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Omaha Mayor, Police Union at odds over contract negotiations

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert says the city has made its “last, best, and final offer” to the Police Officers Association.

Stothert sent a letter to OPOA Tuesday urging their support for the city’s proposal. The city and police union have been negotiating a new contract for five months.

In the letter, Stothert says the contract must include a maximum pension benefit of 65 percent for future hires, not current officers or the new recruit class. Stothert’s letter says those terms were accepted by the Fire Department, as well as Police and Fire Command Staff.

Meanwhile, the Omaha Police Officers Association says they’re considering legal action over the matter. The police union says the Mayor’s letter may be “circumventing the law.”

A statement from OPOA President John Wells says the 65 percent is only a small part of the overall pension system. Wells says that parts of the proposed pension changes aren’t the same for police and fire.

Wells says the letter amounts to interference.