MONROE - Contract negotiations between dispatchers of the Monroe Police Department and the city are deadlocked.
An arbitrator has been appointed by the Commissioner of the Wisconsin Employment Relations to resolve the differences between the dispatchers, represented by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association and the City of Monroe.
Arbitrator and mediator Howard S. Bellman, Madison, was appointed Jan. 10 to settle the final offers of both parties. He will handle the collective bargaining agreement, iron out the concerns over wages, hours and conditions of employment and issue a final and binding arbitration award.
No date has been set yet for the arbitration.
Mark Coplien, chairman of the Monroe Salary and Personnel Comittee, declined to comment on the pending arbitrations. He said members of the police department are greatly appreciated, as are all city emplyees. The details of this contract negotiation, however, "just happen to be" with dispatchers, Coplien said.
City Administrator Mark Vahlsing said it has been "quite a few years" since the city has had to go to arbitration; the last three-year contracts with city employees were not arbitrated.
Vahlsing said state law does not allow dispatchers to go on strike, and that the arbitration process prevents that from happening.
The last contract with city police expired at the end of 2006.
Police Chief Fred Kelley would not release any information on the negotiations, stating it was "not something we do" subject to collective bargaining rules.
A notice to the public has been released that says any person who desires a copy of the final offers of the parties, and cannot otherwise obtain them, may request copies in writing from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, P.O. Box 7870, Madison, WI 53707-7870. Requestors pay the cost of reproduction plus postage.
The public is further advised that any five citizens in the jurisdiction served by the City of Monroe may file a petition, within 10 days of the appointment of the arbitrator, with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission at the same address, requesting a public hearing be scheduled by the arbitrator for the purpose of providing the opportunity to both parties to explain or present supporting arguments for their respective positions and to members of the public to offer their comments and suggestions. A copy of the petition shall be served on the parties and the arbitrator. The petition must be received by the Commission on or before Jan. 22, 2008.
The name and address of the arbitrator is Howard S. Bellman, Arbitrator-Mediator, 82 Oak Creek Trail, Madison, WI 53717.
An arbitrator has been appointed by the Commissioner of the Wisconsin Employment Relations to resolve the differences between the dispatchers, represented by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association and the City of Monroe.
Arbitrator and mediator Howard S. Bellman, Madison, was appointed Jan. 10 to settle the final offers of both parties. He will handle the collective bargaining agreement, iron out the concerns over wages, hours and conditions of employment and issue a final and binding arbitration award.
No date has been set yet for the arbitration.
Mark Coplien, chairman of the Monroe Salary and Personnel Comittee, declined to comment on the pending arbitrations. He said members of the police department are greatly appreciated, as are all city emplyees. The details of this contract negotiation, however, "just happen to be" with dispatchers, Coplien said.
City Administrator Mark Vahlsing said it has been "quite a few years" since the city has had to go to arbitration; the last three-year contracts with city employees were not arbitrated.
Vahlsing said state law does not allow dispatchers to go on strike, and that the arbitration process prevents that from happening.
The last contract with city police expired at the end of 2006.
Police Chief Fred Kelley would not release any information on the negotiations, stating it was "not something we do" subject to collective bargaining rules.
A notice to the public has been released that says any person who desires a copy of the final offers of the parties, and cannot otherwise obtain them, may request copies in writing from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission, P.O. Box 7870, Madison, WI 53707-7870. Requestors pay the cost of reproduction plus postage.
The public is further advised that any five citizens in the jurisdiction served by the City of Monroe may file a petition, within 10 days of the appointment of the arbitrator, with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission at the same address, requesting a public hearing be scheduled by the arbitrator for the purpose of providing the opportunity to both parties to explain or present supporting arguments for their respective positions and to members of the public to offer their comments and suggestions. A copy of the petition shall be served on the parties and the arbitrator. The petition must be received by the Commission on or before Jan. 22, 2008.
The name and address of the arbitrator is Howard S. Bellman, Arbitrator-Mediator, 82 Oak Creek Trail, Madison, WI 53717.