St. Paul police use convention to leverage demands

Police in St. Paul, Minn., are using the Republican National Convention as a platform to protest their salaries.

Officers are demonstrating outside the Xcel Energy Center, where Republicans will convene for their convention starting Sept. 1. The protests started on July 31, and police union officials say they will continue indefinitely.

{mosads}Minnesota state law prevents the police from striking, but Republican delegates could have to pass cops holding signs that read: “Welcome to the RNC — will you buy me a T-shirt?”

The Republican National Convention (RNC) isn’t worried about the protests.

“We are confident the city of St. Paul will resolve this issue,” said Joanna Burgos, press secretary for the RNC. “We are also certain the St. Paul Police Department and the numerous other law enforcement agencies involved will contribute significantly to a safe and successful 2008 Republican National Convention.”

Police are preparing to handle thousands of protesters planning to greet President Bush on the first day of the convention. A spokesman for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said the protests by police will not interfere with or inhibit the department from providing protection during the convention.

But spokesman Bob Hume acknowledged the union is using the convention to draw attention to its cause.

“[The union has] made it very clear through their e-mails that they’re using the RNC to run a union campaign to call attention to what they think is a pay disparity,” Hume said.

The police union wants to change its deal with the city so that officers will get increased pay under their three-year contract. Talks have been continuing for about one year.

Coleman has said the police department is scheduled to receive the same pay adjustment as other city employees of 3.25 percent per year for three years.

But the union says this is not enough to keep up with the competitive salaries of police departments in surrounding suburbs and neighboring Minneapolis. As a result, the St. Paul Police Department could see a dramatic decline in its recruitment and retention of officers, said union President Dave Titus.

Titus said the mayor does not want to alter the police department’s contract because the union, which has approximately 700 members and is roughly the size of the department, did not endorse him during his campaign in 2005. The union endorsed the incumbent mayor, Randy Kelly, who, like Coleman, is a Democrat.

“Clearly this is a vendetta by this mayor, because we didn’t endorse him,” Titus said. “Only in St. Paul do people hold a grudge against you because you chose one Democrat over another. And I fear he’s going to hold us down no matter what the cost to the department or to the city.”

The union says that under the current contract agreement, the salaries of officers with more than five years of experience would be ranked 25th out of 27 similar metropolitan area police departments.

But the mayor’s office said these numbers are not entirely accurate because they only include the base salary of the officers and do not take into account employee benefits, overtime pay or promotional opportunities within the department that could result in a higher salary.

The St. Paul Police Department has received criticism recently for not having finalized protection arrangements for the convention.

Coleman has estimated the convention will need about 3,500 officers to provide security for the event, at which Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) is expected to receive the Republican Party’s nomination for president.

This security contingency represents about a third of Minnesota’s 10,000 police officers.

For the last GOP convention, in 2004, New York City required about 6,000 police officers, but with a police force of more than 40,000, it did not sap the city’s crime-fighting power too badly.

Coleman’s office said the city would “absolutely” meet its manpower goal needed to provide security for the convention.

“They’ve committed to having a certain number and they’re going to meet that number,” Hume said.