WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. October28,2009: Five members of the Common Council heard Dr. Frank Straub, Commissioner of Public Safety praise the overtime reductions and budget savings achieved by new 12-hour police patrol schedules and 24-hour firefighter work schedules in effect the last nine months Tuesday evening.
Commissioner of Public Safety, Dr. Frank Straub, making the case for retaining the 12-24 Work Schedules last night at the Common Council Work Session, called by Councilman Dennis Power, at left.
Councilpersons Benjamin Boykin, Milagros Lecouna, Rita Malmud, Tom Roach, Dennis Power then told the Mayor the schedule needed to be continued in experimental mode for at least another year much to the vocal disgust of over 100 police and fire fighter personnel filling the Common Council chamber last night.
Over 100 firefighters and police, predominantly firefighters, filled Council Chamber and rotunda hall.
Mayor will not direct Straub to terminate the new work shifts.
Mayor Joseph Delfino after hearing Councilpersons Benjamin Boykin, Rita Malmud, Tom Roach, Dennis Power and Milagros Lecouna ask for an extension of “continued” experimental status 12 and 24 hours schedules, said firmly he, the Mayor “would not direct”Commissioner Straub to return the department to the previous 8-hour schedules beginning January 1, which caused the throng of police and firefighters to burst into thunderous applause and cheers.
“We all entered this (agreement) in good faith. Good faith is to accept this for what it is if everybody’s happy. Isn’t it a shame that everybody’s happy,” the Mayor said.
The Mayor then left his chair and strode out from behind the balustrade separating the Council “horseshoe” from the audience and left the chamber to the accolade. The council appeared stunned.
Asked if the council would pass a resolution putting their wishes in writing,as he made his way out from behind the ballustrade, Councilman Benjamin Boykin told WPCNR “that needs to be addressed,” without committing on what any further council action they might take to terminate the experimental work schedule.
Commissioner Frank Straub outlining his responsibility on terminating the work shift experiment.
Friday Deadline.
The City needs to inform the unions 60 days (November 3) before the “experimental” expires January 2 whether it will terminate the rules and return to the old schedule, otherwise Straub told the Council the new work rules automatically become part of the labor agreement. Straub said this had been confirmed by city labor negotiator, Richard Zuckerman and Corporation Counsel Edward Dunphy. Straub said he did not have authority to negotiate with the union for an agreement extending the experimental status.
Dunphy: No Comment.
City Corporation Counsel Edward Dunphy, was asked by WPCNR if the Council could legally bypass the Mayor and pass a resolution terminating the new work rules, said “No comment,” refusing to clarify the charter protocols.
Binding Arbitration Hearings Complete: Agreement after the 6th
WPCNR also learned from the head of the Police Benevolent Association, Jim Carrier, that binding arbitration hearings underway for approximately five weeks have been completed, and final briefs go to the arbitrator November 6, with a decision on the amount of wage settlement under dispute expected some time after that date. Carrier told WPCNR before the meeting he did not expect the work rules dispute to affect the procedures.
Union: Council Meddling.
In a news release distributed to the media, the White Plains Firefighters Association characterized the Council action tonight as “improper meddling in areas of collective bargaining where the Council has no jurisdiction or legal authority. It is an attempt by the Council to browbeat the Commissioner into extending the experimental basis of our work chart without justification in order to gain leverage for the new Mayor in subsequent negotiations with the PFFA.”
Council’s Next Move Uncertain.
Benjamin Boykin and Dennis Power told WPCNR in the parking lot behind city hall after the session was over, it was their opinion that the consensus “super majority” expressed in the work session in public had authority to compel Dr. Straub to terminate the agreement. Boykin, Malmud, Roach and Lecouna expressed the position during the public session that the first nine months of results from the new Work Schedules were very positive, but needed to be observed for a longer period of time for locking in the work schedule. They did not say how long the “experimental” period should last.
Boykin told WPCNR in the parking lot that the experience of the city of Los Angeles which put 12 and 24 hour shifts into effect in 2005 has had a negative experience with the shifts over time, which was why the council felt it needed to be continued on an experimental basis.
Statistics Demonstrate System Savings.
Straub shared statistics on the new 12 & 24 Hour Schedules that showed in his opinion the new schedules over the first 9 months, were “operationally and fiscally responsible,” saying on the Police side, serious crimes were down 7.4%, Traffic summons issued were up 4.4%, Auto Accidents down 9.6%, Traffic Fines up 20.3%, Responses up 12.8%, EMS responses up 20.8%. On the fire side, Fire Inspections were up 18.3%, response time remained at 4-1/2 minutes for both divisions of Police and Fire.
Straub provided statistical reports to the Common Council, noting to the gathering that the Department had its Firefighter Budget for Overtime cut 29% ($99,900) for 2009 down to $257,000 from 2008’s $357,000. Police Overtime Budget cut $306,600 to $452,000 a total budget cut of 40%—down $333,613 from the 2008 police overtime budget of $759,000
Despite having the budget for police and fire overtime cut $405,000, Straub said the new work schedules have reduced overtime costs well within the budget.
Overtime down 54% in Fire, 43% in Police Divisions.
He said that so far in the first three quarters of 2009, the fire division has spent $160,468 in overtime compared to $296,181 in OT in 2008, a saving of 54%.
In the Police Division, Straub said, the overtime savings were even greater. From January through September 30, $340,210 has been spent compared to $602,802 in 2008, a $252,072 saving, WPCNR notes of 43%
Straub reported that the new 24 hour firefighter shifts had reduced sick days 61%, with firefighters totaling 2,187 less sick days, reducing sick days in 2009 from5,618 to 3,431.
On the Police Side, the 12-hour patrol shift, Straub reported the police have spent $252,072 less in overtime reducing overtime hours 20% from 3,921 hours to 3,410(411 hours).
Roach Impressed but Wants Wait and See
Asked by Councilman Tom Roach what he attributed the savings in firemen sick time to, Straub said, “The 24 hour Schedule.” (This response brought loud cheers and applause from the assembled professionals.)Asked again by Roach to explain why sick leave was down Straub said there was perhaps more time inbetween shifts for fatigue and stress and health to improve, but did not pinpoint any specific factor.
WPCNR asked Jim Carrier, Head of the Police Benevolent Association, afterwards why sick time wasn’t down more. He did not have an answer. Asked if his union would initiate a public relations education program within the two unions to cut down sick leave further, and promote the advantages he said he was willing to look at it.
Straub said the schedule had met expectations and “I do not know why I am here.”
Hockley: It’s Bradley.
Councilman Glen Hockley in remarks, accused his five other Common Council colleagues of being “puppeteered by Mr. Bradley.” (Adam Bradley is Mr. Hockley’s opponent in the Mayoral election next week, if Mr. Hockley achieves relief from the State Court of Appeals.Mr. Hockley filed a brief in Albany Tuesday with the Court of Appeals asking them to review the Second Department Appellate Court decision to remove Mr. Hockley from the Mayoral ballot.)
Hockley in closing remarks accused the Council of deliberately delaying the process. Paul Schwarz, a Democratic city committee leader observing the hour and a half meeting was appalled at Hockley’s statements, saying, “he is poisoning the waters (with the unions) for the new Mayor.”
Straub Thanks Council
Commissioner Straub in opening his remarks told the council how it had been an honor to serve the city and the Council the last seven years and complimented his fire and police departments as being the finest in the state and the country, noting the department is consulted frequently and asked to attend international police conferences to discuss their operations as models for other departments. Straub noted he recently consulted with the San Jose Police Department for example, and was friends with William Bradley the head of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The Council Calls the Meeting.
The meeting was called by Councilman Dennis Power by a letter Power sent to the Mayor last Thursday, because Power said the council noted that according to the agreement the Council approved last January, the Commissioner of Public Safety had to notify the union prior to 60 days before the expiration of the experimental work shift trial (November 2) if he was going to terminate the work shift arrangement.
Power (right) said the Council had had no reports on the effects of the program as of last week, and said in starting the proceedings the council was grateful to receive the statistics the Commissioner had just handed out. Power, in his remarks, as did Roach Malmud, Boykin and Lecouna(left, above) said the 9-month performance was a good, positive start, but the city needed more time to evaluate its performance. All five opposing automatic extension of the shifts, emphasized they wanted to continue its status as “experimental,” to have more months of performance to evaluate it.
Commissioner Straub was asked by WPCNR if the department would have difficulty installing the former 8 hour schedules by January if they had to do so. He said it would be difficult, but the Department would do it if they had to. “It’s our job,” he said.
Asked if he had been told he would not be rehired as Commissioner in a possible new Adam Bradley administration, Straub said “No comment.”
Asked if was seeking another position possibly with the City of Los Angeles Police Department or San Jose or elsewhere, Straub said, “No comment.”
Official Copies of the statistics were not provided on the scene to WPCNR on the scene. by the Commissioner as of yet, but Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, Daniel Jackson said he would be forwarding them to WPCNR. If there are any errors in the verbal transcriptions, WPCNR will correct them.
Firefighters ascending the rotunda staircase prior to meeting start.
