Delaware’s probation and parole officers union president said he’s frustrated with the pace of contract negotiations.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 10 president Todd Mumford is pushing for salaries to be more in line with correctional officers. Beginning pay for correctional officers rose to $43,000 a year in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. Mumford said in 2017, the starting salary for probation and parole officers was around $36,000 a year. They got a 2 percent raise last July and .5 percent increase in January.
Mumford said negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement appear to be stalled. Probation and parole officers can’t bargain as a unit. Unit 9 includes other law enforcement agencies like the Department of Natural Resources and Capitol Police.
Mumford says the unit offered its latest proposal almost three weeks ago, but state negotiators have cancelled subsequent meetings because they haven't been prepared to discuss it.
“Especially with the May 1st deadline coming up, we’re very frustrated that the state’s not giving us the attention that we think we deserve,” he said.
Mumford said the state doesn’t seem as serious as it needs to be to get a resolution.
Gov. John Carney disputes Mumford’s interpretation of contract negotiations. He said the state is serious about finding common ground.
“That kind of stuff I feel like kind of gets in the way and let’s just get to the meat of it and deal with where the differences lie and see if we can come together with a solution,” he said.
The Delaware Department of Human Relations is leading the negotiations for the state, along with the Office of Management and Budget. A spokesman for OMB said the negotiations are complex because of the number of law enforcement groups involved.
The current agreement expires June 30th.
