Joliet police contract approved

The second of several union contracts with the city of Joliet was approved this week.

The Joliet City Council on Tuesday voted, 7-0, with one abstention, for a five-year contract that provides police patrol officers with raises each of the years starting with 2020.

The contract is retroactive dating back to the end of the last contract.

The contract also provides a new procedure for disciplinary cases in which appeals to arbitrators first will go to the city manager’s office for consideration.

The vote by the City Council included an abstention by Joe Clement, who retired from the Joliet police force in 2020 and thus benefits from the retroactive pay raise.

The pay raises in are 2.49% for 2020, 2% in 2021, 2% in 2022, 2.49% in 2023 and 2% in 2024.

Councilman Pat Mudron at the Tuesday meeting questioned the provision for disciplinary appeals to go to the city manager before reaching an arbitrator. City Manager James Capparelli said the police union wanted the step added to the disciplinary process because it is provided for other unions at the city.

“It just mirrors the same language that every other union has,” Capparelli said. “The police department wanted to be treated in the same fashion.”

Police officers have the option of appealing discipline to an arbitrator or to the Joliet Board of Fire and Police Commissioners.

The new contract also includes a requirement that the police chief file charges with the fire and police board within 90 days of an officer electing to appeal to the board. There have been past issues over the procedure for filing charges before the board.

Capparelli said the police union already approved the contract, and the council’s approval allows him to negotiate contracts with the unions for firefighters, public works staff and city hall maintenance workers.

The police supervisors’ union previously negotiated its contract with the city.