Raises Sought by the Police Appear Increasingly Remote
Paid as much as twenty percent less than police officers in surrounding areas despite their heroism on September 11 and their successful efforts to reduce crime in New York City to historic lows, the city?s finest have long sought to have their contract negotiations submitted to binding arbitration. After securing passage of a New York State law in 1998 that allows deadlocked NYC police contract negotiations to be submitted to an arbitration panel, and winning a State Court of Appeals ruling upholding the law, however, NYC police officers may find themselves victims of economic circumstances. While such State Public Employment Relations Board arbitration panels are known for giving much weight to prevailing wages and benefits, they must also take into account the financial situation of the governmental employer involved---in this case a cash-strapped city facing a deficit of $5 billion.
See "Raises Sought by the Police Appear Increasingly Remote", WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM, The New York Times, August 8, 2002