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Council approves five-year tentative police contract with 2.75% COLA; two abstentions
Summary
The West Haven City Council approved a tentative agreement with the police union covering July 1, 2025–June 30, 2030 that includes a 2.75% cost-of-living adjustment, phased dollar increases in later years and changes to insurance cost-sharing and parking-enforcement staffing. Two members abstained from the vote.
The West Haven City Council on May 26 approved a tentative collective-bargaining agreement with the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU/UPS/COPS) for a contract covering July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
Mayor Derinda Bore, presenting the agreement to the public-safety committee and the full council, said the central pay increase is a 2.75% COLA, which she described as “right in the middle” of comparable local settlements and paired with an additional dollar-per-hour increase in later years to keep West Haven competitive. She said the agreement also adjusts health-insurance cost-sharing and authorizes the city to hire PEOs—parking-enforcement officers—to reduce patrol overtime.
Why it matters: Council supporters framed the package as both a recruitment and retention tool for a demanding public-safety workforce. Council members repeatedly said the city had endured lean years and that compensation improvements are intended to keep experienced officers in West Haven.
Council discussion and vote: Committee members asked about prior years without increases, tuition reimbursement amounts, and whether promotional testing and veterans’ benefits were affected. The public-safety committee voted to report the agreement favorably to the full council. Councilman David Beaton read the committee resolution citing Connecticut General Statutes regarding municipal collective bargaining; the council approved the resolution on a roll-call vote with two abstentions (Councilwoman Sarah Aberelli and Councilman Ronald Quaglani). The clerk recorded the remainder of members voting in favor.
What the agreement includes: The agreement was presented as a multi-piece compromise: a 2.75% COLA; a modest one-dollar-per-hour boost in the out years to align with neighboring communities; an increase in the employee share for health-insurance costs; and a labor-managed provision that allows parking functions to be performed by PEOs (parking-enforcement officers) to free sworn officers for higher-priority duties.
Next steps and context: The mayor and police leadership said final execution of the agreement will follow the council’s authorization. Council members said they expect the contract to improve retention and reduce overtime pressure on patrol staff. Two members abstained, citing personal relationships with department members; no member voted against the resolution.
