Forget the dismal economy. Or that police officers in Orangetown and Pelham Manor are among the best paid in the lower Hudson Valley. According to two arbitration panels, the police are underpaid–and deserve retroactive raises of nearly 8.2 percent over two years.
In both cases, arbitrators decided property taxpayers in Orangetown and Pelham Manor can afford to pay increased salaries depite economy. Text of the decisions is posted on the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) web site (here).
Update
Orangetown’s police earned an average of $111,147, making them the third highest paid among 53 towns in the lower Hudson Valley (including Westchester County) during a 12-month period ending March 31, 2009, according to payroll data posted on www.SeeThroughNY.net
The award–signed in June 2007 and posted on PERB’s web site in August 2009–raised police salaries 4 percent raise retroactive to January 1, 2006–and another 4 percent raise retroactive to January 1, 2007. Presumably, the PBA will be seeking raises for 2008 and 2009.
Before the PERB award–signed in July 2009 and posted on the web site in August 2009, the village of Pelham Manor (not to be confused with the village of Pelham) had the 12th highest paid police force among 50 villages in the lower Hudson Valley. The average Pelham Manor uniformed officer (police and fire) was paid $104,542 in 2008.
Pelham Manor’s salary ranking ratchets up higher with the recent arbitration award of 4 percent effective September 1, 2006 and 4 percent more September 1, 2007. The award expires May 31, 2008, which means the PBA likely can expect another increase to cover the rest of 2008.
Another PERB panel in August gave the Transport Workers Union (TWU) a controversial three-year raise. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is appealing the award (here).
However, the Town of Orangetown (Rockland County) and Village of Pelham Manor (Westchester County) cannot appeal the police awards in court. Police and firefighter arbitration awards are legally binding under the state Taylor Law. This is described in the Empire Center’s report Taylor Made: The Cost and Consequences of New York’s Public-Sector Labor Laws, here.
In reaching a decision, a three-member arbitration panel must consider several factors, including a municipality’s ability to pay (a flimsy concept that is not defined in the law) and what comparable municipalities pay in salary and benefits.
The Orangetown Police Benevolent Association suggested that its compensation package be compared with those in nearby towns of Clarkstown and Ramapo. They had good reason.
According to payroll data posted on www.SeeThroughNY.net, police in Clarkstown earned an average of $151,694 in wages, overtime and other compensation in 2008, making them highest paid police in 53 towns in the lower Hudson Valley (which includes Westchester County). Ramapo at $123,574 ranks second on the list.
Thomas Purtill, a now retired Clarkstown police officer, was the highest paid local government employee in New York, during a 12-month period ending March 31, 2009. He was paid a whopping $543,416, according to an analysis of payroll data by the Empire Center (here).
Originally Published: NY Public Payroll Watch
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