Higher Pay in Wake of Terror?
Following the death of 343 firefighters in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, the Uniformed Firefighters Association is pushing for a larger raise than the twelve percent over two and a half years promised in the current New York City contract offer. But with four NYC uniformed workers' unions having already approved similar offers, the city's history of pattern bargaining---in which the first city-wide public-sector union to accept a contract offer in essence accepts it for all city employees unions---as well as infighting over the UFA's leadership, or lack thereof according to some, make it unlikely that firefighters will be able to negotiate a significantly improved offer. Given the UFA's poor track record in binding arbitration, it is doubtful whether the union would have any better chance at achieving a larger raise by declaring an impasse than it would at the bargaining table.
See "Higher Pay in Wake of Terror?", WILLIAM MURPHY, Newsday, October 29, 2001