9-1-1 Dispatchers Strike Averted

A tentative agreement has been reached between the Northwest Central Dispatch System and 9-1-1 operators.

The suburban dispatchers had and Thursday was the earliest a strike could have begun. The 5-year agreement was reached at about 1 a.m. Thursday.

A statement from the Northwest Central Distpatch System states: "We provided the union with a fair proposal that reflects our commitment to our employees and our obligations to provide a vital service at a reasonable cost to taxpayers."

Patch has requested details on the new contract which could be released later today. The agreement has not yet been approved by union members.

Ken Fritz, Schaumburg village manager and chair of the dispatch system's board, said the current starting salary for dispatchers is $44,745. He said the median salary is $66,500 and the maximum is $70,595.

The Northwest Central Dispatch System serves 11 suburbs: Palatine, Inverness, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows and Streamwood.

The Metropolitan Alliance of Police had been negotiating a new contract on behalf of about 70 dispatchers.

The statement from the dispatch system also states that "the parties were unable to settle several operational issues, the parties have agreed to submit their remaining differences to an impartial arbitrator for resolution. Some of the remaining issues pertain to vacation scheduling, voluntary overtime opportunities and performance awards."