DPS Pay Parity - The FOP Protects Your Pay!!!

On 05/24/06 the Department of Public Safety presented its pay plan to the Law Enforcement Merit System Council (LEMSC). The department proposed a "stepped" pay plan that would have had all sworn pay ranks at varied levels behind market. The proposed percentage behind market varied drastically. Some of these percentages were more than triple the size of others.

After the department presented its pay plan, the LEMSC allowed DPS employee organizations to speak. A representative of the Associated Highway Patrolman of Arizona (AHPA), spoke first stating that the AHPA supported Pay Parity, but when questioned by the council if the department's plan was "acceptable" he stated that its pay plan was.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 32 Vice President, John Ortolano, voiced the FOP views to the LEMSC. The FOP staunchly supports Pay Parity and provided strong testimony why a "strict" Pay Parity plan was the best pay plan for the department. This pay plan would adjust all sworn pay ranks to an equal percentage behind market. Testimony was provided to show why the department's proposed pay plan wasn't good for the department's morale, and would continue personal sacrifices made by employees as well as limiting applicants for promotional processes.

Upon listening to testimony from the department and the two employee groups, the LEMSC rendered its decision concerning the DPS pay plan. The LEMSC went against the DPS "stepped" pay plan and sided with the "strict" Pay Parity plan supported by the FOP.

In explaining the LEMSC decision, the council stated that it was the FOP's testimony which led them to side with the strict Pay Parity plan.