The Virgin Islands Police Benevolent Association has accused the Bryan administration of dragging its feet on wages, step increases, and retroactive pay owed since 2023, even as the government warns that recent pay mandates threaten to destabilize the budget.
In a Sept. 15 letter to Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., the Office of Collective Bargaining, and top financial officials, the union said officers have been “held in a chokehold for far too long” by a process marked by delays and broken promises. Despite assurances since February, the PBA wrote, there has been no meaningful response on contract terms covering salaries, overtime, and step raises. The union also criticized what it called unsafe working conditions, uneven overtime policies, and low morale, saying officers continue to perform under “extremely difficult conditions.”
The letter comes just weeks after the Legislature enacted Bill No. 36-0053 over the governor’s veto, raising the minimum salary for full-time government workers (excluding semiautonomous agencies) from $27,040 to $35,000 starting Oct. 1. Bryan has argued for months that the increase is an “unfunded mandate” that will force the government to adjust salaries across the board — not just for those at the bottom.
“Once everyone who was making $27,000 is raised to $35,000, employees already at that level will expect to see an increase too, and supervisors above them will want their salaries adjusted as well,” Bryan told the Source Tuesday. “It doesn’t stop at the entry level — it ripples upward through the entire system.” The governor noted that general step increases typically fall between 1.5 and 3%, but the higher wage floor could trigger a cascade of new obligations as unions press for parity.
That concern has been echoed throughout the administration as it negotiates with 32 separate bargaining units. The PBA letter, meanwhile, insists the government is in breach of Article VIII of its Collective Bargaining Agreement, which governs wages and benefits. It also takes aim at the government’s use of a Temporary Restraining Order and later injunction this summer to block alleged job actions, saying the union never sanctioned a strike and that portraying it otherwise was defamatory.
The PBA has called for immediate implementation of step increases dating to 2023, corrected retroactive pay calculations, and a firm schedule for bargaining; the dates for which have not yet been agreed upon. The union also pointed to its own efforts to support morale, such as July’s community events in honor of honorary officer DJ Daniel and its current Pink Patch Project for breast cancer awareness, contrasting those with what it sees as government inaction.
Bryan, for his part, said Tuesday that the administration has been working to address valid concerns but is stuck until the impact of the $35,000 wage law is fully understood or the Legislature provides new funding. “Until we figure out how to absorb these costs — or the Legislature identifies funding to cover the rest of the employees — we can’t responsibly move forward,” Bryan said.
Senators, however, have disagreed. In passing the recent fiscal 2026 budget, they explained that the base pay increase was absorbed by about $4.6 million in vacancy savings from more than 800 positions that were factored in by departments and agencies but remain unfilled. Negotiated increases would have to be completed, as usual, but would not necessarily be impacted by the hike.
As of press time Tuesday, the Source was still awaiting responses from the V.I. Police Department about what concerns have been addressed. This story will be updated.
St. Croix Source
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