Police Union, Tinley Park Officials Deadlocked In Contract Talks, Nearing Arbitration

TINLEY PARK, IL — After 15 months of negotiations, the Village of Tinley Park and the union representing its police officers are no closer to a contract, and interest arbitration is the next step.

Ray Violetto, director of the Metropolitan Alliance of Police union, told Patch that they seem to have "taken steps backwards" in their talks. Citing ongoing talks, both Violetto and Village staff declined to comment further on the sticking points between them.

The contract for Tinley Park police expired in April 2024, Violetto said. The contract, though, stays in effect until a new one is secured, he said. Violetto and the Tinley Park MAP Chapter 192 met with Village staff and a mediator in early July, he said, and are no closer to a deal.

As negotiations continue, police will not see any pay raises, Violetto said.

"We thought we had made some pretty good progress," Violetto said. "... And it seems like we’ve taken numerous steps backward."

Violetto said he felt as though the local chapter was not asking for "anything outlandish," but comparable to nearby communities.

"Today, in law enforcement, it’s very hard to recruit and retain officers. When you don’t have a contract, and you keep going back and forth with everything.

A March meeting with Mayor Michael Glotz seemed to show progress, Violetto said, but changes since then have put them at an impasse.

"We met with the Mayor on March 12," he said. "It was pretty successful—we made some concessions, they withdrew some things."

Union representatives have since rejected an offer presented by the Village during recent mediation, he said.

The next step is interest arbitration, or a process used in labor negotiations where an impartial third party (an arbitrator) helps resolve disagreements over the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement, especially when the parties cannot reach a consensus through direct negotiation or mediation.

Violetto said it's expected the union will file to begin arbitration soon, as a required 15-day waiting period since the mediation effort has now ended.

"Today, in law enforcement, it’s very hard to recruit and retain officers when you don’t have a contract, and you keep going back and forth with everything," Violetto said.

Neither party offered in-depth details on the bargaining points causing conflict, again stressing the ongoing nature of the negotiations.

In neighboring Orland Park, Village officials and police earlier this month locked in a new contract for sergeants and lieutenants, ending a two-year stretch without one.