NCJ Number
92685
Date Published
1983
Length
354 pages
Annotation
This national study found that, among police departments and police unions, collective bargaining and the availability of interest arbitration are clearly associated with higher salaries, higher fringe benefits, and more favorable contracts.
Abstract
The primary object of the study was to isolate the impact compulsory interest arbitration has had on police employment conditions. The data collected came from 1,015 cities for varying years during the 1971 to 1981 period. The research took the form of a mail survey sent to almost all U.S. cities with a population over 25,000. Collective bargaining is a positive factor in police salaries, and it is enhanced by the availability of arbitration. The availability of arbitration has an independent and positive association with police salaries, but it is not the cause. Controlling for critical factors, arbitrated salaries are not significantly different in any year from negotiated salaries. Arbitration caused very little leveling of salaries to occur. Arbitration's greatest benefit for police officers may be the protection it provides against management attempts to hold down the rate of increase in salaries. Collective bargaining has a stronger association with fringe benefits. Police unions in arbitration cities are able to obtain both favorable contracts and adequate salaries to a much greater extent than police unions in other cities. Police bargaining correlates with more productive officers and less productive civilian employees. Arbitration seemingly produces the opposite effect. Statistical tables are included. Appendixes include a copy of the mail survey, a listing of data sources, the scoring methodology, and statistical tables. Over 70 references are noted.