New Hawaii Police Contract Includes Pay Increases Through 2024
The deal means 5% pay increases per year for three years for more than 2,700 officers across the state.
Thousands of police officers statewide will receive 5% raises per year over the next three years under a new contract forged during arbitration proceedings between the police union and state and local governments.
The announced raises end an impasse that had persisted since early 2021, as Hawaii鈥檚 county governments resisted requests from the State of聽Hawaii聽Organization of Police Officers for pay raises and other benefits in a collective bargaining agreement that runs from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2025.
SHOPO represents more than 2,700 officers statewide, including about 1,900 on Oahu, 433 on the Big Island, about 300 on Maui and 150 on Kauai. The arbitration order secures raises for them during a time when the highest inflation rate in decades is eroding wage gains by employees across the board.
Although the current police union contract was set to expire June 30, 2021, SHOPO and the counties agreed to extend the collective bargaining agreement beyond the expiration date while the two sides tried to work something out through arbitration. The issues finally were resolved in the arbitration order issued Tuesday.
According to the order, SHOPO had sought several items, including increased allowances for uniforms and vehicle subsidies, plus 6% per year pay increases effective July 1, 2021. The counties wanted things to stay the same.
In the end, the arbitration panel found unreasonable the union鈥檚 requested increase in uniform allowances to $400 from $300 annually and determined the automobile allowance would remain unchanged.
The win for the officers came from the pay increases. While the panel said the union鈥檚 requested 6% raises for four years was excessive, it said 5% per year starting July 2022, with a lump sum bonus in 2024, was 鈥渂oth reasonable and appropriate.鈥
According to the Honolulu Price Department, before the raises the base salary for officers with two to three years experience was聽$5,687 per month; $5,923 per month for officers with four to six years experience; and聽$6,152 per month, for officers who have worked seven to nine years.
鈥婣fter accruing credible years of service, officers receive automatic step increases.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s spokesman Ian Scheuring said the raises are already in the city’s budget and that the mayor views them as an investment in public safety and the police department.
“This is putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to public safety and family safety,” Blangiardi said in a statement.
