The Lexington Fayette Urban County Council is wondering what’s holding up contract negotiations between the city and public safety unions. At a budget committee Tuesday, the council learned that the last collective bargaining meeting with police representatives was nearly three months ago on December 12.“I guess I don’t feel the sense of urgency in why we’re not actively pushing and meeting and trying to get to some resolution so we can figure out how much it’s really going to cost us,” said Councilman Kevin Stinnett.Lexington Law Commissioner Janet Graham told council members that no meetings are currently planned with the local Fraternal Order of Police and the mayor’s administration is evaluating its options.
“I can’t get into things in open meetings that would go into what we’ve been discussing in the bargaining. But I do understand and we do have a sense of urgency and know that it needs to be done.”
According to Mike Sweeney, President of Bluegrass FOP Lodge #4, his group has yet to hear a response from the city to the union’s latest contract offer that was presented in December.
The city ratified a contract with the fire union in September and the corrections officers union in January. Those labor agreements will result in a total savings of nearly 6 million dollars to the city over the course of the contracts.
