After months of negotiations, the University of Florida and the University of Florida Police Department agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The new contract gives a $13,000 raise across the board for bargaining unit members. Each member will also receive a 3% raise July 1, 2026, and 2027.
The new contract was a result of hours-long negotiations in the UFPD conference room. Almost a dozen UFPD, Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union representing UFPD, and UF officials gathered to bargain for increased salaries.
Patrick Keegan, UF’s chief labor negotiator, and George Corwine, PBA’s chief negotiator, attended the meetings to discuss a fair contract for the UFPD.
UFPD and the PBA’s collective bargaining agreement ended June 30, but the PBA has negotiated since March because the three-year contract was up for consideration.
Sixty-nine of UFPD’s 89 positions are currently filled. A raise will help UFPD’s recruiting and retention efforts, said Scott Bonafide, North Central Florida PBA’s president.
The department is counting on the salary increase to recruit more officers because the new pay will make them better competitors to surrounding law enforcement.
But the agreement didn’t come easily.
UFPD and UF “at odds”
After UF and UFPD came to an impasse following eight hours of negotiating July 7 and another tense meeting July 14, the final contract was signed Tuesday.
Keegan presented a new offer consisting of a $13,000 raise across the board and a $8,875 base pay increase for Police Communication Officers I and II.
He previously offered a $11,000 raise July 7, which the PBA rejected.
“Our last meeting felt like we were at odds,” Keegan said about the July 7 meeting. “But the university is very interested in actually getting to an agreement.”
The offer would make UFPD competitive in the state public university system and among local law enforcement, he said. Before the raise, UFPD had the lowest base salary.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office’s starting salary is $55,000, and the Gainesville Police Department’s starting salary for certified police officers is $60,000. According to Bonafide, the average starting pay for university police departments is $61,000.
Officers in the meeting room joked and conversed while UF and UFPD deliberated separately for an hour after the six-minute discussion of the offer.
It was a stark contrast to the tense discussion that followed Corwine’s counteroffer. Corwine accepted the $13,000 but requested the base pay be included in the contract.
UF’s previous bargaining agreement contracts didn’t include base salary, Keegan said, and it didn’t “want to have a starting salary in the contract.”
While the final agreement included the base salary, the discussion revealed the amount UFPD officers were paid was unclear.
The PBA believed it was $50,000, but Keegan said the base salary was $51,009.
UFPD and PBA officials appeared confused, and Corwine asked if there was a change. UFPD’s recruiting website advertises certified officers are paid $23.95 an hour, while UF’s career site advertises the same position at $24.43 an hour.
The problem was past contracts didn’t include the salary amount, Corwine said.
According to Keegan, the base salary has never been included in past bargaining collective agreements.
“ It's not like this is new,” Keegan said. “We didn't ask to take it out. You're asking to put it in.”
UF can’t guarantee a salary increase if the base salary isn’t included in the contract, Corwine said. Starting pay should be established in the contract to clarify, he added.
“What you want it to be is not transparent,” Corwine said.
The resolution
Monday’s meeting concluded after three hours due to time restraints, so both parties ironed out the agreement Tuesday.
UF agreed to include the base salary in the contract, a success for UFPD.
Spirits were high as details solidified and both parties reached an agreement. Now, they wait for the final steps.
Scott Bonafide said UFPD officers who are lieutenants or below will vote on the contract.
It will go into effect once the chief and PBA sign the contract after the vote, he said.
In an email statement, UF thanked everyone who helped achieve this agreement.
“We believe this contract recognizes the hard work and contributions of the UFPD and the department's critical role in protecting our students, faculty and staff,” the statement read.
Contact Maria Avlonitis at mavlonitis@alligator.org. Follow her on X @MariaAvlonitis.
