A four-year dispute between the campus police union and the University's Human Resources office continues, as their latest round of court-ordered mediation ended at impasse in late October.
The union sued the University in 1997 claiming that the officers' salaries fell unacceptably below those paid to their peers. They added that the poor compensation directly contributed to an abnormally high turnover rate that placed the security of the campus in danger, forcing the officers to respond to crimes rather than taking a more proactive approach to prevent them.
The Police Officers Association, which is the union representing the officers, won a $224,000 settlement, which constituted back pay, and an increased starting salary of $13.68, which was the starting pay for an Albuquerque Police Department officer in 1997.
"We have veteran officers who don't even make $13.68, which is what people start with at APD," said Officer Patricia D'Arcy, president of the Police Officers Association.
The union won its case in district court in October of 2000 and its judgement was to go into effect Jan. 1, but the University appealed the decision. The appellate court instructed both parties to try and settle the matter through mediation, which concluded without an agreement.
"I'm sorry that we weren't able to settle it," said Susan Carkeek, associate vice president for human resources. "Our position is not to pursue this in an adversarial way, but we were too far apart to settle it and we do not have any further sessions scheduled at this point."
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Carkeek said the crux of the University's case is that it believes it has treated the Police Officers Association the same way it has treated all other employees and that the union is asking for more than what others employed by UNM receive.
"It's just not fair for us to offer them special treatment," she said. "We know that salaries for all staff members are lagging behind their peers and that we are not competitive in the market, but we are doing our best to fix that."
D'Arcy said the officers are frustrated with the negotiation process and are upset that the matter was not settled following the district court judgment in their favor.
"We really wanted to settle this because it doesn't help us to be fighting for 1997 wages," she said. "We have an incredibly high turnover rate and are losing officers."
UNMPD now employees 29 people, which includes administration, and full staffing is between 36-40 employees, D'Arcy said.
"Right now we only have 20 patrol officers to make the rounds and a lot of shifts we are running minimum manning, which is two officers and a dispatcher, because there just aren't enough people to go around," she said. "It's becoming a real safety issue. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, we have seen our responsibilities expand, and we're left basically just responding to calls as best we can without taking a proactive approach to prevent crime."
D'Arcy added that while the University can continue hiring new officers, it is expensive to train them and nearly impossible to keep them. The only strong benefit she cited for officers staying at UNM is flexible scheduling.
"As a mother of three kids, my schedule is really important to me," she said. "Otherwise, people see that they can get paid more and have a lot of other improved benefits if they leave. They also have the room to improve and the possibility of promotions that just don't exist here."
While the University is sympathetic to the officers' concerns, Carkeek said that it could not budge on the concept of favoring one group of employees over all others.
"They have had some raises since the lawsuit was first filed and we don't think the problem is permanent, but it's something that the whole University has to work through at the same time," she said. "We are all dependent on the state Legislature."
D'Arcy said that the officers feel like they have been punished for disputing their salaries. She said her research indicates that UNM tends to settle many of its disputes but that it would not offer 50 percent of what the union is requesting.
"The thing people at UNM need to realize is that if they want to protect their property and their people, they are going to have to work with us and pay us fair wages that are in line with our peers," she said. "The consequences are really severe in a situation like this and safety is something that people are a lot more aware of now. It should be a priority and we shouldn't have to fight for it like this."
Carkeek said that the University is not punishing any employees and is only limited by its resources in its response to complaints.
D'Arcy said that the officers were disappointed that the case has taken this long.
"We were really hoping that we could settle this and would be willing to meet us half way, but we have no other choice than to leave it in the hands of the court," she said. "I have the utmost confidence in the decision the district court judge made in our favor and see no reason why the appellate court won't rule the same way."
