Discussions began this week on the biggest component of Key Biscayne’s budget — wages and benefits — for the island’s 113 unionized government workers.
First up: the opening round for 32 police officers and sergeants. Labor representatives said they would be focused on getting equal treatment with other Village employees.
“It was unusual that police and fire wouldn’t have parity,” said Andrew Axlerad, the negotiator for the Police Benevolent Association union. “We would like to see police officers treated the same as to wages and benefits. ” He focused on the pension system.
Key Biscayne Chief Financial Officer Benjamin Nussbaum disputed the characterization. “They are treated on equal footing,” he said.
Neither the PBA nor the Village made any specific contract proposals, but both sides pledged to work swiftly on reaching a new three-year agreement. The two sides will meet again next month.
The police and fire budgets represent almost half of Key Biscayne’s $45 million operating budget, Village figures show. Most of that expense is personnel costs.
Village Manager Steve Williamson said he plans on being at most bargaining sessions. He said the municipality has demonstrated its commitment to treating its employees well. “It’s important to me,” he said, while saying that the Village Council makes the ultimate decisions about the labor contract.
“It has to be sustainable,” he added.
The session was the first time the PBA was at the bargaining table in Key Biscayne after most police union members voted to switch their labor affiliation last year.
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The change means that the Village will be negotiating with three different unions for the 2026 contract cycle: the PBA for police officers and sergeants, the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) for four police lieutenants and 34 civilian staffers, and the Key Biscayne Professional Firefighters local, which represents 34 employees.
The talks come against a backdrop of hostility to organized labor at the state level, except for most public safety employees. A 2023 law — which only applies to civilian staff like teachers and non-sworn government workers — requires a minimum union membership or the state Public Employee Relations Board will decertify the union.
The change meant a loss of union coverage for thousands of workers across the state, including the civilian union group in Key Biscayne. The group re-attained its status after briefly losing its certification last fall.
The change did not affect the workers at the Village because the contract remained in place, officials said.
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Editor-in-Chief
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.