They may have helped him get elected last November, but the Salt Lake City Police Association shouldn't expect any special favors, Mayor Rocky Anderson says.
"It doesn't matter to me that they endorsed me in my election — they don't own me," Anderson said Tuesday after police union leaders rescinded an invitation for a representative from the city to address their union meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Police association leaders closed the meeting, which was scheduled to start at 5 p.m., to the public and press. They were expected to address the media after the association's meeting.
In response, Anderson scheduled a press conference for 3:15 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
On Monday, in what he called a show of good faith, Anderson extended the deadline from Tuesday to noon Thursday for the union to accept a meeting with a federal mediator, minus police association President David Greer.
The line drawn in the sand between Greer and Anderson is a far cry from the backslapping that occurred more than a year ago, when Greer and the police association endorsed Anderson in his race for mayor against Stuart Reid.
Rank-and-file officers jumped behind Anderson partly because he vowed to fire police chief Reuben Ortega. Reid, on the other hand, said he'd keep Ortega in office.
But now it appears Anderson could be losing some of that support after the tough stance he's taken on contract negotiations and other police issues such as receiving gifts and covering take-home costs for patrol cars.
Anderson claims the city's police are the best paid in the state and is offering a three-year deal with a 2.5 percent pay increase during the first two years and a 2 percent increase in the final year. Greer has called that offer insulting and is demanding an 8.1 percent raise each year for the next two years.
Greer is no stranger to tough negotiations with the city, but Anderson said he's spoken with some rank-and-file officers who question Greer's leadership during the latest round of contract bargaining. The mayor, however, declined to say exactly how many officers expressed that sentiment.
"I think, frankly, there's a lot of concern about how he conducts himself," Anderson said. "This time he's gone way over the top, and he is damaging their interests."
In contrast, some officers have expressed displeasure with Anderson over his no-gift policy and take home fees for patrol cars.
Repeated calls seeking comment from Greer and the police association over the past several days have not been returned.
If mediation is rejected or doesn't result in an agreement by April 20, Anderson said he will develop his own compensation package and deliver it to the City Council on May 1.
"I think the mayor is being very constant with the direction that the counsel has given," council member Tom Rogan said. "I think he's trying to be both fair and generous."
While Anderson has vowed he'll never discuss police contracts again with Greer, he's worked doggedly to get his message to the city's rank-and-file officers.
In a letter e-mailed to each officer Tuesday, Anderson laid out the history of negotiations between himself and Greer. Anderson said police association leadership refused to help collect data on local wage comparisons. In years past, the city had compared its officers' pay to similar-size cities around the United States. This year, the city used comparisons with agencies only in Utah.
In his letter to rank-and-file officers, Anderson stated Greer "went way beyond effective, strong advocacy on behalf of Salt Lake's police officers."
"I'd like their support," Anderson told the Deseret News. "I think the rank and file will eventually support me for re-election, because they will always know I support reasonable and generous pay for our officers."
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com