DC 37 Must Emulate PBA
To the Editor:

District Council 37 members are reading about the just-concluded settlement between the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the City of New York with envy.

The wage deal includes four percent a year — something the city has not offered to DC 37, even though we supposedly have the right to the pattern that was set by the uniformed services.

It also brings rookie Police Officers' pay back up to a reasonable level — while new DC 37 members must continue to take a 15-percent pay cut for the first two years. The PBA's givebacks were restored. What about DC 37's givebacks out of new hires' wages?

Now is the time to mobilize our DC 37 members, and now is the time to build strength for a true contract fight. Mayor Bloomberg did not want to incur continuing anger from police officers — and PBA head Pat Lynch has made no secret of his anger. DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts cannot invoke the anger of DC 37 members, because she has conducted negotiations without involving the membership in any meaningful way, and most are resigned to the outcome. You would think members would be angry about the bogus "salary review" process, which in part sold the last contract and has now been junked by the city.

There are many ways the city can compensate union members without going directly to the treasury. For one thing, the Mayor should make it clear to the City Council that it must come around and end residency requirements for DC 37 members. The city could help the union and strengthen the civil service system by dramatically reducing probationary periods for new hires. The city owns vacant land and repossessed properties that could be turned over to union-led partnerships to create affordable housing for union members. The city could also lower bus and subway fares for city workers. All these are low- or no-cost items.

Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 9.8-percent rise in the cost of living over the past year. Something has got to give, and in the past it has been DC 37. Let's stop giving and start demanding what's fair. There must be a real effort on the part of DC 37's leadership to mobilize members and bring home what Pat Lynch brought home — and that includes the uniformed services pattern as well as step-pay plans for the vast majority of our members who do not currently have them.

FITZ REID, Executive Vice President Local 768, Delegate DC 37