www.losbanospoa.org
To the Residents of Los Banos,
On behalf of the Los Banos Police Officers Association, this letter is to inform you as to the current state of labor negotiations between the City of Los Banos and the LBPOA. As of today, October 8th 2024, the LBPOA and the City of Los Banos are at impasse in contract negotiations for a successor MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). For those who are not familiar with what this means, simply put -the City of Los Banos and the LBPOA have reached a deadlock and cannot agree on terms for a successor labor contract that spells out the terms and conditions of employment.
The most recent MOU between the LBPOA and the City of Los Banos expired June 30th, 2024. Los Banos Police Officers have been working without an agreement since then. Negotiations for a new MOU began months prior to the expiration of the then current MOU. LBPOA asked only for a fair contract, one that reasonably addressed concerns with bringing wages in line with the current labor market, as well as addressing long-standing issues with losing experienced Officers to nearby police departments who offer more competitive wages and longevity pay. In the last four years alone, the Los Banos Police Department has lost nearly a dozen experienced officers to other agencies. Because Los Banos PD continuously loses valuable experienced officers, LBPD struggles to overcome the label of being a department where new officers can “get their feet wet” in this profession and then jump ship to another agency.
Currently, the department has six Police Officer Trainees that just started the Police Academy, and four vacant police officer positions.These trainees still have a rigorous Field Training Program to complete IF every trainee successfully completes the academy. These trainees are not due to “hit the street” for another NINE MONTHS.
The LBPOA sent several reasonable proposals to the City during negotiations, all of which were rejected. On August 18th 2024, the LBPOA sent a letter to the City declaring impasse in negotiations. A meeting between the LBPOA, the City, and a third-party neutral labor mediator was held on Monday, October 7th 2024. During that meeting, the LBPOA again proposed several reasonable pathways to quickly ratifying a successor labor contract. This mediation meeting failed after the City provided no forward movement toward a successor MOU that addresses the concerns of the LBPOA.
While qualified Los Banos Police Department personnel continue to pursue and explore more lucrative opportunities with other police agencies, the City continuously disregards the fact that other nearby agencies currently provide salaries more than 15% greater than theLos Banos Police Department. Simply stated, despite acknowledging that it is competing in a highly competitive labor market, the City has refused to address the reality that Officers simply cannot afford to work for the Los Banos Police Department.
How does all of this affect you, the resident of Los Banos? Simply put, YOU – the tax paying resident of Los Banos – deserve a fully staffed police department, one in which the officers are experienced in all aspects of public safety. One in which there are enough officers to staff the patrol division and specialty assignments - such as a dedicated traffic enforcement unit to help address problems with speeders and other dangerous drivers in your neighborhood. Or, add additional officers to our Gang-Unit, which is currently comprised of only TWO officers, to really crack down on violent gang members who cause deadly shootings and victimize YOUR community. These are only a couple of examples of how having enough officers to fully staff your police department can directly impact you and your loved ones.
The LBPOA strives to obtain a fair, reasonable successor MOU that puts us on the path toward retaining valuable experienced officers. We only ask that the City deliver what is fair, and proactively address these retention issues in the present, enabling us to continue to provide (and expand upon) the level of service that YOU – the tax paying resident of Los Banos – expect and deserve from your police department.
Sincerely,
-Michael Neal, President
Los Banos Police Officers Association