Tentative police pact is progress

City, police union contract could bring unity in Stockton

Stockton, struggling to dig out from a debt load that sent the city into bankruptcy court, could soon be able to present a unified front to its many outside creditors.

That's because the police union and the city have come to a tentative contract agreement that, if finalized, could end years of labor-management animosity and eliminate a costly $13 million lawsuit against the city.

Details of the pact remain secret but, according to City Manager Bob Deis, the contract is a good deal because "nobody gets everything they wanted."

The Stockton Police Officers Association was to begin voting on the pact this week and if a majority of the 335 officers approve it, the contract could go to the City Council for action Dec. 11.

The SPOA is the last employee group to strike a deal with the city. Having a deal, in Deis' words, means "we can join hands and defend our position with the other creditors."

Those other creditors include Wells Fargo, which foreclosed on three city parking garages soon after the city quit making bond payments.

Among other ideas floated by bond holders was one for even more cuts to public safety services, something the City Council refused to do and something Stockton residents would not have put up with had the council moved in that direction.

An agreement with the police union adds another important piece to the puzzle that officials hope will allow the city to quickly - a term used advisedly here - emerge from the nation's largest ever municipal bankruptcy filing.

There are two other positives from a pact.

First, it is just one less distraction in this highly complicated bankruptcy process. And it possibly means the city will spend less on legal fees going forward.

Second, it should help stem the out-flow of some of the city's more experienced officers. Retirements and relocations have seriously reduced the department's institutional knowledge.

We don't pretend to know if a majority of officers will go along. That they're being asked to consider an offer hatched between the city and their union represents progress. And that's much better than the long-running sparring that's resulted in bruised feelings and often embarrassingly childish behavior on both sides.

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