SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Officers Association has approved a new collective bargaining agreement.
Out of 1,719 votes cast, 1,218 union members, or 71.86 percent of the membership, voted yes for the new contract with the city of San Antonio, SAPOA president Michael Helle said in a news release.
The ratified contract will be presented to the City Council for approval.
“Our Membership has spoken and approved the new police contract with the city of San Antonio,” Helle said. “We now call on the City Council to pass this contract quickly and put the focus back on the safety of our community.”
Mayor Ivy Taylor said she was pleased with the union’s vote.
“I am very proud that the San Antonio Police Officers Association has ratified the contract terms that we agreed to in mediation,” she said. “We now have a great opportunity to continue building police-community relations.”
The vote was conducted and monitored by an independent, third-party elections administrator over a seven-day period.
The new contract calls for a 17 percent pay raise over a five-year period, and officers will now pay monthly insurance premiums for family members.
The union and the city spent a contentious two years in coming up with a new agreement.