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Last week's arbitration award for cops, which was partially financed by slash ing the starting salary of new officers, left the city's other uniformed unions scram bling for ways to produce similar productivity savings.
The Public Employment Relations Board awarded Po lice Officers 10 percent in retroactive raises over two years, but rookies in the Po lice Academy will receive $25,100. Their salary rises to $32,700 after six months, and future officers reach top pay of $59,588 after 5 1/2 years.
Superior Officers Worry
"The pain imposed on the unborn is really going to cre ate a problem for all the suc cessor unions," said Anthony Garvey, the president of the Lieutenants' Benevolent Association. "How that's going to be done at this point in time, I'm not sure."
He continued, "This award does not do much to help all of the unions."
Michael Palladino, the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, agreed. "These concessions are monumental," he assert ed in a June' 29 phone inter view. "History dictates that selling out the unborn is det rimental to labor, and cre ates a split union and very disgruntled employees."
Patrolmen's Benevolent As sociation President Patrick J. Lynch stressed that he had little choice in the final award. "This was not negotiated, this was arbitration."
According to Mr. Lynch, the city's other offers in the arbitration concerning fu ture cops included cutting 10 vacation days, eight fewer paid holidays and slashing the night differential. "That was even more draconian," he said two days after the award.
UFA: Victory for PBA
The deal, however, has not left all discontented. Stephen J. Cassidy, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters' Association, hailed the PERB award. "It's a clear victory for the PBA," he said in a June 30 phone interview. "What the PBA achieved shattered the civilian package, this contract is truly better."
The city's civilian unions agreed to a $1,000 first-year bonus rather than a pay hike, a 3-percent raise in the second year of a contract, and a 2-percent increase in the third year that had half of its cost covered by give backs affecting future hires.
Mr. Cassidy acknowledged, however, that reducing starting salaries for new officers has its problems. "This is an arbitration award that has created a larger gap for new hires," he remarked "I don't think that is anything that was thought to be a good idea."
'Better Than DC 37 Deal'
But Mr. Cassidy contended that considering the choices, the give-back was worth it. "Anyone who doesn't think this was a victory can take the zero, three, and one and sign on the dotted line," he asserted, referring to the ci vilian pattern set by District Council 37 this round of bargaining. "The UFA is not going to do that, make no mistake about it."
The reduction in the start ing salary for new members has several union officials questioning the integrity of Mr. Lynch, who many insist promised to reject any attri tion-based award.
According to Mr. Palladino and Mr. Garvey, Mr. Lynch assured the other uniformed unions at Fire/Police Coalition meetings during this round of bargaining that the PBA would not sign off on such a deal.
The NYPD, which has 37,000 officers, hires roughly 3,000 cops each year and has a much higher attrition rate than other city agencies or supervisory titles. This means the city will likely de mand that the unions repre senting officers in those smaller departments or higher positions give back other benefits to finance a similar raise.
Cassidy: We Can Match
Mr. Cassidy, however, was confident that the UFA would be able to negotiate a deal comparable to the PERB po lice award without further concessions. "We believe that this benchmark is something we can attain," he said.
Referring to the PBA, Mr. Cassidy explained, "They have a higher membership and they have a higher turn over." In Fiscal Year 2004, the Fire Department, which had 10,795 uniformed staff, lost 631 members.
One labor source was a bit more skeptical. "There are going to be certain things that will be different," the in sider commented. "There are give-backs for police that may have a value of X; that same give-back may have a different value for firefight ers."
The Correction Depart ment, which employs ap proximately 9,000 officers, loses an average of 475 a year. Correction Officers' Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook did not return calls seeking com ment.
San Workers Worried
Harry Nespoli, the president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, said he wasn't sure what his union could concede to obtain the same financial terms as the PERB police award.
"It's going to be difficult for me to reach that percent age," he commented in a June 30 phone interview. "I love the five and five percent [raise]: it's something that this work force should have had a longtime ago. The idea is how do we get to that?"
During previous negotiation sessions with the city in this round of bargaining, Mr. Nespoli said the union offered to increase the amount of garbage its members pick up, which would allow the city to pare back future staff.
"I put an offer on the table," Mr. Nespoli remarked. "My workers were going to work harder. Apparently that wasn't acceptable."
The union president added that he plans to schedule an emergency meeting with his 350 shop stewards to "ex plain to them where we are at."
The PERB award also eliminated officers' one annual personal day, and increased from 10 to 15 a year the number of work shifts which the department can change with proper notice without having to pay offi cers the overtime salary.
Such give-backs cannot be made by the supervisory po lice unions, because they conceded those benefits in prior negotiations. "I have to rely on the fact that the city has to be fair and reasonable, that a portion of the [PBA] savings has to be spread out a little evenly to the other unions," Mr. Palladino said.
'PERB No Panacea'
Many veteran labor leaders faulted the PERB process for their current plight. "It just goes to show you that PERB may not be the panacea that everybody thinks it is," Mr. Palladino remarked.
Bill Henning, the 2nd vice president of Local 1180 of Communications Workers of America, added, "In general, when you have somebody outside make the decision for you, rather than the parties themselves, it's bound to be less than optimum. Workers would rather have control over the final decision."
One labor official added, "The bottom line is that in arbitration you roll the dice. And sometimes you take the bad with the good. It's a cal culated risk."
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