In a statement, the Milwaukee Police Association called the city’s “labor contract tactics” a “betrayal” of Milwaukee police officers.
The Milwaukee Police Association is objecting to yet another delay proposed by the City to settle a contract with its police officers. And to be clear, Milwaukee police officers – despite having arguably the most dangerous job in the state – have been forced to go without a pay raise for 2.5 years.
The MPA, which represents rank-and-file police officers, is accusing the city of betraying officers and a “calculated insult.”
And that comes on top of the fact MPD officers already earn less than some suburban departments, and in the midst of a recruiting and staffing crisis. The number of sworn officers has plummeted since the mid-90s, and officers are still being asked to patrol extremely dangerous neighborhoods in one-man squads, raising safety concerns.
“For over 2 ½ years, MPA members have courageously served their City despite not having a contract and now the City seeks yet another delay so that it can apparently use taxpayer money to hire outside legal counsel to contest the MPA’s efforts to receive fair compensation for the City’s police officers,” Samuel C. Hall, the lawyer for the Milwaukee Police Association, wrote the arbitrator in a letter.
However, on July 25, the arbitrator agreed to the city’s request to adjourn contract negotiations – yet again. They were supposed to go to arbitration in August; the city and union could not agree on a contract. The city has had a never-ending cascade of reasons for multiple adjournments, almost running out the contract term entirely (it ends at the end of the year), but the fact remains: Cops are still being asked to go without even a cost of living pay raise, for years, and whether they will get back pay is on many of their minds.
On top of it, the city now wants to spend taxpayer money to hire outside lawyers to fight the Milwaukee Police Association’s requests.
The Common Council now has a choice, the MPA says – support the police officers by refusing the request for outside legal counsel and tell the mayor’s office to get a deal done with existing staff or spend taxpayer money on lawyers that could go toward hiring more cops or paying the current officers more. The mayor, Cavalier Johnson, has the power to get a contract done.
“The Milwaukee Police Association strongly condemns the City of Milwaukee’s ongoing and unacceptable refusal to settle a fair contract for its police officers,” the MPA wrote. “The City of Milwaukee’s refusal to settle a fair contract with its police officers is not just unacceptable – it’s a calculated insult to the brave and honorable officers who protect this city.”
The labor agreement “between the MPA and the City expired in December 2022. Since at least September 2023—following the enactment of Act 12—the MPA has worked in good faith to bring this matter to resolution through every available legal and procedural channel: direct negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Each time, our progress has been derailed by the City’s dysfunction, disorganization, and deliberate delay,” the MPA wrote.
“For more than two and a half years, the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department have upheld their oath, serving this city with courage and professionalism—despite having no contract and no wage increase,” they wrote.
“Now, the City’s latest tactic is to delay the arbitration so that they can attempt to spend taxpayer dollars hiring outside lawyers to fight the very people who protect those taxpayers. And they will likely be asking the Common Council to approve it,” they wrote.
“This is beyond shameful. There is no middle ground here. Members of the Common Council either stand with the officers who risk their lives every day, or they stand with those who would rather funnel public money to lawyers rather than pay their own police force,” wrote MPA. “While Mayor Johnson’s administration has been the cause of prior days, the Common Council now has the power to reject this gamesmanship and decline to spend taxpayer money fighting fair wages for our law enforcement officers.”
The union added: “In recent weeks Milwaukee Police Officers have been heartened by the support from members of the public and the city’s business community in the wake of the tragic murder of one of our own. The people of Milwaukee deserve a police department that is respected—and that starts with a city leadership that treats its officers with fairness, dignity, and accountability. Now it’s up to their elected officials to show their true colors.”
The MPA wrote that it “will not be deterred. We will continue to fight for a contract that reflects the professionalism and sacrifice of Milwaukee’s police officers. The Mayor and Common Council must answer one question: who do you stand with? Clearly, the community stands with their police.”
We reached out to Johnson for comment. His spokesman Jeff Fleming said: “I can tell you, there’s nothing nefarious going on here. The assistant city attorney who had been working on this labor negotiation has decided to take a job outside of Milwaukee city government. The outside counsel seems to be the best approach to keep the process on track. The city is focused on resolving the remaining differences, and, sharing the same goal as the MPA, the city is interested in reaching agreement as promptly as possible.”
Will the Common Council and mayor stand with the cops or not? After the horrific death of Officer Kendall Corder, everyone spouted rhetoric claiming they stand with officers.
Time to prove it.
Milwaukee Police officers have been working without a contract since the end of 2022.
In a letter obtained exclusively by Wisconsin Right Now, the law firm representing the MPA outlines the city’s ongoing delays in talks to settle a contract. The letter also objects to the city hiring outside attorneys to represent them in the ongoing negotiations, which would be passed on to taxpayers.
Wisconsin Right Now has learned that the central issue in talks is officer back pay.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman was unanimously given a second four-year term as head of the Milwaukee Police Department on June 26th, the same day Milwaukee Officer Kendall Corder was fatally shot. Norman’s new contract comes with a $60,000 raise to $243,000, up from $183,000.
Here is the full text of the letter:
RE: Opposition to the City of Milwaukee’s Request to Adjourn Arbitration
Dear Arbitrator Bauman:
As you know, my firm and I serve as legal counsel for the Milwaukee Police Association (“MPA”). Please accept this correspondence as the MPA’s opposition to the City of Milwaukee’s (“City”) request to adjourn the upcoming arbitration hearing to allow for the City to retain outside legal counsel at the eleventh hour. MPA’s lead labor counsel, Attorney Matthew Tobin, stands prepared to arbitrate this matter as scheduled, starting on August 19, 2025, and we respectfully request that you deny the City’s request for an adjournment.
The contract between the MPA and City of Milwaukee expired in December of 2022. Since at least September of 2023 (following the passage of Act 12), the MPA has diligently pursued a resolution of this matter through direct negotiation, mediation and, ultimately, arbitration. Time and time again the MPA’s efforts to bring this matter to a conclusion have been stymied by the City’s constant issues and self-inflicted delays. For over 2 ½ years, MPA members have courageously served their City despite not having a contract and now the City seeks yet another delay so that it can apparently use taxpayer money to hire outside legal counsel to contest the MPA’s efforts to receive fair compensation for the City’s police officers.
Originally, the MPA was negotiating this matter with City Labor Negotiator Nicole Fleck. After many months of direct negotiations, an unsuccessful mediation with the WERC was held on April 8, 2024 with Chairman James Daley. The MPA then served a Petition for Final and Binding Arbitration on April 15, 2024. For reasons unknown to the MPA, Ms. Fleck left the position of Labor Negotiator in approximately May of 2024. The City then requested a stay of the arbitration proceeding while it appointed a new Labor Negotiator. Ultimately, Veronica Rudychev was appointed to that position in approximately June of 2024.
Mr. Rudychev and the City then requested additional time for Ms. Rudychev to familiarize herself with this matter before engaging in arbitration. The MPA agreed to this request. Tragically, while discussions regarding a resolution of this case were ongoing, Ms. Rudychev passed away in October of 2024.
The City then requested a stay of these proceedings while it recruited and approved a new Labor Negotiator. Initially, Attorney Ben Roovers was set to become the new Labor Negotiator for the
However, he withdrew his application prior to being approved by the City’s Common Counsel. The City then, again, requested additional time to recruit a new Labor
Negotiator.
Mr. Nick DeSiato, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, eventually was appointed as the interim Labor
Negotiator for the City of Milwaukee in late December of 2024. Mr. DeSiato requested yet another extension of time to familiarize himself with this matter and to independently attempt to negotiate a resolution with the MPA. The MPA, once again, patiently granted this request and engaged in further direct negotiations. Eventually, however, in approximately April of 2025, the City reappointed Ms. Fleck to the position of Labor Negotiator.
At approximately the same time, the City of Milwaukee informed the MPA that it would be
replacing its lead attorney on this matter and that Attorney Ben Roovers would be accepting a position with the City and taking over as lead legal counsel on this arbitration. With that said, Attorney Roovers is certainly not the only Milwaukee Assistant City Attorney who has represented the City in this matter. Nonetheless, at the request of Attorney Roovers and the City, the MPA agreed to arbitrate this matter in August of 2025 as opposed to June of 2025.
After more than a year of delays caused solely by the City, the City is requesting yet another extension of time – now so that the City can spend taxpayer funds on lawyers rather than police officers, to prepare for an arbitration that was initiated back in April of 2024.
The members of the MPA have gone years without an appropriate raise. Each day that goes by without a contract further harms Milwaukee police officers and it stands in the way of the City being able to meaningfully recruit the additional officers that it desperately needs. The MPA and its members deserve their day in court and the City, after having delayed this matter for more than a year, should no longer be allowed to avoid this arbitration.
The MPA respectfully requests that you deny the City’s request to stay this arbitration and order that this matter proceed on August 19, 2025. The police officers of the City of Milwaukee deserve to be heard and any further delay would be an abdication of the City’s responsibility to the officers who protect it every day.
We appreciate your consideration in this matter.
Very truly yours,
SAMUEL C. HALL, JR
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