By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- The village and its police department union have both approved a four-year work contract including 2 percent pay raises and restructuring of pay for rookies.

Until now, “new hires have been paid as much as fully trained new officers,” said Ptl. Matt Seymour, the shop steward of the Teamsters unit.

With the new contract, recruits and trainees would be paid a little less than an officer who has been academy-trained.

“Someone who has been appointed as a police officer but not academy trained and would not be expected to work in the full capacity of a trained officer” – a recruit – would get a little less than someone in academy training, Seymour said. And, in turn, someone in the academy would get a little more, but not as much as an academy graduate.

“That’s a definite cost savings for the taxpayer there,” Seymour said.

The 13 officers, including dispatchers, sergeants and the lieutenant but not the chief, who is considered management, will be getting a 2 percent increase for the first three years of the contract and a 1.5 percent boost in the fourth year.

The contract is retroactive to last year, since the police have been working without a contact since then. This contract expires in 2018.

New hires will also be paying a larger share for their health insurance, at 12 percent, while others, depending on the date of their hiring, will be paying 5 percent more – most of them, Seymour said – one will pay 10 percent more, and one will pay no more under this contract.

The police have also agreed to a new health insurance policy from the Teamsters with a higher deductible, “another savings for village government,” said Seymour.

Beyond that, not much has changed, he said.