The Lake County Council has approved an agreement with the local police union, ending contract negotiations that stretched on for more than a year and including raises for Lake County Sheriff Department officers.
In a 7-0 vote, the council approved the agreement on Tuesday with the Fraternal Order of Police Union Chris Anton Lodge No. 125/Lake County Police Association Local 72 AFL/CIO which includes a 7% pay increase for 2024, retroactive to Jan. 1, a 5% increase in 2025, and a 4% increase in 2026.
The agreement also states that all required overtime, or time worked outside of an employee’s regularly scheduled shift, will be paid at 1.5 times the employee’s regular rate of pay and that all compensatory pay will be equal to 1.5 times the hours actually worked outside the employee’s regularly scheduled shift. The agreement also solidifies a 12-hour shift schedule for most department employees.
“We are happy to reach an agreement with the sheriff’s association that provides a significant salary increase for our officers over the next three years,” said Council President Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, in a statement. “Public safety remains a top priority for the council. Making sure our officers are fairly compensated for their hard work helps ensure the safety of all of the residents of Lake County.”
Negotiations began in May 2023, according to a Local 72 release, and “became quite contentious” when the council asked the union “to give up overtime and reduce vacations as well as require pension contribution reductions.” In addition to those requests, the county offered 1% to 2% raises over three years, according to the release.
A contract wasn’t reached by the end of 2023 when the previous contract expired, so officers worked under the old collective bargaining agreement, according to the release.
The local began a public relations outreach campaign, which included support from local building unions, trade unions, steelworker union locals and the Northwest Indiana Federation of Labor. Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez also publicly supported the union, according to the release.
“It took nearly a year and a half for both sides to come to an agreement. We’re grateful that this is done. It’s a step in the right direction,” said Local 72 President Dave Murchek in a statement. “We’d like to thank the rank and file members of the department for standing strong.”
Murchek also thanked all outside union members, Martinez and the council members for their support.
“I thank the council for working with our law enforcement professionals in facilitating this agreement; allowing Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officers to be fairly compensated for their hard work, dedication and professionalism,” Martinez said in a statement.
At the council’s April meeting, sheriff’s officers and their supporters filled the Lake County Council chambers carrying signs of support for the union and a pay increase. During the meeting, it was revealed that the sticking points of the negotiations were salary, overtime, pension buyouts and time off calculations.
The council’s three-member council negotiating team included Cid, Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake, and Councilman Charlie Brown, D-Gary, who replaced the late Councilman Clorious Lay, D-Gary.
In April, Cid said the Lake County Sheriff’s Department came to the negotiating table with an initial request of a 28% pay raise over three years. After evaluating all the various pieces of the compensation package, the council team determined it could not fund that increase without substantial changes to the structure of the department.
Martinez said in April that officers who work a 12-hour shift should get the equivalent of 12 hours of pay when using a vacation or sick day. Cid and Niemeyer disagreed. For payroll purposes a full holiday, vacation or sick day is eight hours, regardless of how many hours in a day an individual may work.
Martinez said he had a solution to pay the estimated $75,000 a year it costs to pay officers for their usual work day shifts on vacation and sick days from a non-reverting, fee-based fund so it will have no impact on taxpayers.
Cid said while there shouldn’t be a big budgetary impact because overtime will continue as it has in the past, any budgetary increases would come from the sheriff’s department and jail department budgets.
“Whatever costs generate because of the new contract they will be coming from unused money in the sheriff’s budget and the jails budget,” Cid said.
Niemeyer said Tuesday he was pleased to see the council and the police union come to an agreement.
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“None of us wanted to see it go this long,” Niemeyer said. “These processes are difficult sometimes, but the result that we were after the entire time was to make sure that everything we did was to have a sustainable contract that we can all stand by that properly compensated our police officers who have served very diligently and continue to do so.”