PAX Centurion - May / June 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • May/June 2013 • Page 9 D espite lip service from our Mayor, Commissioner, and other high-ranking city officials, good will, a sense of fairness and decency have not introduced themselves at the arbitration proceedings, at least not from the City of Boston and their highly- paid legal staff. As we all know, the long-suffering police officers of the BPPA (and our counterparts in EMS – two years expired contract – read related stories in this PAX… ) have labored without a contract or raise since July 1 st , 2010. The BPPA and the City began negotiations a full six months before the last contract expired, in the hopes (at least from our perspective!) of avoiding yet another protracted round of conten- tious labor discord. But just because we – officers of honor, character and integrity – believe in doing the right thing, that unfortunately does not mean that our employer does. The BPPA has steadfastly asked primarily for one, basic, very reasonable demand above all oth- ers: to be treated the same as Boston Firefighters. The average Boston police officer, similarly situated in terms of seniority with our BFD counterparts, earns about $16,000.00 LESS than a firefighter; that is a fact , not an opinion. (Even the State Firefighter’s Union President, Ed Kelly, recently stated forcefully in the Boston Globe that the city should pay police officers equally with firefighters. We thank him for that forthright comment…) Your city, however, insists that because some police officers- forced by economic circumstances – have the “luxury” of working extra details and MANDATORY overtime in order to make ends meet, that that “perk” somehow translates into pay equivalent with a firefighter’s regular workweek. It is inconceivable how the city can employ that “logic”; i.e.: that since a police officer might be able (if the work is even available) to work 60, 70, or 80 hours a week, that pay is the same as a firefighter’s 40 hours, when averaged across the entire department. (Reportedly, even the arbitrator raised his eye- brows at that whopper!) But the same city officials who appear in front of the TV cameras to lavish their Cheshire-cat praise and gratitude upon police and EMT’s for their outstanding work after the Marathon bombing are the same people who walked away from the EMT’s bargaining table and put insulting proposals in front of our bargaining committee and the arbitrator. For example, according to members of the BPPA bargaining committee, the city and the department desire to circum- vent seniority by “exempting” so-called “safe-street” teams and other “specialized” officers from the seniority requirement. The ridiculous situation already exists where aging, senior-veteran officers with 25 and 30+ years of service are answering dangerous, life-threatening “routine” (no such thing, by the way…) radio calls while new recruits just out of the academy are denied the opportunity to learn the job as the vast majority of us did. Newer officers are being used as BPD pawns in a public relations game for the TV cameras and city hall while veteran “grunts” hump the calls. The city also desires to bust the union by destroying the BPPA’s internal ability to operate effectively by decimating various union committee assignments which have been accepted and agreed to for many years in signed contracts since the 1970’s. Meanwhile the BPD representatives and highly-paid outside lawyers ($450.00 per hour?!?!) drive city-supplied cars - on full release time- to and from the various bargaining/arbitration/union committee meetings. Appar- BPPA enters 4 th year without contract or raise By James Carnell, Pax Editor “Thanks and praise of a grateful city” does NOT appear at arbitration hearings ently, they fail to see the hypocrisy there…. There are at least several more arbitration sessions scheduled, which may or may not bring us into late July or evenAugust. (By then, we will probably be drawn into the upcoming Mayoral race in the fall, which will probably be a spectacle in and of itself, and in which we may find ourselves unwitting players, even after all of our efforts to settle a contract legally and amicably…) Suffice it to say that our members are disgusted, frustrated and angry, and have every right to be so. The bargaining committee only asks that your under- standable anger be channeled at the responsible parties: the BPD and city representatives who take credit and accolades for OUR member’s outstanding work and then insult us at the bargaining table. A very few of our members seem not to understand that your paycheck does not come from the beneficent hands of the Mayor, the Commissioner or his command staff; they come from the BPPA via a signed, written contract. The phonies who benefited from the union’s hard work yesterday are the same ones who would cut your pay and benefits today while kissing you on the cheek and telling you how much they “appreciate” your hard work. To those few, naïve members who are beholden to their political benefactors at City Hall or headquarters and seem to always adopt a “blame the union” philosophy: see if you can take “appreciation” and “thanks”, along with a ribbon or a plaque, to the bank. Let us know how far it goes towards paying your bills…. Eire Pub 795 Adams Street Dorchester, MA 02124 Salutes the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association