MEMPHIS, Tenn. — “A young man walked in this morning and resigned to go be a truck driver because he’s just sick of going through all these processes with the city. And he has no foundation to build on to know what will be the future for his family,” said Memphis Police Association President and mayoral candidate Mike Williams.
He claimed officers on the force were leaving in droves.
He said since 2013, more than 400 have left.
Officers said they were keeping their fingers crossed for a 3% pay hike, one already approved by a City Council Impasse Committee.
Almost all City workers have asked for a pay raise.
Last week, Council member Reid Hegepeth put the whole budget process on hold until tomorrow.
He said it’s vital firefighters and police officers get a raise even if nobody else does.
“I hope we can get 2%. I think that’s a very generous raise when you look at where we are in our budget,” he said.
Williams and the association said that’s not enough.
“We need to be heard before the full council, before they actually vote on a budget,” he said.
He claimed the council is circumventing the process and threatened to look at any and all legal options if officers don’t get their raise.
