Anaheim : City, Police Near Accord on Contract

The city’s police union appears poised to accept a three-year contract that will include a raise, police and city officials said Thursday.

The city made its final offer to the union Tuesday. The union and its 350 members have until next week to accept or reject the offer. Union President Bruce Bottolfson said the offer is “a very nice contract in today’s economy.”

Neither Bottolfson nor city officials would disclose details of the offer, but both sides said they are confident that it will be ratified by the union.

Members had begun voting on the agreement in concept earlier this week but have been given until Wednesday to change their vote because of a minor change in the city’s offer made by the City Council late Tuesday.

This year’s relatively quiet negotiations have contrasted dramatically with 1994 when the union staged a sickout and threatened to recall Mayor Tom Daly.

“It was ugly,” Bottolfson said of last year’s battles. “This time, we went in there with no lawyers and decided we were going to get this thing done.”

If approved by the union, the agreement would be brought before the council for approval on July 11, said Dave Hill, the city’s human resources director.