PAX Centurion - March / April 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • March/April 2013 • Page 9 A rbitration proceedings in the long-delayed BPPA/City of Boston Contract matter have continued forward, albeit not at the pace most of us would like to see. We will soon be approaching THREE years without a contract or a raise. Arbitration dates have been scheduled through April and into the end of May. After that, both parties have one month for post-hearing briefs, and the arbitrator may take up to 60 days to render a decision. After that, the City Council has another 30 days to decide whether to approve funding. And after that , any retroactive monies (we all hope so….) will undoubtedly take several weeks or even months for the City to figure out who is owed how much. As you can see, we are talking the end of the summer or later. The bargaining committee continues to argue for parity with the Fire Department, as well they should. Firefighters are an aver- age $16,000 above police officers. Additionally, many officers lost one-half of the Quinn bill educational incentive due to the Gover- nor’s failing to fund the state’s portion, even as he gives illegal aliens Arbitration slogs forward By James Carnell, Pax Editor A reduced legal fee is continuously offered to police officers and has been for more than thirty (30) years. Our office has successfully represented countless law enforcement officers in their personal injury claims (on or off duty) and other legal matters. The first Law Offices of Donald E. Green was opened in Boston’s waterfront in 1982 and the second office in Dudley Square/Roxbury in 1988. The Firm also has satellite locations in Braintree, which is convenient for South Shore residents and downtown Boston; both locations are by appointment only. The Law Offices of Donald E. Green is a multi-ethnic. multi-lingual law firm, concentrating in personal injury matters as well as medical malpractice, dental malpractice, wrongful death, worker’s compensation, slip and fall, criminal defense, civil rights, immigration, family/probate, bankruptcy, real estate and sexual harassment claims. Don Green served in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1961 before being honorably discharged. In 1968, he joined the Boston Police Department and retired in 1990 after serving the city for nearly 22 years, the last 15 years as a Sergeant in the Roxbury district. He is married to Annette Hill Green, a native of Dorchester, who is also an attorney and his law partner. “We are proud of our investment in the community and the trust our clients have instilled in us to handle and resolve their legal matters over the past 30 years. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their support and patronage!” We would like to say “thank you” by inviting you to stop by our Roxbury office, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. to pick up a free Cell Phone Dashboard Pad in an effort to promote your safety (hands-free talking) on our roadways! (Limited to one per person, while supplies last) To learn more about the Firm, call Don or Annette at (617) 442-0050 or via e-mail at dgreen@donaldegreen.com . Feel free to visit our website at www.donaldegreen.com or in person at 2235 Washington Street in Roxbury (Dudley Square). Evening andWeekend Appointments Available • Home and Hospital Appointments Available D on G reen A nnette H ill G reen D on G reen in-state tuition rates, free health insurance, EBT cards and a whole host of other benefits paid for by those of us remaining who work for a living. The city continues to put forth the specious argument that because police officers can per- form extra details or overtime, that money should be included as part of overall compensation. Thankfully, the arbitrator only wanted to know about pension- able income , not including the marvelous “perk” we enjoy by killing ourselves working 70 or 80 hours a week. (By the way, firefighters also have a slew of extra details inside build- ings under construction using welding torches, gases or other flammable materials; you just don’t read about them or see them because they’re generally inside the buildings.) The bargaining committee understands the frustration, but if there were any way to move matters more quickly, that would have already been done. Hopefully, we’ll finally get some good news in a few months, as arbitration has seldom been kind to us, but there was simply no other avenue to exhaust. Don’t make any plans until you see a check in your hands…. Arbitration dates have been scheduled through April and into the end of May. After that, both parties have one month for post-hearing briefs, and the arbitrator may take up to 60 days to render a decision. After that, the City Council has another 30 days to decide whether to approve funding. And after that, any retroactive monies (we all hope so….) will undoubtedly take several weeks or even months for the City to figure out who is owed how much.