Houston Police Officers' Union approves new contract with city

HPOU approves new contract with city

The Houston Police Officers' Union approved a new contract with the city. The deal includes 36% pay raises over the next five years.

HOUSTON - The Houston Police Officers' Union has approved a proposed contract with the city that includes salary increases for officers.

HPOU members approve contract

By the numbers:

Ninety-seven percent of union members voted in favor of the contract on Friday.

What they're saying:

"We’re really excited to have our contract ratified by the membership. We look forward to city council’s approval to help recruit and retain the best and brightest for the City of Houston," HPOU president Doug Griffith said in a statement.

What's next:

The contract will go before Houston City Council for approval. They will review the details for a week, and it should go to city council on May 21. If passed, the contract goes into effect on July 1.

City, HPOU reach contract deal

The contract deal was announced last week. According to a press release from Mayor John Whitmire's office, the agreement was made after months of negotiations between the city and the HPOU. 

By the numbers:

The proposal includes salary increases that would rise by about 36% within the next five years. The pay would start with a 10% increase starting this July, followed by an 8% increase in 2026, 6% in 2027 and 2028, and 6.5% in 2029.

Based on the release, if the deal is approved, the base pay for a first-year officer would start at $75,000 starting July 1.

Officers would also receive more pay for working weekends or if their shifts start at noon or later. When added to the first-year officer's proposed base pay, these increases would raise the pay to $81,600.

The deal also includes increased patrol pay. That annual increase depends on how long the officer's been on duty.

Dig deeper:

Houston mayor, police union announce proposed pay increases for officers