Arbitration hearings underway for Milwaukee Police contract, but decision not expected for months

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The years-long battle between the city of Milwaukee and the police union is entering the final stages.

Arbitration hearings started Monday, September 22, but it still could be months before a decision is reached.

The police union is making its case first, then the city will present its side. The arbitrator will eventually pick from those two offers.

The hearing will play out like a court trial, though closed to the public and in a secret location.

On Monday, the Milwaukee Police Association kicked off the arbitration hearing with testimony. On Tuesday, the MPA will call an expert witness in front of the arbitrator.

The hearings are expected to last all week. Then both sides will take a break before resuming in late October.

At stake is the labor contract that will determine the salaries of the department's sworn officers for 2023-2025.

The two final offers are very far apart, and the arbitrator will decide which will be in effect.

The union proposes two 2.25% raises for the first two years, then a 3.75% raise for all of 2025.

The city proposes a 5% raise for the first year, then two 1% raises for the final two years.

A city official says the difference between the two offers amounts to millions of dollars.

For months, the negotiation simmered behind the scenes and out of the public eye. But after the two sides reached an impasse and headed toward arbitration, the negotiation exploded into a public war of words.

Now the fight is in the final rounds.

But a union official says a decision will not come out for 60-90 days after testimony is finished. 60-90 days from late October means the resolution may come sometime in January.

This negotiation is for a contract that would govern the 2023-2025 time period.

Whatever is decided will-or will have-expired at the end of this year. A new contract, and new negotiation, is needed for 2026 and beyond.