| No more paid holidays |
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| Written by APB Staff |
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In the town of Malverne, New York, fiscal conservatives are pleased that what they perceive as egregious paycheck padding for cops in the police department has come to an end. It turns out police officers were getting paid for so-called “special” holidays such as Gold Star Mother’s Day and Child Health Day. But after a recent ruling from an independent arbitrator, about half of the department’s 22 officers now owe the department for questionable holidays where they were paid holiday pay. Some of the special holidays in question are Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day (Nov. 12) and Gerald Ford Day (Jan. 2). “I would say there has been some disappointment in the department,” Malverne Mayor Patricia McDonald told New York Newsday. The decision essentially concludes that the union added an increasing number of days without properly notifying village officials. “The old rubric about the orphan who kills his parents and then, at trial, pleads for mercy because he is an orphan, has utility here,” the decision states. Ouch. Malverne Police Chief John Aresta, who himself was once credited for three “special” days, brought the matter to the attention of the village board after he was named chief last year. Aresta says the issue continues to rankle some in the small department. “Some of the guys still really don’t want anything to do with talking with me, but a lot of the guys have come around,” he said. Based on the union’s interpretation of a clause in a now-expired contract, officers got credit for work on up to 25 additional days between 2004 and 2007. The days – most of which were commemorated in state or federal proclamations – included National Day of Katrina Remembrance (Aug. 29), Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (Oct. 27), and Parents’ Day (July 27). Parents’ Day? Malverne cops got 247 hours in 2004 and 2005 for working the arcane holidays, according to a town report. In 2006 and the first seven months of 2007, officers claimed a total of 3,389.5 hours – equal to 282 12-hour shifts. An officer’s starting salary is $37,791 a year. The time off earned was in addition to contract stipulations including 12 paid holidays, personal time, sick days and vacation days, according to village officials. Supervisors were responsible for crediting the days, which were not noted on time cards, police said. The union began claiming the credit after getting permission to earn time for working on June 11, 2004, which President George W. Bush declared a national day of mourning for the death of Ronald Reagan. The arbitration decision last month states that the union uses the clause in such a way that it could create “absurd results.” “If every proclamation constituted a special day, the village would have a workforce nearly as much on leave as on duty, with catastrophic financial consequences to the village,” the decision states. subscribeAdd this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Comments (0)
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