Council OKs 2-year labor pact with police union

The city has come to a labor agreement with the Wasco Police Officers Association for the next two years, including 4% wage increases this year and in 2025.

The agreement also includes bilingual pay, POST certificate, education, and other pay incentives, along with details on holiday pay.

In addition to the WPOA-covered employees, the same benefit provisions are extended to Police Department employees outside the bargaining unit who are not on an employment contract.

The total cost for the memorandum of understanding agreement is covered in the city's 2024-25 budget.

"I am happy that the Wasco Police employees formed the WPOA so they can get some of the legal protections that come with the membership," Police Chief Charles Fivecoat said Tuesday night.

Councilmember Vincent Martinez said the pact was key to building a solid department. "I am excited we were able to come to an agreement with our newly formed police union. My goal is to be fiscally responsible with the city's money but also be fair to our employees.

"Compensation packages are important when it comes to recruitment and retention. I feel this package is fair to both the city and our public safety employees."

Also at the meeting, Chief Fivecoat reported on the Wasco Police Department's activity in June compared to May. Total incidents in June came in at 1,465, a decrease from 1,572. The June breakdown was 863 calls for service and 602 officer-initiated incidents, while in May, there were 829 calls for service and 743 officer-initiated incidents.

Councilmember Gilberto Reyna said, "People are very pleased with the work you and everybody in the department are doing."

Lieutenant Alecio Mora discussed the new Citizen's Rims online interactive tool, which is designed to help members of the public become aware of police activity and some department services.

"It helps us with transparency and information sharing," MOra said. "It's a user-friendly interface that will help us work together with the community to detect and prevent crime. Some of the features include a missing persons tab, a record of stolen vehicles, and the ability to publish press releases to our community. It is live now on the city website at cityofwasco.org."