I.U.P.A. attorney Heidi Meinzer has been negotiating for many I.U.P.A. locals in the northeastern United States for years. Most recently, she has been extremely busy negotiating for locals in the State of Virginia as they recently gained the ability to engage in collective bargaining with exceptional results.

Meinzer negotiated alongside I.U.P.A. Local Prince William County Police Association, #5010 President Katherine Zaimis who stated, “When I became President of the PWCPA, I promised to fight for a seat at the table in the form of collective bargaining. Improvements in the Virginia statutes and county codes have afforded us this opportunity. Collective bargaining in Virginia is still in its infancy, and I will continue to advocate for improvements to the laws on both the state and local levels. Prior to 2021, Virginia was one of only four states in which collective bargaining was banned. It is not something to be afraid of, it is not something that “protects bad cops”, but it is a basic employee right other states have had for decades.”

Zaimis continued, “This first contract of ours is something to be proud of. We have gained some things we have been begging for, to no avail, for years. We are taking part in the processes of researching and deciding on wages and healthcare benefits, and will have firsthand input in processes that have previously been conducted behind closed doors. We have an opportunity to fix inequities in our pay scale in as little as two years, and will receive bonuses to hold us over in the meantime. We have added a stipend for Crime Scene Technicians in most assignments and increased the Shift Differential for Patrol. On call assignments will now be compensated, as is standard for almost all agencies in Northern Virginia.”

Zaimis alongside Meinzer successfully negotiated for the following (and much more):

  • 4-year contract with a 2-year wage reopener
  • 3% step increases contracted for FY25 and FY26
  • Formation of a Labor Management Committee and a Pay Scale Sub-Committee
  • 2 Lump Sum Payments for employees ranking First Sergeant and below
  • Creation of a County Joint Healthcare Committee
  • Increase to the Shift Differential rate, to $1.50 per hour
  • Field Training Officers (FTO’s) will receive one hour of overtime for every day they are assigned an Officer in Training
  • Crime Scene Technicians (CST’s) assigned to Patrol, Crash Investigation Unit (Investigators only), or the Forensic Services Section will receive $1.00 per hour added to their pay for their regularly scheduled shifts
  • On Call Pay at the rate of 1 hour of overtime per day on call
  • The County must inform members going on Military Leave of their right to request supplemental pay
  • Employees will be eligible for 6 weeks of paid leave for any purpose covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This is 100% paid by the County and does not count against the Employee’s leave balance
  • The 2 days of Personal Leave currently in place will be guaranteed by this contract
  • Compensatory Time – The limit, both to accrued comp time and carryover, will be increased to 120 hours
  • The Wellness Hour currently in place (1 hour per shift) is guaranteed by this contract, subject to staffing needs
  • The Chief of Police may now make more exceptions to the ban on tattoos on certain body parts when hiring employees