PAX Centurion - September / October 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • September/October 2013 • Page 11 A fter almost 3½ years of waiting, arbitrator Tim Buckalew finally issued his decision in our long-delayed contract morass, awarding what amounts to basic parity in pay between police and fire. Pay parity was the first priority of the BPPA bargaining committee, in light of the fact that firefighters currently make about $16,000 more, on average than a similarly-situated police officer. After three years of negotiation proved fruitless, the City filed for arbitration in 2012 and began long and frustrating arbitration sessions last November. Hearings and meetings dragged on through September, some 24 separate sessions. The decision was finally rendered on Sept. 27 th . The award covers a six-year period and will cost about $80 million dollars, NOT the $125 million that the bought-and-sold media have reported. The award was leaked to the press before even our own bargaining committee was afforded a copy, obviously by City Hall cronies. In typical perverted fashion, the City tried repeatedly to assert that BPPA members “make an average pay of $109,000.”As all of us know, that is FALSE. “AVERAGE” pay for a police officer is about $70,000-$75,000. The City attempted to mix ordered overtime assignments and voluntary details into our base pay and then presented that to their compliant and willing consorts in the media as our “average base pay.” A 40-hour workweek cannot be compared to a 60-, 70-, or 80-hour work week, but that’s what they tried to portray. And as we all know, much of that was in the form of ORDERED, mandatory overtime shifts due to the BPD being chronically short-staffed. Despite the fact that the Mayor is required to favorably report the arbitration award to the City Council, he immediately went on a tirade and slammed the decision as “too expensive.” (All of a sudden, the social liberal becomes a fiscal conservative when it suits his purposes…) . The Mayor grudgingly sent the contract to the City Council on October 9 th , where the councilors have 60 days to hold hearings, pass the award or deny it. As all of us know, we are in the midst of a political season, where skullduggery is rampant, promises are made and broken, and alliances occur behind closed doors. Even though some members are not happy with everything in the award, (nobody ever is, that’s the nature of arbitration: we get some things we wanted and the city gets some issues they wanted…) we urge you to contact your councilor and request passage. The alternative – should the city council deny the award – is that we would find ourselves back in fruitless negotiation with the city, exactly where we were in January, 2010, when talks began. And that’s exactly where the city wants us to be… Arbitration award issued Angry Mayor reluctantly submits to City Council for approval, political games begin By James Carnell, Pax Editor 1.866.357.3845 www.armorexpress.com IT’S TIME FOR A REVOLUTION IN CONCEALABLE ARMOR VISIT AAA POLICE SUPPLY TO VIEW OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF SOFT ARMOR, CARRIERS, TRAUMA PLATES, TACTICAL, AND HARD ARMOR OPTIONS. ABOVE: REVOLUTION ARMOR SYSTEM BELOW: ARA-SHOCK ICW 781-326-8845 The Mayor grudgingly sent the contract to the City Council on October 9 th , where the councilors have 60 days to hold hearings, pass the award or deny it. As all of us know, we are in the midst of a political season, where skullduggery is rampant, promises are made and broken, and alliances occur behind closed doors.