PAX Centurion - September / October 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • September/October 2013 • Page 13 Contact the City Council N ow is not the time to debate the merits or lack thereof of this contract. We, you and I, already know it's much less than we deserve, the numbers and amounts that have been reported have been overly inflated by the city and press to infuriate and agitate the citizens of this great city. Now is also NOT the time to sit on our laurels! We must garner the support we are deserving of. I would ask that starting immediately, we contact every single person, organization, friend and family member that we know or owe us a fa- vor and please ask them to start the phone calls to each and every City Councilor in Boston NOW , ask them to support and vote in favor of our legally arbitrated award. Prior to this award being attacked by the Mayor and his staff of hypocrites or being illegally leaked to the press two weeks ago in an attempt to submarine all of the work that has gone into the end product, each and every candidate for the Mayor’s seat stated that they would support the JLMC and theArbitration Process, each stated they would support the Lawful Resolution of this four year long collective bargaining dispute between us and the city. Each and every City Councilor also stated that they would support the legally arbitrated award and the arbitration process. We need to take it upon ourselves to fight for what we are owed. Remember we are the good guys. We are the ones that champion neighborhood sports, we are the coaches, the mentors and alike, we are the ones that support neighborhood groups, organizations and Boston area families. Our members continue to give to the commu- nity even without a contract. In the time that we have been without a contract, our members have donated over a half a million dollars out of our member dues to local sport teams, groups, organizations, zoos, libraries and local museums etc. This is our city and we can't afford to let outside interests, opinions and local media dictate city policy. We've all heard the foolish sound bites and read the lies in the Herald and Globe over the past few weeks. It’s time to set the record straight. We have to get the FACTS out there and maybe, just maybe, someone who still believes in the TRUTH as opposed to swaying with the wind will spread the word to the citizens of Boston. Don't bother arguing with the haters, you could be offered $10 a week and they still would say you’re overpaid. Don't bother arguing in the stupid media blogs that only helps promote the lies being reported. I, like you, would like to vent also, but again now is not the time. Below you will note several facts that might aid you or those you speak with in answering questions over the award. 1. The approximate total cost of the award over a six-year period is $80 million. Not $125M or $100M as previously reported and leaked by the City to the press over a two week period, (illegally leaked I might add). 2. Comparing it to the BFD contract of 2010 is a joke. The BFD with only 1,200 members received a $105M contract over five years in 2010, with full retro (deserving of every penny, but so are we). We have 1,500 members and it is a six-year award for $80M. It's $25M less, How is it unsustainable? It sounds like a deal to me. 3. It is a six-year award that should be retroactive to July 1, 2010, however it starts on January 1, 2011. In my opinion, the award is specifically balanced to benefit the City of Boston for the first three years awarding us only two and a half percent for six months starting on January 1, 2011 with a 1% on July 1, 2011 and 1% on July 1, 2012. Over those same three years a Fire Fighter earned between $48,000 and $60,000 per Fire Fighter more than a Patrolman in base wages! The arbitrators award only allows for approximately $6,000 total retro per patrolman, (even though we’ve been without for over three years whereas the average fire fighter received approximately $30,000 in retro at their signing, again fully deserved and warranted but so are we!). Once again, the city saving millions that we will never see! 4. The award on the last three years “starts off-cycle” on October 1; the city’s actual fiscal year is July thru June. Starting the 3% raise in October instead of July once again saves the City millions that we will never see. 5. It is obvious to anyone that has ever negotiated a contract in Boston or Massachusetts to see what theArbitrator was attempting. Instead of complaining about him or calling him names, (that should be reserved for our members), the City Management should be ap- plauding him for the way in which he evenly applied raises inside of the award that could not be accessed by other City Unions (i.e. future fire CBA) and awarded us small base % increases on the face of the award that other unions would be entitled to under the collective bar- gaining parity rules. Again saving the City millions at our expense, but still masterfully closing the enormous gap between us and the Fire Fighters in a relatively short time from today. Do I like it? EM- PHATICALLY NO, but the City Managers are either too selfish, too blind to the facts, too ignorant, too hateful or all four to see that this Arbitrator corrected a problem created by the city management back in 2010 and their own inefficiency in labor negotiations. Based on his obvious strategy, within the next round of negotiations, Fire and Police should be back on an even playing field as long as the City doesn't get in its own way. 6. The Quinn Bill, which was bargained between the City and the Union was disassembled, cut, capped and destroyed by politi- cians attempting to screw police officers, (what can I say, we're an easy target). That action caused a pay cut, a reduction in pay, a loss in pay (for you in City Labor Management, that means we made less money) of up to 12.5% of our salary. The City will blame the state, the Mayor will blame the state, but don't kid yourselves they did NOTHING to stop it and in some cases promoted it! The city could have stepped up at that time and assumed their moral obligation and responsibility and paid the difference, like MOST cities did! regard- less of contracts, but NO, not in Boston, “screw ’em” was echoed through the halls. So even if you use the inflated number of 25.5% increase, deduct the 12.5% Quinn for real numbers of 13% over SIX YEARS as a real increase in pay! 13% over 6 = 2.16% a year in real increase. Unsustainable, give me a break. COLA is 3.4% a year which we don’t see! Remember the Quinn, we took two zeros, the City got drug testing, the City got residency, the City had the indem- nification clause overturned after ratification. Then the City felt NO moral obligation to make up the loss, but got to keep all their goodies! Bad faith?You tell me! 7. TheArbitrator once again used superior intellect and logic when he devised a plan to reinstate or continue the Quinn and open it up for new hires to ensure an educated department, but simultaneously capped the payment protecting the city from future exposure. Do I like it, NO, but again he did what should have been done through negotiations by bringing Quinn and Longevity into the same neigh- borhood without breaking the bank and keeping within reach of fire. Once again, the City should kiss his ring finger, but instead can’t or won’t understand he did a masterful job FORTHEM. I mean did any of these politicians, cracker jack reporters or pundits even read the award or contracts (past and present) in their entirety??? See Contact on page 14