Union Restless
Name Mediator For NYPD Captain Talks

By REUVEN BLAU

The Public Employment Relations Board has appointed its chief city mediator to try to restart stalled contract talks between the Captains' Endowment Association and the Bloomberg administration.

JOHN F. DRISCOLL: Too long without deal.

CEA President John F. Driscoll, who had petitioned PERB to declare an impasse, welcomed the intermediary, Philip L. Maier. "I need to get an end to this," Mr. Driscoll said during a phone conversation last week. "I'm willing to talk about everything to get a deal."

38 Months Without Pact

The first session is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 20. The CEA, which represents 750 Captains, is one of the only uniformed supervisory unions without a contract for the round of bargaining covering 2003 forward. "I'm in my 38th month without a contract," Mr. Driscoll said.

The union's contract expired Oct. 31, 2003, but the group waited until city negotiators completed deals with subordinate police titles before beginning its contract talks in earnest.

Labor Commissioner James F. Hanley declined to comment on the latest development. "We are always hopeful," he said.

Mr. Driscoll said that he has a "professional" relationship with Mr. Hanley. "On this we are just not seeing eye to eye," the union president remarked. "Just the overall package [he has offered] wouldn't pass with my membership."

The CEA has the right to seek binding arbitration, but Mr. Driscoll said he was "hopeful" the current dispute would be settled before that stage. "Sometimes a third party doesn't hurt," he remarked.

Dispute Over Savings

The CEA and city negotiators have been haggling over the values of various concessions the union has offered in order to match the 4.24 percent in savings the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association generated under the attrition-based award issued by an arbitration panel in the summer of 2004.

Mr. Driscoll has said that he is seeking an agreement with terms similar to those the Lieutenants' Benevolent Association accepted in July. That contract, in contrast to three other police union pacts this round, did not reduce the starting salary for new members.

The LBA agreement, which was overwhelmingly ratified, provides 17 percent in raises over 50 months and 16 days, part of which will be financed by requiring newly promoted Lieutenants to work 13 additional tours and extending shifts for all persons in the rank.

Mr. Driscoll said that he is opposed to stretching out the salary schedule for newly promoted Captains and will look to negotiate extended tours as well.