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City of Long Beach Reaches Tentative Labor Agreement with Long Beach Police Officers Association
By Staff Writer
Published on Mon, Jan 12, 2026
The City of Long Beach has reached a tentative three-year labor agreement with the Long Beach Police Officers Association (POA), marking important progress in recruiting, retaining and supporting high-quality police officers.
The agreement focuses on addressing staffing challenges, recognizing critical skill sets and strengthening training and patrol operations across the police department. If approved, the contract would cover the period from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028, and include a series of salary increases and targeted incentives.
Key terms of the tentative agreement include:
- General salary increases of 3% in the first year, 4%in the second year and 5% in the third year
- One-time payments for each POA classification during the first year of the contract
- Enhanced Solo Patrol Premium Pay, providing:
- 10% of the Step 5 Police Officer base hourly rate for officers assigned to one-officer patrol units on Watch 1 and Watch 3
- 5% of the Step 5 Police Officer base hourly rate for officers assigned to one-officer patrol units on Watch 2
- Increased Field Training Officer (FTO) Premium Pay to 15% of the Step 5 Police Officer base hourly rate
- New Specialized Unit FTO Pay at 5% of the Step 5 Police Officer base hourly rate
- New Field Training Officer Divisional Sergeant Pay at 2.5% of the Step 5 Police Officer base hourly rate
- New Intermediate POST Certification Pay, providing a 3% increase of the Step 5 Police Officer base rate for eligible POA members
POA members voted to ratify the tentative agreement on Dec. 22, 2025. The agreement will be presented to the Long Beach City Council for consideration and public discussion on Jan. 20, 2026. The POA represents approximately 730 employees.
Once fully implemented in Fiscal Year 2026, the agreement carries a total structural annual net fiscal impact of approximately $24.8 million across all City funds, including $23.8 million from the General Fund.
