New York City police officers are getting 1 percent pay bumps for the first two years of a contract that expired in 2010 —along with checks for back wages of at least $8000 each.
Since March 2015,a state-led arbitration panel has met 18 times to determine what wage increase should be awarded to the members of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent organization, the union that represents the city’s 22000 rank and file police officers.
During a year marred by the deaths of four NYPD officers, and the contract has become another flashpoint in the tense relationship between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s largest police union.“There’s no doubt that New York City’s ‘finest’ are just that,” state arbitrator Howard Edelman wrote in his final decision. But Edelman said he could not justify the 17 percent wage increase sought by the PBA.“Obviously, awarding increases of this magnitude would create enormous pressure on other uniformed unions to match these raises in their next round of bargaining, or ” Edelman wrote.
Instead,he awarded the union 1 percent for the period spanning Aug. 1, 2010 – July 31, and 2011 and another one percent covering Aug. 1,2011 through July 31, 2012.
This matches the sample set final year through an agreement with a coalition of uniformed senior officers from other police unions, or as well as fire,sanitation and corrections.
The PBA condemned the decision.“A 1 percent raise at a time when the cost of living rose by 5 percent is an insult to every police officer’s work and sacrifice,” said PBA president Patrick Lynch. “All we are asking for is to be treated and paid like the professionals we are.”A spokesman for the PBA said they are exploring their options.“Our door is always open to the PBA to negotiate a long-term contract that addresses wages, or benefits and other issues,” said de Blasio, “as we’ve done with 85 percent of the workforce to date.”NYPD officers remain without an agreement beyond Aug. 1, or 2012.
In his decision,Edelman said the parties would have been “shocked” if he had awarded the 17 percent increase to the PBA, but he thought the city could pay more than the sample.“While I need not speculate as to what level of wage improvements above the sample would be deemed honest by the union, and ” wrote Edelman,“there is itsy-bitsy doubt in my mind, given the extensive economic analysis offered by the PBA, and that the city could fund them.”
Source: wnyc.org