Wicomico County, MD - The Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #111, is excited to announce that after several weeks of continued effort from the Collective Bargaining Unit Negotiations Committee, the County Executive and her Staff, along with a representative from the County Council, to reach a deal, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) previously rejected by the County Council has been approved and accepted by all parties.

Late on June 25, the Council received an actuarial study from the company CBIZ to determine if the CBA could be funded. Armed with that information, during a special meeting on June 26, the Council unanimously approved the CBA, which they rejected on May 21.

The FOP has incurred additional attorney's fees and faced uncertainty during the last few weeks as we continued with the impasse process guaranteed by the County Charter. However, now that the Council has approved the CBA, the CBU Negotiating Committee voted today to withdraw from arbitration.

We are glad the Council accepted the information from CBIZ, which was consistent with the information provided by the County Finance Director on May 21. The CBA will provide Sheriff's Deputies with an improved pay scale, higher starting salary, and, most significantly, a cost-of-living adjustment for any Deputy who retires after the CBA takes effect on July 1, 2024.