Wicomico Co. Council votes down collective bargaining agreement with local law enforcement

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – It’s back to the drawing board for law enforcement in Wicomico County. During Tuesday night’s meeting, Wicomico County Council voted down a collective bargaining agreement with local police.

Not Enough Time or Info, Says Council

Council President John Cannon tells WMDT that they simply didn’t have enough time, or information, to work with. The proposed agreement came to Council a month late, says Cannon. He added that the numbers presented weren’t specific enough to fully assess risk, and how that would play into pay.

“We felt that we didn’t have the information that we needed; a more exact actuarial of what the COLA cost would be in the long run,” Cannon said. “We have to look long term. And, you really just want to see what the worst case scenario might be, and then work things back from there.”

“Council wanted to make this happen.”

A 2.5% cost of living adjustment, or COLA, for officers who retired after July 1st 2024 was included in the proposal. Deputies would have been on the hook for a 1% contribution. Cannon says Council was on board with those parts of the deal. However, the actuarial data is where he says Council took issue. Actuarial data are the numbers used to figure out possible liabilities.

“I really can’t emphasize enough that the Council wanted to make this happen. We thought we were going to have a very successful day. Unfortunately, we just did not feel that we had everything that we needed,” Cannon said. “You have to worry about two sides of this: whether it’s sustainable with the retirees, and also whether or not you could be putting too much of a burden on the new deputies.”

FOP Frustrated With Setback

Wednesday, the negotiating attorneys met once again to discuss next steps.

Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 111 President, Scott Hamilton, says the organizations is frustrated with the setback. He also pointed out that this was the first time Council had rejected a collective bargaining agreement since 2006.

Hamilton tells WMDT that the new agreement involved County Executive Julie Giordano, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, and the FOP’s collective bargaining unit negotiation committee. He adds that the proposed contract was ratified by an overwhelming majority of the FOP.

The FOP’s negotiation committee has instructed its legal team to draft the required paperwork to begin the impasse procedure. Hamilton says that if Council reverts course before a decision is made by an arbitrator, the FOP and collective bargaining unit committee would remain open to continuing toward a solution.

Other Leaders Weigh In

Meanwhile, other Wicomico County officials argue that the data given to Council should have been enough to come to an agreement. Giordano says Council was provided with a financial projection using actuarial data from CBIZ, the county’s actuary firm. That dataset handoff was complete by County Director of Finance, Pam Oland, says the County Executive.

In a news release, Giordano said “It is very disappointing to see this happen. We need this contract, especially the COLA, to help attract and keep our deputies. All other parties were in agreeance to the contract and it’s a shame the Council could not support our law enforcement.”