PBA President Lynch: Arbitrator's 1 Percent Pay Raise Is An 'Insult' To Police Officers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's official. An arbitrator has made his final decision that calls for a 1 percent raise for most of the NYPD's rank-and-file police officers.
Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said on Friday that the raise will be effective retroactively for 2010 and 2011.
Members of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association recently staged protests outside City Hall and Gracie Mansion, expressing their outrage over the proposed raise.
"It's pretty bad when we get a one percent raise that doesn't even meet inflation," said NYPD Officer Richard Dlana.
The PBA has been without a long-term contract with the city for six years.
De Blasio released a statement, saying the arbitrator's final ruling was fair and that it follows a pattern previously established with 11 uniformed unions, including the four other police unions.
"Our door is always open to the PBA to negotiate a long-term contract that addresses wages, benefits, and other issues, as we've done with 85 percent of the workforce to date," the mayor said in the statement.
De Blasio also said the city will continue to invest in the NYPD, "making sure they have the equipment, technology, training, and support they need to protect us and protect themselves -- and ensure New York City remains the safest big city in America."
PBA President Patrick Lynch called the ruling an insult to the police officers of the city and accused the arbitrator of a conflict of interest, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
"It was New York City police officers who took this city off its knees and made it a safe place to live and work. Our police officers brought this city back from the brink of disaster and brought us to this time of billion dollar surpluses. 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 in a statement.
"All we are asking for is to be treated and paid like the professionals we are. Three prior arbitrators moved us toward a market rate of pay, but this chairman was compromised by the city by secretly accepting more work from the city. His job was to be fair and impartial but he was compromised."
At the rally outside Gracie Mansion earlier this week, Lynch had warned that if the arbitrator's ruling became final, de Blasio would feel the anger of the police force of New York City.