourly paramedic preceptor pay for employees training new paramedics and officers with at least 19 years of service who provide at least one year notice of their retirement, can use paid leave time in their last 90 days of employment.
Finally, there will be an increase in the officer’s uniform allowance from $700 to $900.
“The deal seems fine for everybody,” Village President Howard Roin said after the meeting. “We wanted a fair deal for the village and our public safety officers and we feel we got that.”
The local chapter of the FOP ratified the agreement in December, according to village documents.
Tiffany Whalen, the local union president, did not return messages seeking comment.
Glencoe’s officers are cross-trained to serve both police and firefighting roles.
The new contract comes as the village continues a lateral hiring program, attempting to recruit veteran officers from other departments to fill vacancies.
At one point, the village was 10 short of capacity, but the number has come down to four with another vacancy expected to be filled later this month, Tanner said.
Village Manager Phil Kiraly labeled the lateral hiring program a success.
“We are seeing a tremendous caliber of officer joining the Glencoe Public Safety Department,” Kiraly said.
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Kiraly said the village is also accepting applications for entry level officers.
“Our hope is that will also yield a really good list of potential candidates,” Kiraly said.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.