Fitness Bonus For Mass. State Police

The Boston Herald reports:

An obscure perk tucked away in the state police contract triggers an instant raise when troopers pass a fitness test - a bonus that has already cost taxpayers $11 million and isn’t being ruled out in the next contract, officials said.

State legislators fear the little-known salary bump could blindside the budget as the economy sinks deeper into a recession.

The governor’s office told the Herald last night all active contract negotiations are being suspended while the state braces for more bad economic news.

Yet nobody will say if the one-time, 2.5 percent raise given to more than 2,000 troopers who passed a fitness test over the past two years will be repeated. The current state police contract, which boosted troopers’ pay by 19 percent, expires Dec. 31.

Here's a look at Mass. troopers making more than the Governor.