Cops: Our salaries aren't 'out of whack'
Published on December 27th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - Fueled by a study released by Selectmen R. Paul Rotondi that showed Stoneham Police and Fire Departments at the top of the state payrolls, the Stoneham Police have fired back with some numbers of their own.
According to a fact sheet put together by the Stoneham Police, the Stoneham Police officers, the maximum salary for a Stoneham Police Officer ($50,839) is the second lowest in the ten surrounding towns most compared with Stoneham during arbitration hearings.
A group of Stoneham officers took issue with Rotondi saying that their salaries were "out of wack" with the rest of the town - a fact exacerbated by the simple fact that Stoneham Police salaries max out after five years and holiday and longevity pay are rolled into their salary figures.
"His comments are disappointing on a couple of different levels," said a Stoneham Police officer involved with the negotiations who preferred to remain anonymous. "First of all, we're supposed to be negotiating in good faith and you don't say things like that in public when you're attempting to negotiate. Secondly, it's just not true. You need to get your facts straight before you say something like that.
"I don't know where he pulled his numbers from, but it's just not true," added the policeman. "Most of the other towns get additional sick time and holiday pay, they max out after 10, 15, 20 years while we max out in salary after only five. We have guys leaving this department because they're making better money in other towns. The only town lower than us in starting salary is the Town of Melrose, and they've been working without a new contract for three years. Once they come to an agreement we'll be at the very bottom."
The officer did admit that police officers are able to augment their incomes with detail work and overtime - as in just about any police force in existence - but the detail money doesn't come from the town's coffers and Stoneham's night time pay and overtime, according to Stoneham Police, are far below the rates given out in many other towns in the Commonwealth. According to several sources, the police have been working without a contract since July and things are headed to arbitration with healthcare costs remaining the sticking point. Municipal officials want the officers to foot the bill for more of their medical care, but Stoneham Police counter that the town isn't offering anything in return for their added costs. According to the statistics provided by the Stoneham Police Department, here are the maximum salaries, including Holiday and longevity pay, for a Patrolmen in the towns chosen by the Massachusetts Labor Relations board:
•Saugus ($56,069)
•Tewksbury ($55,209)
•Danvers ($54,767)
•Wakefield ($54,180)
•Wilmington ($52,951)
•Reading ($52,828)
•Winchester ($51,325)
•Burlington ($50,890)
•Stoneham ($50,839)
•Melrose ($48,398)
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