USA: THOUSANDS OF POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS HAILED AS HEROES ON SEPTEMBER 11, RALLY TO DEMAND PAY RISES

Record ID: 230510

  • Title: USA: THOUSANDS OF POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS HAILED AS HEROES ON SEPTEMBER 11, RALLY TO DEMAND PAY RISES
  • Date: 16th August 2002
  • Summary: (U7) NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA (AUGUST 15, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV RALLY IN TIMES SQUARE BY POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMEN AND SUPPORTERS; MV MAN HOLDING PLACARD; SLV CROWD APPLAUDING SPEECH; SCU SIGN CRITICAL OF NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (4 SHOTS) 0.21 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OFF DUTY POLICE OFFICER RON WILSON SAYING "You'd think they would come out gladly and give us the raise that we deserve. They can't pay us what we're worth, but they can damn sure pay us something so we can pay our bills and send our kids to school." 0.32 3. SLV LARGE INFLATABLE RATS USED IN LABOUR DISPUTES 0.38 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOE RIZZO, LABOUR ORGANIZER SAYING: "I wouldn't have thought they would have to. I wouldn't have thought they'd have to fight to get a decent raise, not after they proved themselves over and over again each and every day here in the city, especially after that tragic event." 0.53 5. SLV BANNER; MV TILT UP FIREFIGHTER HOLDING AMERICAN FLAG (2 SHOTS) 1.04 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OFF DUTY NEW YORK POLICE OFFICER KEVIN MURPHY SAYING "Most of the members of the department are just asking for a comparable salary to the other departments and also for compensation so we can support our families. Where the members of the department don't have to work two to three jobs just to live and have affordable housing and send their kids to school." 1.20 7. SLV RALLY; SLV CROWD IN FRONT OF INFLATABLE RAT; MV SIGN CRITICAL OF FORMER MAYOR RUDOLPH GUILIANI (4 SHOTS) 1.40 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER SAYING "No give-backs and a fair wage. I have to work two jobs to make a living, it's no good." 1.46 9. MV SUPPORTER HOLDING SIGN; SLV CROWD INCLUDING FIREFIGHTERS; MV PEOPLE HOLDING SIGNS; SLV PAN RALLY IN TIMES SQUARE (4 SHOTS) 2.15 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 31st August 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA1I623K9XMZ9CWES2K6L0ULO2F
  • Story Text: Thousands of police officers and firefighters, hailed
    as heroes on Sept. 11, rallied on Thursday to demand pay
    raises from New York City, which faces a massive budget gap
    and says it can't afford a large increase.

    A huge rally was held in New York's Times Square by
    off duty police officers and firefighters demanding a new
    contract, a wage increase and no increase in hours.

    The rally came just weeks before New York is set to mark
    the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks that levelled the
    World Trade Centre and killed more than 2,800 people. Hundreds
    of firefighters and more than 20 city police officers died.

    "I wouldn't have thought they'd have to fight to get a
    decent raise, not after they proved themselves over and over
    again each and every day here in the city, especially after
    that tragic event," said police supporter and labour organizer
    Joe Rizzo.

    The city's 23,000 police officers represented by the
    Patrolmen's Benevolent Association union, have been working
    without a contract since June 2000, when their last contract
    expired. They were joined at the rally by the firefighters,
    who will need to renegotiate their own contract in coming
    months.

    "You'd think they would come out gladly and give us the
    raise that we deserve. They can't pay us what we're worth, but
    they can damn sure pay us something so we can pay our bills
    and send our kids to school," said off-duty police officer Ron
    Wilson.

    A state arbitration panel is set to rule on the police pay
    dispute. The police union said the city had offered a 10
    percent pay increase over two years.

    Police officers went into the binding negotiations seeking
    a roughly 23 percent increase over two years but the final
    result is expected to be a 14 percent increase and a
    stipulation that police work additional days, according to
    people familiar with the arbitrators' decision.

    Off duty police officer Kevin Murphy said the he and his
    fellow policemen were only asking for what's fair.

    "Most of the members of the department are just asking for
    a comparable salary to the other departments and also for
    compensation so we can support our families. Where the members
    of the department don't have to work two to three jobs just to
    live and have affordable housing and send their kids to
    school," said Murphy.

    The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a
    request for comment. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday,
    Bloomberg said he would like to pay police more but the city
    next year, does not have the money.

    The rally drew politicians such as New York Senator.

    Hillary Rodham Clinton and celebrities including "The
    Sopranos" star James Gandolfini.

    Police officers say they are paid as much as 40 percent
    below what police in other cities earn.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register