AUSTIN, Texas — Not having a contract for about a year between the City of Austin and its police officers is stressful for Austin Police Association (APA) President Michael Bullock.
"It has an impact on officer's lives. So, I mean, this is not the situation that we want to be in," Bullock said.
The biggest obstacle Bullock said the APA faces is a lawsuit filed by Equity Action, a nonprofit pushing for police accountability, against the City and multiple leaders for not fully implementing the voter-approved Proposition A, also called the "Police Oversight Act." Prop A would dismantle the "G file," a historically confidential Austin police personnel file with officer complaints. Prop A would make it public, but the City said it needs more clarity on whether state law would allow it to share that information.
"The City is kind of put in a position where it's working almost against itself over these two conflicting definitions. And as it's working through that, that hampers what exactly we can talk about at a bargaining table because the City doesn't even know necessarily what it can and can't bargain over yet," Bullock said.
Bullock said their biggest sticking point with negotiating is waiting until the court issues a ruling on whether or not the material is released. But City leaders like Councilmember Ryan Alter and Mayor Kirk Watson do not want to wait.
"I think we can bargain for everything else and just plug in that court ruling to whatever we negotiate, and so I say, let's do it right now," Alter said.
"I don't see any reason that a lawsuit that's been filed by a third party against the City should keep us from being able to come back to the table and negotiate a contract if we're in agreement," Watson said.
Watson said he plans to bring forth an ordinance that he wants council to pass on Feb. 1 that aims to guarantee officers get paid.
"You will still have your benefits, even though you're out of contract. You will still have the recruiting incentives and that bonus program that's there," Watson said.
Both sides want to provide stability to recruit and retain officers but are still unable to reach an agreement, leaving the future in limbo.
"It has an effect on officers' morale. It's not an incentive for people to come here because they see how tumultuous the relationship seems to be," Bullock said.
Watson also said he is hopeful to have a contract that lasts three to four years, calling it the "best way" to retain police officers.