By Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati police officers will vote next week on a proposed two-year contract agreement that was worked out Wednesday.

Neither Fraternal Order of Police negotiators nor city officials would disclose any of the terms. They agreed, at the start of negotiations in late October, not to talk about the contents until officers are briefed first.

"It was a very contentious negotiations process with the city,'' said Officer Keith Fangman, union vice president. "Every two years, it's a bitter battle, and this was no different.''

The union membership, which includes all the department's 1,020 officers, will vote Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Chief Tom Streicher, the only member of the department not covered by the union contract, said he couldn't comment either except to say that the talks had been time-consuming for him over the past six weeks.

A variety of possible contractual talking points have come up at City Hall in recent months, including the possibility that the arbitration process be re-examined. City officials have been upset with it because it has allowed fired officers to get their jobs back.

Some officers expressed concern over the city's request that they pay some for health care.

E-mail prendergast@enquirer.com