PAX Centurion - September / October 2015

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • September/October 2015 • Page 7 Secretary’s Thoughts: Christopher J. Broderick, BPPA Secretary Hours, wages and conditions of employment T hese three things are the basics of what any Union seeks to improve for the members. These benefits can be improved through an active membership, a strong and informed group of representatives who advocate for the membership and a reasonable and passionate leadership. We have that within the BPPA, and I see it improving and growing every single day. Last month we had our 50 th anniversary as a Union. It allowed us all the opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in 50 years and to aspire to how far we can go in the next 50. It has been great to see more members stopping by the Hall to see what’s going on. There have been productive, engaging meetings of the House of Representatives and the E-Board as well as the different committees, particularly the Health and Safety/Labor Joint Committee. I have noticed less of “what is the Union doing about this” and more of “what can we do about this” on the day to day issues we face. I have seen more dialogue among members and more practical thinking and understanding about issues. That is a credit to the whole membership. BPPA Bargaining Cycle O n October 1 st , 2015 BPPA members received the last pay increase of 3% for the current Collective BargainingAgree- ment (CBA). The current CBA between the BPPA and the City of Boston will remain in place until June 30 th , 2016. The actual bargaining period will begin between the BPPA and the City no sooner than January 1 st , 2016. The goal of the BPPA will be to have an agreement finalized and in place by July 1 st , 2016. That goal in the past was an almost unachievable one. That was then and this is now. As an optimist, seeing a different administration in the City, I believe this is an attainable goal. I believe it because I know the BPPA Bar- gaining team and leadership are willing to work hard to achieve that goal and I hope the people on the other side want that too. I have the distinction of serving on the Bargaining Committee with Manny Canuto (YVSF) and Jim LaCroix (C-11) and of course, Pat Rose and Mike Leary. As the elected Bargaining Committee we need input from BPPA members about what is important to them go- ing forward in the process. Not every member’s idea will make it into the CBA, maybe not even onto the bargaining table, no matter how great they may be. With input from members and discussions with the House of Representatives, the Bargaining Team can work with our attorneys from Sandulli, Grace and target realistic, achievable topics for bargaining. Bargaining is a “give and take” process that is both fortunate and frustrating. If everything were attainable, our members would be the highest paid police officers in the country, all with take-home cars and a quartermaster who would be willing and able to issue you safety equipment or uniform when you needed it, as well as other benefits. Though that will always be our “pie in the sky” goal, I think we all realize that it won’t happen in one CBA. No matter when the CBA is settled please know that the Bargaining Team wants to bring back the best possible CBA for the whole membership. We will work to improve, adjust and maintain all that we currently have. Stay involved, talk to your Reps, stop by the Hall and offer your input. BPPA Canteen Trailer A s many of you have already seen (and enjoyed) the BPPA Canteen Trailer has been out for a number of events around the City. Some of the recent successes have been the Carib- bean Festival, The Boston Foundation Boston Police FamilyAp- preciation Day, The Boston Police Fathers and Families Day and the BPD Softball Tournament. The Trailer has also been out for smaller community events and “times for friends.” Some of these events are sponsored by the BPPA and some are partnerships with the different organizations that hold the events. Partnerships with groups like the Boston Police Department, the PoliceAthletic League and the Boston Foundation are invaluable to the BPPA. I’d like to thank The Commissioner, Chief Gross and Superintendent O’Rourke, as well as the District Captains and others for seeing the value of our members out in the community. I appreci- ate the groups like PAL and the Boston Foundation for organizing and funding events that allow people to see our members for who they really are. The support these groups offer along with the personal time members give allows for the BPPA to show the communities we work in that we are much more invested than some would give us credit for. We should all recognize our own members that have been manning the Trailer at these different events. We may only see a few guys flipping burgers and grilling hot dogs but there is a lot of prepa- ration and effort that goes into every event that we don’t all see. We have a great core group of guys and girls that have the events down to a science but we could always use a few more. If you are interested in helping out from time to time please let us know. BPPA Communications A s many of you are already know the BPPA has an inter- nal e-mail system that is used to push information out to members as quickly as possible. This is something members wanted and we believe it has been successful. Almost every day more members are registering for the “members’ only” area on the website and e-mail access. The goal is to get every member up and running on the e-mail system. If you are not registered please go to BPPA.org and follow the instructions. If you have a problem please call the Hall at 617-989-2772. Annmarie andAnne can walk you through. I know having multiple e-mail addresses can be difficult to track but consider registering for the e-mail and have the information forwarded to your primary account. It is a great way to stay up to date with BPPA events, issues and immediate officer safety concerns. The BPPA is currently updating our website. The goal is to have upcoming events, current events and relevant documents on the mem- bers’ only section for review. If you are involved in a Police or BPPA event, or have been recently, please forward any pictures and/or information to thebppa@bppa.org . If you have ideas or suggestions on how to improve the website please send them as well or directly to me at cbroderick@bppa.org . The BPPA does have a twitter account, bppa@bppa1, up and run- See Secretary on page 26