RACINE, Wis. — More than a dozen Racine police officers attended the city's Common Council meeting Tuesday night to voice their frustrations. The department has been without a contract with the city for five years.
"It's frustrating," said Don Nuttall, vice president of the Racine Police Association, who has spent 26 years in the department.
The department has faced this issue since its last contract expired in 2020. The sticking point in negotiations is a disagreement over health insurance for retired officers.
It's something the mayor says he legally cannot do.
"I'm still stuck with a law that says health care is a prohibited subject for bargaining," Mayor Cory Mason told TMJ4.
He said the city is seeking guidance from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission on whether it can legally bargain those retirement benefits.
"The legislature sets these rules. We have to live by them," Mason said.
Watch: Racine Police officers voice frustration over 5-year contract stalemate
The back-and-forth stems from Act 10, which Mason said needs to be addressed in the courts.
"I hope the Supreme Court strikes down Act 10," Mason said. "I think these laws that prohibit how much cities can negotiate with their bargaining units are a bad idea."
In the meantime, Mason said officers are still receiving raises.
The union says the laws were in place during its last contract and that other departments across the state have not encountered the same issue.
"The city of Racine is the only municipality in the state of Wisconsin to make that argument, before 2021 and even since," said Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association.
Police officers say they remain in limbo.
"It's frustrating for a lot of the newer guys coming in. They have a lot of question marks—they have a lot of questions," Nuttall said.
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