Town of Pembroke Park negotiators and representatives of the Florida Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) said they have reached an agreement in principle on the financial terms of a two-year collective bargaining agreement for the town’s police department, including pay increases that officials described as necessary to remain competitive for patrol officers.

Town Manager Dave Lynch said the package on the table includes a total 23% pay increase over two years — 16% in year one and 7% in year two — with intermediate step increases of about 5.5% between grades for patrol officers. “There’s a 23% increase on the table over 2 years. 16% year 1, 7% in year 2,” Lynch said during the session. He and other town staff said the proposal front-loads larger increases for patrol officers while providing smaller increases for sergeants and lieutenants.

The wage terms were described by Paul Munyardas, FOP labor counsel, as acceptable to the union’s bargaining team. “We… will be agreeing to your wage proposal at this time,” Munyardas said, signaling the union’s willingness to move forward on the financial package. Lynch confirmed the parties had reached agreement on the pay-scale portion of the contract and said the remaining contract language would be finalized in follow-up sessions before ratification.

Key elements discussed

- Wage structure: Officials presented ranges and step increases that Lynch said aim to make the town’s starting pay “competitive” in the region. Lynch noted the town’s analysis produced a maximum patrol officer “top out” figure in the master step of about $111,000 on the salary chart presented to negotiators. He said the town prioritized recruiting at the patrol-officer level when allocating the larger increases.

- Differential for supervisors: The draft places sergeants at the entry step for the sergeant scale (step 1) while lieutenants were described as starting at step 2 on the lieutenant scale. Lynch and town staff said supervisors received smaller percentage increases overall — the package quoted a roughly 17% increase for sergeants and lieutenants in comparison to patrol increases — because the town sought its primary recruitment advantage at the patrol level.

- Effective dates and retroactivity: Lynch told the group the contract period would begin Oct. 1 so the town could align the agreement with its fiscal year. Pay increases, he said, would start with the first full pay period in January and be retroactive to a January date negotiators identified as Jan. 10. “The contract will begin October 1… The pay increases… will begin with the 1st full pay period in January, retroactive to January, which I believe that was January 10th,” Lynch said.

- Slotting and promotions: Parties discussed how employees currently serving in “acting” supervisory roles would be slotted. Town counsel Denise Heacon and others said the acting designations would end and acting supervisors would be promoted and placed at step 1 of the promotional scale; one sergeant (identified in the session as Lenny) who had not been acting for two years was to be placed at the appropriate step based on prior service. Lynch asked staff to draft specific contract language to reflect those slotting rules.

- Other contract provisions: The town circulated a counterproposal on non-wage articles. Items mentioned in the meeting included a grievance/arbitration framework (with the town proposing limits on which discipline would be subject to arbitration), a 14-day work period tied to a 7(k) FLSA exemption, comp-time accrual capped at 80 hours with a fiscal-year payout by Sept. 30, a proposal for drug and alcohol testing (article 38 in the town draft), and holiday/leave language. The parties flagged multiple articles as counters and requested additional review time.

Next steps and ratification

Negotiators scheduled follow-up meetings to finalize remaining contract language and move to a ratification process. Lynch said the town’s commission calendar includes a Jan. 29 workshop and a Feb. 12 voting meeting; he said the town could call a special meeting if the parties completed language before the scheduled meetings. The negotiating teams tentatively set Feb. 5 for the next bargaining meeting. Lynch asked both sides to “iron out every single wrinkle” at the next session so the union could proceed to a ratification vote and the town could present the ratified agreement to the commission for final approval.

What was agreed — and what remains

Negotiators said they had agreed on the financial terms for pay scales during the session but had not completed all non-wage contract language. Lynch characterized the agreement on wages as a significant step but noted the town must preserve the general fund’s ability to support other municipal services. The parties did not complete final ratification during the session; they agreed to finish open items, complete formal ratification procedures with union membership, and then present the contract to the Town Commission for a vote.

Participants

Town Manager Dave Lynch; Denise Heacon, outside labor counsel for the town; General Williamson, Deputy Town Manager; Finance Director James Deverman; Police Chief Dan D’Ovorsi; Sergeant Brian Dodge (Pembroke Park Police); Paul Munyardas, FOP labor counsel; Rose Dierangotti, Florida FOP counsel; Corey Logan, Florida FOP; Andrew (union representative, also referenced as Angelo); Scott Hanneman, state FOP; Cynthia (staff member assisting with presentation).

Ending

Negotiators said they would exchange a Word version of the latest draft and the town staff would produce a written wage and pay-scale proposal consistent with the presentation. If the parties finalize outstanding contract language at their next meeting, the union plans to proceed to a ratification vote and the town intends to place the agreement before the Town Commission for final approval.