Lock Haven City Manager provides details on upcoming city/police union arbitration

LOCK HAVEN, PA – City Manager Greg Wilson, in response to a request from therecord-online, on Tuesday provided information on the city’s upcoming arbitration hearing with its police department bargaining unit, the Lock Haven Police Officers Association The two sides are scheduled for binding arbitration this Friday, after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new contract; the previous pact expired on Dec. 31 of last year.

The city manager’s release noted that the status of negotiations had been discussed at city council’s Oct. 17, 2022, meeting:

Because the city and the Lock Haven Police Officers Association (LHPOA) were unable to come to reach an agreement, Act 111 of 1968 provides for arbitration where any issues in dispute are heard by a neutral arbitrator, in this case, from the American Arbitration Association.

The arbitration is not a public meeting, and there is no opportunity for public observation or public comment. The city will be represented by Atty. Joshua Hausman from the firm of Campbell Durrant, P.C. It is the city’s understanding that the LHPOA will be represented by Atty. Quintes Taglioli from the firm of Markowitz & Richman. Both the LHPOA and the city have an opportunity to information and documentation to the arbitrator.

Because of the amount of information the arbitrator will want to review, it will take several weeks before a final determination is issued. When the LHPOA and city receive the final determination from the arbitrator, any matters which require legislative action for implementation will be taken up by City Council at a regular public meeting.

The city discussed the status of the negotiations with LHPOA at it regular meeting on October 17, 2022 which was covered by both the Record and Express including discussion about the city’s proposal to move to 10-hour shifts for officers and provide 20-hour coverage a day instead of 24-hour coverage. I have attached the memorandum provided to Council and read by me in the meeting that was broadcast on the city’s YouTube and Facebook platforms.

The city manager noted that he had read a memorandum on the status of negotiations at that October meeting that was streamed on the city’s YouTube and Facebook platforms.

There has been little public discussion as to the contract negotiations in the interim. At that Oct. 17 meeting Wilson revealed that among the items placed on the table by the city was a proposal for all current officers to convert from 8-hour to 10-hour shifts; that would, he wrote at the time, “accommodate the city’s change from 24-hour a day local police coverage to a 20-hour a day local coverage department.”

Also on Tuesday, therecord-online talked with Craig McGowan, a retired police officer from suburban Philadelphia who is representing the city department’s police association and said he will be presenting the association’s side on Friday.

McGowan said the two sides had held some five meetings starting last August and Friday’s arbitration was scheduled after the two sides reached an impasse. He said, “Our argument is you (the city) need to go to the citizens…there should be public meetings to see where we should go with the police department.” He said the citizens were never given a voice in the matter, charging the city had “never even done a study and didn’t do their due diligence,” instead proposing that “we’re going to save money by closing shop for four hours a day.” He also charged that the city had not reached out to the state police about providing coverage for the hours that no city officers would be available.

There are presently ten members in the city police bargaining unit. McGowan said some of them will testify at the arbitration session, along with an economist to make a presentation on the cost of the city proposals. McGowan said while the city is seeking to convert its force to 10-hour shifts, the police bargaining unit is seeking a raise in salary comparable to similar communities.

Lock Haven has historically provided 24-hour, round-the-clock police protection. That scope of coverage could change, based on the arbitration hearing outcome. It normally takes about 60 days to learn the results.

The reduction from 24 to 20-hour daily protection, Wilson had told council in October, would create a reduction in taxpayer-funded city costs “in our community already struggling with 37% of the city’s real estate exempt from contributing taxes” to “services we all require.” He did not detail the amount of prospective savings if the reduced hours of protection were put in place. Council members did not comment at the October meeting.