With the initial 60-day bargaining window<\/a> ending March 31, both sides have agreed to two extensions, giving negotiators more time to reach a deal. City officials say they are aiming to complete negotiations ahead of the upcoming fall budget cycle.<\/p>\n Though several key provisions remain, negotiators locked in tentative agreements on four other sections of the contract, covering officer equipment, educational incentive pay, bereavement leave and off-duty employment policies.<\/p>\n Like the three agreements reached in February<\/a>, the latest deals largely focus on operational and administrative issues \u2014 leaving the most consequential and politically sensitive parts of the contract still on the table.<\/p>\n Work schedules take center stage<\/p>\n With several smaller provisions settled, Thursday\u2019s session marked the first major shift into more complex negotiations, as the city formally introduced its proposal to overhaul officer work schedules.<\/a><\/p>\n The Police Department\u2019s Labor Relations Committee, through a request from SAPOA, had already begun exploring alternative staffing models, including hybrid schedules where some officers work four 10-hour days per week \u2014 a structure union officials say members expressed interest in.<\/p>\n Union negotiators brought that interest into contract talks, but had not proposed a specific schedule model.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s proposal now provides the first detailed framework for how those changes could be implemented. At the center of that discussion is the department\u2019s current shift system \u2014 including the \u201cT\u201d shift, a staggered patrol schedule designed to place additional officers on the street during peak call times.<\/p>\n The \u201cT shift\u201d currently runs from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. for patrol officers and 4:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. for supervisors, and is the only patrol shift that spans 10 hours.<\/p>\n City officials are proposing to eliminate that shift entirely, while restructuring daylight, evening and night shifts into a mix of eight-hour and 10-hour schedules to cover those same hours.<\/p>\n The topic of working hours had been discussed in a smaller working group following the February meeting. Christopher Lutton, the union\u2019s lead negotiator, said SAPOA is not opposed to the proposal, but plans to return with counter language focused on refining its details.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proposal that the city offered up addressed some of our concerns for our membership. We want to tighten up some of the other language in there, so that\u2019ll be our counter,\u201d Lutton said. \u201cWe are both working toward the goal of meeting where each party is acceptable of the offer.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview following the negotiations, Deputy City Manager Mar\u00eda Villag\u00f3mez said the changes are intended to better align staffing with when calls for service are highest, while also giving officers more flexibility in how their workweeks are structured. <\/p>\n \u201cIt makes us more efficient, and we anticipate that the officers will have more proactive time to provide more connections with the community,\u201d Villag\u00f3mez said. \u201cWe\u2019re just realigning our existing personnel with those hours of the day when we have more calls.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the proposal, the city would have up to six months after a new contract takes effect to fully implement the new schedule, citing the need to update internal systems and allow officers time to adjust.<\/p>\n Bigger issues still ahead<\/p>\n While negotiators have made progress on operational provisions and begun working through schedule changes, the most consequential parts of the contract \u2014 officer pay and health care \u2014 have yet to be fully negotiated at the table.<\/p>\n Those issues are expected to drive both the final shape and cost of the agreement.<\/p>\n SAPOA\u2019s initial proposal<\/a> calls for a 9% across-the-board raise for all officers, paired with additional hourly wage increases and changes to benefits. When taken as a whole \u2014 including incentive pay and expanded health care contributions \u2014 city staff estimated the total cost at roughly $155 million over three years, according to figures presented during negotiations.<\/p>\n City officials countered in February<\/a> with an 8.5% increase in base pay, a $63 million<\/a> proposal that does not address the union\u2019s requested changes to the hourly pay structure, which the city said requires further analysis.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Maria_Villagomez_SAPOA_Union_Contract_Talks_3.26.2026_Diego_Medel-1.jpg\")
Deputy City Manager Mar\u00eda Villag\u00f3mez said the changes to working hours are intended to better align staffing with peak call times. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
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Christopher Lutton, lead negotiator for SAPOA, said the union plans to stand by its initial request for pay increases. Credit: Nick Wagner for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n