The officers that patrol Lathrop’s streets are now organized.

On Monday, the Lathrop City Council voted on a consent calendar item that formally recognizes the Lathrop Police Officers Association – the union that represents the sworn, non-management personnel that are tasked with protecting Lathrop’s residents – and adopted a benefit plan for two currently unpresented job classes.

The package adopted by the council will also include a recruitment incentive plan.

The memorandum of understanding between the union and the city represents a good-faith effort between both entities that started negotiating backing in November. The union was recognized by the Lathrop City Manager back in October, pursuant to the city’s established policies.

According to the staff report prepared for the meeting, the MOU will remain in place through July 1, 2026, and will include an annual cost of living adjustment of 4 percent – the same COLA as other city bargaining units – as well as overtime, special assignment pay, POST certification pay, education incentive pay, holiday pay, callback and stand-by pay, and education reimbursement.

Now that the memorandum of understanding between patrol officers and sergeants and the city is in place, the existing sworn compensation plan that was adopted during the transition to the new standalone agency will be duplicated – and therefore, not applicable.  

Because the new MOU would do away with those recruitment incentives for most sworn personnel, the council’s action on Monday instituted a new policy that will provide hiring incentives for unrepresented positions that are still part of the agency’s makeup – like lieutenant and commander.

Those unrepresented positions – in larger departments those job classifications are usually “middle managers” and are represented by their own bargaining unit – will also be getting a dedicated benefits package that was included in the original sworn compensation plan but went away when the MOU with the patrol officers and sergeants superseded the original agreement.

The fiscal impact of the decision will cost Lathrop $151,501 for the remainder of this fiscal year, and $630,243 for the next full fiscal year in 2023/24. That number will increase to $655,452 for the 2024/25 fiscal year, and $681,670 for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2026.

Representatives from the LPOA and the City of Lathrop would likely start negotiations towards an extension about a year before the current MOU expires at the end of the 2025/26 fiscal year.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.