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FOP ISSUES STATEMENT IN REFERENCE TO WICOMICO COUNTY COUNCILS DECISION TO REJECT CBA
Wicomico County, MD - The FOP is extremely disappointed with the Wicomico County Council's decision to unanimously reject the Fiscal Year 2025 through 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA. This is the first time a County Council has rejected a CBA since the voters overwhelmingly approved Collective Bargaining with Binding Arbitration in 2006. Moreover, it is particularly upsetting that even those who previously enjoyed the benefits of agreements like this can no longer vote in support of those they left behind to hold the line.
This new CBA resulted from a collaborative negotiation process involving the County Executive, the Sheriff, and the FOP's Collective Bargaining Unit ("CBU") Negotiation Committee. Like any negotiation, meeting all the demands of the CBU was impossible. However, this new contract was ratified by an overwhelming majority of the FOP members, a testament to the collective agreement reached.
It would address concerns with pay compression, and critically, would provide a new cost-of-living adjustment for officers who retired after July 1, 2024. This provision would have allowed Wicomico Sheriff's Deputies to join the vast majority of law enforcement agencies in Maryland who provide a COLA for retirees, including the Salisbury City Police Department, Fruitland Police Department, and Sheriff's Office from Somerset, Dorchester, and Worcester Counties, and would have help us attract and retain the next generation of Sheriff's Deputies.
The Charter states that the next step is arbitration. The FOP Negotiation Committee has instructed our legal team to draft the required paperwork to begin the impasse procedure. Should the Council change its mind before an arbitrator's decision, the FOP and the CBU Committee remain open to continuing toward a solution.
This new CBA resulted from a collaborative negotiation process involving the County Executive, the Sheriff, and the FOP's Collective Bargaining Unit ("CBU") Negotiation Committee. Like any negotiation, meeting all the demands of the CBU was impossible. However, this new contract was ratified by an overwhelming majority of the FOP members, a testament to the collective agreement reached.
It would address concerns with pay compression, and critically, would provide a new cost-of-living adjustment for officers who retired after July 1, 2024. This provision would have allowed Wicomico Sheriff's Deputies to join the vast majority of law enforcement agencies in Maryland who provide a COLA for retirees, including the Salisbury City Police Department, Fruitland Police Department, and Sheriff's Office from Somerset, Dorchester, and Worcester Counties, and would have help us attract and retain the next generation of Sheriff's Deputies.
The Charter states that the next step is arbitration. The FOP Negotiation Committee has instructed our legal team to draft the required paperwork to begin the impasse procedure. Should the Council change its mind before an arbitrator's decision, the FOP and the CBU Committee remain open to continuing toward a solution.
