LOWER MERION – After months of negotiations, Lower Merion police officers have a new employment contract with the township.
This week, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners approved a new four-year labor agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 28, which represents Lower Merion’s police officers.
According to township officials, Lower Merion’s officers have been working under a contract that expired since the start of the year.
“We have finally reached a point where we have a settlement agreement,” Ernie McNeely, township manager, told members of the board of commissioners before their vote.
According to McNeely, the members of the FOP approved the new contract on April 21.
The new contract includes a pay raise in each of the next four years and the addition of a new holiday.
“It provides for a wage increase of 4.75 percent in 2023 and 3.5 percent in the subsequent years,” McNeely said.
The 4.75 percent wage increase for the first year and 3.5 percent for the next three years is similar to a contract the board approved last month with the township’s worker’s association. After approving the agreement with the worker’s association, the commissioners then approved a pay increase of 4.75 percent for its nonunion employees.
The new police contract, as it did with the township workers association, gives police Juneteenth as a holiday.
Township commissioners say they wanted to ensure their employees were given a fair pay raise.
“One of the goals of this board was to reach a contract that was fair, and I think we have done that,” said Todd Sinai, president of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners. “And not only is it fair, it recognizes the hard work and the value of the police force in the community. I’m delighted that it’s a four-year contract because it brings predictability for the officers of the Lower Meiron Police Department as well as stability in our expense forecast.”
According to township documents, the new contract represents a total base wage cost increase of about $665,000 plus another $104,000 in benefits costs for a total of $769,000 in 2023.
The cost of the contract over the four years will be about $2.37 million. The new contract runs from the start of 2023 through 2026.
