NYPD Officers Get 1 Percent Raise in Retroactive Contract

An arbitration panel has enacted a retroactive contract that will award New York City’s 22,000 police officers a 1 percent raise each year from 2010 to 2012.

The announcement by state arbitrator Howard Edelman came Friday, just two days after hundreds of officers protested the proposal outside of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s residence.

“There’s no doubt that New York City’s ‘finest’ are just that,” Edelman wrote. But “obviously, awarding increases of this magnitude would create enormous pressure on other uniformed unions to match these raises.”

Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch, who has pushed for a 17 percent increase to keep the NYPD in line with nearby forces, has argued it wasn’t a fair offer.

“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,” Lynch said. “All we are asking for is to be treated and paid like the professionals we are.”

De Blasio says the contract is comparable to other contracts settled with his administration. The PBA is considering legal action. A new contract still needs to be negotiated for post-2012.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the November 16th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.