City of Austin Statement on Labor Negotiations with Police Union

The City's Labor Relations Office has been negotiating with the Austin Police Association (APA) for almost nine months over a new labor contract. The current labor agreement would have expired in September, but was automatically extended until March 2023, so that negotiations could continue. Earlier today, the APA abruptly declared during a negotiation session that it would oppose removing and separating police oversight from the contract process, despite the City having made clear that such a measure was important to achieving a fair labor agreement that had community support, and despite the Association’s prior willingness to jointly work on such a goal.
 
City of Austin Spokesperson: 

“The parties reached a setback in negotiations today regarding whether police oversight should be separated from the union contract. The City negotiating team has been clear from the beginning that oversight must be removed from the contract. The City is willing to continue to negotiate with the union over pay and conditions of employment, if the Association is willing to continue discussions on removal of the police oversight provisions from the contract. Ultimately, our community members expect and deserve transparency and accountability in policing and we fully intend to make that happen through a combination of City ordinance and a responsible labor agreement. 
  
“The City Manager is confident that the parties will come to an agreement on a sound labor contract, which will be key to recruiting and retaining the top-quality police officers we need to keep our community safe, and to building the community-focused, equity-oriented police department to which we’re committed.”