AUBURN – Calling it the single most difficult labor contract he’s ever negotiated, Mark Adams walked councilors through a settlement with the police union.

“The non-monetary costs have been high,” said Adams, assistant city manager. “It’s incumbent upon everyone, including officers, to continue working to rebuild that trust.”

Councilors agreed, accepting the contract with the Auburn division of the Maine Association of Police patrol unit.

The agreement put an end to months of failed negotiations. The contract expired June 31, 2003. Until now, negotiators couldn’t reach a deal. The group met with a state mediator three times between September and January, with little change.

But city and union officials continued to talk and reopened negotiations quietly a few months ago.

“We have met cordially and collaboratively over these last two months,” Adams said. “They’ve been the kind of negotiations that I enjoy. We worked together; we worked creatively and we reached a good conclusion.”

Under the new contract, effective July 1 and good through 2007, officers get two annual raises each year for the next three years – a 3 percent performance raise on the anniversary of their date of hire and a 2 percent conversion on July 1 of each year.

Under the old contract, police received 3 percent annual raises coupled with a 2 percent raise for passing a physical assertion and agility test.

Other points include:

• A more rigorous physical test.

• Police move to a health insurance plan that costs the city less and agree to pay more for it. Police now pay 10 percent of their premiums. They’ll pay 15 percent under the new contract.

• Police Chief Richard Small can offer better pay to newly hired experienced officers. The union had opposed that clause.

Union Treasurer Norm Letourneau praised both Adams and Small for their professionalism.

“The members of the union voted, and we agreed that we can live with this contract,” Letourneau said.

Letourneau was still wearing the beard he grew in protest of failed negotiations nearly a year ago. Then, police began letting their facial hair grow in protest of the lack of a signed contract. Letourneau said he planned to shave off his beard Monday night, after the council meeting.

“Some of the guys, they already have,” he said. “The rest, I expect they’ll shave as soon as they find out the news.”

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