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Holloway Lauded
By REUVEN BLAU
While the union a few years later became defunct with the absorption of the Transit Police into the NYPD and the other group has changed its name, Mr. Holloway branched out and became the principal lobbyist for the city's three correction unions. Ready to Pack It In Now after an accomplished and highly regarded second career, he has recently announced that he will be retiring for good at the end of the year. "I'm not as fast as I used to be," he explained. "I have to pass the baton and get the younger people involved to keep things going." Mr. Holloway began working in Albany as the main lobbyist for the Transit PBA while he served as the union's first vice president. "I was an officer, and I was asked by then-president John Maye if I was interested," he recalled. "I was the troubleshooter." As a top union official, he also oversaw the organization's daily office operation, edited its newspaper, and served as the group's pension liaison. So when he retired from the union, he decided to use his ties in Albany and his policing knowledge to help other law-enforcement unions. "The law-enforcement community is generally laudable and they are often misunderstood and taken for granted by a lot of other people," he said. "Those of us who represent police officers try to make a difference." Correction Captains' Association President Peter D. Meringolo said he never thought twice about hiring Mr. Holloway. "When I took over my union in 1990, the CCA did not employ a legislative director," he recalled. "The minute I met with Floyd, I knew he'd be the right person." Served As a Bridge In dealing with the city's three correction unions, Mr. Holloway has acted as a unifying force. He has represented the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, the CCA, and the Assistant Deputy Wardens'/Deputy Wardens' Association. Officials from those unions all said he will be sorely missed. "Floyd Holloway is a class act," said Sidney Schwartzbaum, who represents the ADWs and Deputy Wardens. "He's one of the most respected public servants the city has ever seen." Mr. Meringolo agreed. "There are just not enough good words to say," he remarked. "His presence is going to be missed, but he leaves a legacy." In 1999, Mr. Holloway worked with COBA President Norman Seabrook to persuade the State Legislature and Governor Pataki to sign legislation creating a special retirement benefit known as the Variable Supplements fund for Correction Officers. The fund, which is based on pension fund stock earnings, ran dry this year, but it is guaranteed for all officers and eligible retirees beginning in 2019. With the help of Mr. Holloway, the correction unions convinced Mr. Pataki to sign the legislation, much to the chagrin of then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani and many city and state unions. "The accomplishment was a tremendous feat," Mr. Holloway said. "If and when the stock market improves, naturally they will start getting it again" prior to 2019. Got 'Heart Bill' With Mr. Seabrook leading the way, Mr. Holloway also helped persuade Mr. Pataki to sign bills enabling officers permanently injured by inmates to retire and receive 3/4 of their final salaries. Other key pieces of legislation that Mr. Holloway successfully worked on are the Heart Bill for correction officers and a measure increasing to a felony the charge for inmates who throw feces at officers. Working in conjunction with COBA, he also helped persuade Mr. Pataki to sign a pension bill that virtually equalized the pension costs for new Correction Officers and those promoted to Captain. The bill corrected an imbalance created over 15 years ago by former COBA President Phil Seelig that provided a full pension after 20 years to Correction Officers under Tier 3 but forced Captains belonging to that pension tier to contribute more than twice as much in salary for the same benefit. "For Norman's members who become Captains, it meant that we were going back to a reasonable rate," Mr. Meringolo said. "We restored a viable career path for people to pay a reasonable rate. Floyd helped work that whole scenario." An Unplanned Cop Looking back on his career, Mr. Holloway said he never considered becoming a cop as youth. His father worked for the Transit Authority in both its power and elevator-escalator maintenance divisions. "He always suggested I join," Mr. Holloway recalled. He initially took a position as an electronic test technician. While the money in that job was decent, he thought there was a better chance of advancement as a cop. So he took and passed the city Police Officer exam and was shortly thereafter assigned to the transit force stationed in District 1 at Columbus Circle, where he spent five years. He became a Transit PBA delegate in 1967 and rose up the ranks of the union. As the group's first vice president, he helped secure compensation from the city for the widows of transit cops killed in the line of duty and a litany of other benefits. Mr. Holloway, who spends roughly three days a week in Albany in his current position, said he has always worked to improve the image of officers with the general public. "It's been a constant challenge, because there is a lot of negativism that's bestowed on the law-enforcement community," he said. "A lot of people don't look upon them favorably." Nature of the Jobs He noted that officers have the difficult job of enforcing the laws. "The good stuff we do helping people, doesn't always get the same attention," he added. In Albany, he said the key to success was to always tell the truth. "Your credibility is really the only thing you have going," he said. "As long as you're honest, you make out pretty good in Albany."
Leaving lobbying to spend more time with his wife,
Marjorie, and family won't be easy, Mr. Holloway said. "I know I'll miss it."
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