PAX Centurion - November / December 2013

Page 16 • PAX CENTURION • November/December 2013 617-989-BPPA (2772) HEARD ON THE HILL By James Barry, BPPA Legislative Agent O ur prolonged nightmare of contract equity and fairness is finally at an end, for now. In a 12-0 vote, the Boston City Council agreed to fund a package that gives patrol officers a 25.4 percent pay increase over six years. The award will help bring police officers’base salary in line with that of firefighters. Incredibly the Menino administration still takes no responsibil- ity for its inept labor relations record or this arbitration. None of their rhetoric stands up to the facts of the situation. It was the city that filed for this arbitration, not the BPPA. When it comes to this arbitration, the Mayor (backed by the Globe Editorial Board) screamed the end of Boston was near as this award is too expensive. According to the Boston Globe, Mayor Thomas Menino said that this vote was disappointing and will have unfortunate consequences as the city is forced to cut other services and departments to fund the raises.“There is no incentive for public safety unions to settle” when negotiating with the city, Menino said. “Arbitrators always give them more. Most people understand that.” It was the Menino administration, in the midst of the deepest recession in the history of our country, that voluntarily re-negotiated with the firefighters higher raises than the arbitrator awarded. Mr. Mayor, the firefighter contract was negotiated by your team with your approval, not arbitrated. That is what brought the BPPA and you to this point in time.You take no responsibility for the labor situation in Boston. The Boston Globe covered your butt for 20 years. Mostly because you were so in the tank with them, big business and developers. Now Boston’s economy has recovered and is healthy again. New developments span every section of the city’s seaport and downtown areas. Liberty Mutual just opened (August 2013) a $300 million dollar office building downtown. Its CEO was paid $200 million over four years and will receive $3.3 million a year in retirement benefits. However its employees took at hit the sum- mer when Liberty cut healthcare benefits for retirees and restruc- tured 401k contributions for its 38,000 active employees. Mayor Menino still rewarded this company with tax cuts and credits for over $46 million dollars. half of the costs of the BPPA award.Yep, TomMenino gave away to a fat-assed multi-billion dollar corporation $46 million. $10 mill here and $10 mill there what’s the big deal?You need to make these deals, Menino stated. But cops being paid a good salary? “The sky is falling!!!” Where was TomMenino’s outrage then when he learned the CEO made $200 million large while cutting employee bennies? Where is the Boston Globe watching out for the poor taxpayer? It is called the double standard. The end is here If you see them, go up to them and thank them. Stephen Murphy ..........................................................At-Large FelixArroyo ..................................................................At-Large Ayanna Pressley ...........................................................At-Large Frank Baker ...............................................................Dorchester Mark Ciommo ............................................... Brighton / Allston Rob Consalvo .........................................Hyde Park / Roslindale Tito Jackson ...................................................................Roxbury Sal LaMattina ......................................East Boston / North End Bill Linehan ...................................... South Boston / Chinatown Matt O’Malley ...........................West Roxbury / Jamaica Plain Mike Ross .............................................Mission Hill / Back Bay Charles Yancey .......................................Mattapan / Dorchester City Councilors who stood by us and voted yes, 12-0 Two newly-electedAt-Large City Councilors who returned and answered the BPPA Questionnaire. Both answered “yes” in favor of voting for and supporting the arbitration award. Both publicly came out against the arbitration award. MichelleWu ..................................................................At-Large Michael Flaherty ..........................................................At-Large If you see them, ask them why. What do you believe? What I wrote or what I say?