Pittsburgh's police officers ratify contract with raises, new disciplinary structure

The union representing Pittsburgh’s police officers has ratified a contract with the city that includes pay increases and a new structure for disciplining officers, officials said Tuesday.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said rank-and-file officers voted Monday night to approve the deal by a vote of 572 to 13. The head of the police union called that “a unanimous vote” of support for the new contract.

“This contract delivers raises for new officers that will help us recruit and retain the kind of officers that best represent Pittsburgh,” the mayor said in a statement released on Twitter.

Pittsburgh — before my team put our first offer on the table to the FOP we visited every police zone and unit in the city in order to hear directly from the rank and file members what they would like to see in their next contract. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/rzQYYl7yr8

— Mayor Ed Gainey (@MayorEdGainey) March 7, 2023

Full details of the contract, which extends from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2025, have not yet been made public.

Robert Swartzwelder, who heads Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge #1, said the new contract is a step in the right direction but not anywhere close to a perfect solution.

“It’s a good award for the officers currently working in the City of Pittsburgh,” Swartzwelder said Tuesday afternoon. “But this settlement will do absolutely nothing for recruitment or retention.”

Finding ways to retain officers and attract new ones by offering a more competitive pay and benefits package was among the goals of the contract.

Members of the police union have said many Pittsburgh police officers are taking jobs with the Allegheny County Police or in outlying suburbs, which pay better salaries and have better-funded pensions.

Swartzwelder has said staffing levels are at a “tipping point.”

City officials said unless more is done to recruit new officers to replace those who are retiring or leaving for other departments, staffing levels could drop below 700 officers by the start of 2025, leaving the bureau depleted and with low morale.

Swartzwelder said that while the new contract benefits current officers who have gone without pay raises, it does not address the recruitment problem.

“The pay will still be below their peers in other surrounding police departments,” he said.

A 30-year veteran of the Pittsburgh force, for example, will be making less than $92,000 a year on Dec. 31, 2025, compared to $94,000 a year today for an Allegheny County sheriff’s officer with two years of experience, Swartzwelder said. A new recruit to the Pittsburgh police force will start around $70,000 a year, he said.

Not counting the newly minted contract, a Pittsburgh police officer has seen about $11 an hour in pay raises since 2002, roughly the same pace as someone working at McDonald’s, Swartzwelder said.

“We’re a hamburger and hot dog police department — maybe now we’ll get a steak out of it,” he said.

Based on the size of incoming recruit classes, city officials estimated there would be 669 officers at the start of 2025, which is 250 less than the city might need.

The mayor said the new contract also creates a more open system for dealing with officers who run afoul.

“It (the contract) also includes another major first for our city — a disciplinary matrix that will provide our officers and the public a clear understanding and transparency into what happens if an officer violates the law or breaks policies and procedures,” Gainey said. “I’m proud of this contract and my team who made it happen.”

Gainey also lauded the leadership of FOP Lodge 1 “who worked together on this agreement for their members and for our city.”

Pittsburgh Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he feels the new contract could help the bureau boost morale among its ranks.

“That was a monumental contract, the first one in over 20 years,” he said. “It’s going to really go a long way.”

Coghill said he’s still not convinced the contract will do enough to bolster recruitment efforts, and said he’s not sure the city “will ever be able to match the suburbs” in terms of pay.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” he said.

Tuesday morning, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said that county police are no longer patrolling in Downtown Pittsburgh.

County officers had been assigned to provide an increased police presence in Downtown last month while the city recruited and assigned additional officers.

“The safety and security Downtown, as our county seat, is a priority for us as well, and we will provide any assistance and manpower needed,” Fitzgerald had said in a statement.

Staff writer Julia Felton contributed.