Mayor Bruce Harrell is applauding the Seattle City Council’s approval of the proposed contract between the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Management Association.

Tuesday, the council voted to approve the contract with SPMA. One of Seattle’s two police unions, SPMA represents Seattle’s roughly 80 police lieutenants and captains. District 3 representative Kshama Sawant was not present for the vote. Despite her support for labor and unions, Sawant voted against the agreement with the Seattle Police Officers Guild in 2018.

The proposed contract includes new agreements on pay and benefits, and also includes changes to the way appeals of discipline will work for the officers covered by the SPMA.

Publicola reports the agreement including its concessions on arbitration agreements with the union could be a template for a new contract with SPOG which also needs to be banged out at City Hall.

“This contract is a demonstration of our shared commitment to improving public safety and improving public trust,” Harrell said in a statement. “Strengthening police accountability is necessary for ensuring our Seattle Police Department is one that reflects our values and always drives toward continuous improvement. I am grateful SPMA came to the table with these same priorities and appreciate that this collaborative approach puts in place a model for how we can support both our employees and our greater community through accountability.”

The city and SPMA must still sign the final deal to put the new agreement including retroactive wage hikes into place.

UPDATE: The Seattle Community Police Commission commended the negotiation process which included representation from the watchdog group for the first time. The commission “was allowed a technical advisor to participate in the contract negotiating process,” it said in a statement.

“This contract takes critical steps forward – and the process itself marked a milestone in that a community representative participated in the police bargaining process,” Brandy Grant, CPC Executive Director, said.

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