Council approves tentative agreement with police command union; city says negotiations guided by labor counsel

The Berkeley City Council on Aug. 18 approved Motion M7125 to adopt a tentative agreement with the Police Officer Labor Council — Command unit. City Manager Van Vleck told council the contract had been negotiated under the guidance of the city’s labor attorney and approved by the union membership prior to the council vote.

Van Vleck said this was the third of four union agreements that had expired on June 30, 2025, and that negotiations had been led by an internal team including Human Resources Director Jessica Stover and Deputy City Manager Sean Young, with assistance from labor attorney Brandon Fournier. She described the negotiations as productive and said staff sought to provide the best benefits possible for public safety staff.

Council member Baker praised the collaborative process and the willingness on both sides to reach agreement. No monetary terms of the agreement were presented in the council discussion; the city memo and the tentative agreement text in the packet contain the detailed terms.

Motion M7125 was made by Council Member Patterson and supported by Mayor Pro Tem Gavin. Miss Mitchell called the roll: Baker — yes; Black — yes; Gavin — yes; Hennen — yes; Patterson — yes; Villani — yes; Dean — yes. The motion passed.

Van Vleck told council that the agreement had already been approved by the command unit membership and that staff recommended council approval to finalize the contract. Council did not discuss subsequent collective-bargaining steps such as ratification timelines for implementation beyond the memo language in the packet.