BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Officers Association packed city council chambers Wednesday night, demanding fair compensation as the union and city negotiate a new contract.
"We're losing good officers, and at an alarming rate," said Rob Tayo, BPOA's Vice President.
Dozens of BPOA members and supporters filled the Bakersfield City Council chambers as the union and city work through labor negotiations on what officials hope will be a multi-year agreement.
"We try to have a two or a three-year agreement, just so that it's more efficient," said Christian Clegg, Bakersfield City Manager.
The last agreement with the police union offered a 12% pay increase, but now the city is examining budget reductions across all departments.
"We've asked all departments to share with us what would a 5% reduction look like, and how will that affect service levels, because we want to understand that if we're going to make reductions, what would those service level impacts be, so we can prioritize the right things," Clegg said.
BPOA President Max Hernandez warned that potential cuts to the police department could accelerate officer departures.
"We're just at the beginning of an exodus of officers leaving because the cries have been heard and not answered," Hernandez said.
Without competitive compensation matching other Kern County departments, Hernandez said more officers will seek employment elsewhere for better pay.
"It doesn't basically come down to a paycheck. It comes down to keeping good officers here and to be competitive and bringing new officers and keeping the ones that we have so our citizens can call 911 and expect someone to be there like we're sworn to do," Hernandez said.
The city and union continue labor negotiations on the new agreement.
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