Edmonton police salaries increase in new collective deal, at $20M cost to the city
Arbitrator agrees 1,960 police members should get raises over three-year term
Edmonton police are getting a raise, an arbitrator has ruled, costing the City of Edmonton about $20 million.
About 1,960 Edmonton Police Service members will see salary increases for the 2021-2023 term of the agreement, with a 1.5 per cent raise for 2021, three per cent for 2022 and 2.5 per cent in 2023.
Edmonton Police Association (EPA) president Curtis Hoople said he's satisfied with the outcome.
"In today's day and age, any increase in salaries is always going to be a happy thing, especially for the membership we have that's working hard day in, day out," Hoople said in an interview Thursday.
The arbitrator decision comes after the EPA had been bargaining with the city for about two years. Unable to reach an agreement, the association requested the provincial minister of jobs, economy and northern development to refer the dispute to an interest arbitration board.
The new three-year agreement affects staff sergeants, sergeants, detectives and constables.
A constable of five years — what the EPA calls a first-class constable — will make $113,869 in 2023, up from $106,262 in 2020, Hoople said.
The main disagreement in previous talks between the EPA and the City of Edmonton was the size of the salary increase, arbitrator Mark Asbell noted in his June 7 report.
Asbell's report says the city based its monetary proposal on the state of the economy, while the EPA's position came from the need to retain and recruit employees, Alberta's inflation rate — especially in 2022 and 2023 — and external policing comparators in Alberta and Western Canada.
The city offered increases of zero for the first year of the three-year agreement, followed by a one per cent and two per cent raise in the following years. The EPA was asking for a four per cent raise in each of the three years.
Hoople said the compromise in the arbitrator's decision is reasonable.
"I do feel the arbitrator heard our messaging," he said.
The focus now is on wellness and making sure members are protected, he added.
"That's kind of the priority right now is taking care of a very tired, tired front line."
Cost to the city
Stacey Padbury, the city's chief financial officer, said the cost of the settlement is $4.1 million for 2021, $8.4 million for 2022 and $7.2 million for 2023.
"The combined ongoing impact of the settlement results in an increased annual salary cost of approximately $20 million for 2024," Padbury said in an email.
The numbers are approximate and back pay calculations may vary from estimates, she added.
The salary increases are independent of the police funding formula, and are managed corporately, Padbury said.
City managers are presenting a report to city council in late August on the EPS funding formula.
Hoople acknowledged that police funding has been a hot topic in the past few years.
"I'm very confident that the work that's being done day in, day out is compensated fairly," he said.
"It's the opportunity to show the support that they need, and sometimes salaries is a sign of support to do the job necessary, and it's not an easy job to do."
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