After nearly six months of negotiations, the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Officers Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year labor contract that would raise officer base pay by a cumulative 16.5% while costing the city an estimated $102.2 million over the life of the agreement.
The tentative agreement, announced Friday, still must be ratified by union membership before it goes to the San Antonio City Council for final approval. If approved, the contract would take effect Oct. 1 and run through Sept. 30, 2029.
Beyond pay increases, the tentative agreement includes changes to officer health benefits, work schedules, specialty and certification pay, field training officer compensation, leave policies, educational incentives and other employment provisions negotiated over the past six months.
Negotiations began Jan. 30 and included 10 formal bargaining sessions as city officials and union leaders worked through officer pay, health care, work schedules and other employment provisions. The talks at times became contentious, including in April when SAPOA temporarily paused negotiations after rejecting the city’s compensation proposal. Despite that setback, the two sides reached a tentative agreement in fewer than six months — a markedly shorter timeline than the previous police contract, which took more than a year to negotiate.
One of the biggest sticking points throughout negotiations was officer compensation. SAPOA initially proposed a package that included a 9% across-the-board raise, plus additional hourly wage increases totaling $5 an hour over three years and expanded health care benefits — a proposal city officials estimated would cost about $155 million over three years.
The city countered by arguing that total compensation, rather than base pay alone, should be the benchmark, citing an independent study showing San Antonio officers ranked among the top three large Texas cities when salary, health care, pension and other benefits were considered. The city’s initial compensation proposal totaled about $63 million over three years before increasing to roughly $76 million in April, prompting the union to temporarily pause negotiations. After bargaining resumed, the city increased its offer again in late June to about $90 million before both sides ultimately settled on Friday’s tentative agreement valued at $102.2 million over three years.
Officer raises, budget woesThe agreement comes as city leaders prepare for what they have described as one of San Antonio’s most difficult budget cycles in decades. Last month, officials projected a $158 million budget shortfall over the next two years, warning that slowing revenue growth and rising costs could require property tax increases, spending cuts and other difficult financial decisions.
“This agreement delivers meaningful pay increases and strong health benefits for our police officers while balancing the city’s long-term fiscal health and our ability to fund the mandated services residents depend on,” City Manager Erik Walsh said in a statement. “Reaching an agreement before the FY 2027 budget is proposed also gives us a clear understanding of the costs as we prepare for next year.”
SAPOA President Johnny Perez called the tentative agreement “a fair compromise for both sides,” crediting the union’s bargaining committee for keeping the focus on officer pay and benefits throughout months of negotiations.
“Every conversation at that negotiation table was rooted in one goal: to ensure our officers receive the fair pay and benefits they’ve earned for selflessly protecting our city,” Perez said in a statement.
Perez also thanked city negotiators “for coming to this process willing to prioritize public safety” and said the agreement now heads to union members for a ratification vote.
“This isn’t the finish line, it’s just the beginning,” Perez said. “We’re looking forward to presenting this to our members to formally ratify the agreement.”
This story originally appeared in the San Antonio Report.