NYPD to vote on proposed contract that boosts starting salaries by nearly 30%

NYPD officers have until April 24 to submit their votes on the proposed labor contract with New York City, an agreement that would boost starting salaries by nearly 30% and start a groundbreaking pilot program to expand work shifts and ease the burden of the current eight-hour tours.

 A spokesman for the Police Benevolent Association said that all 23,000 union members will be receiving special PIN numbers and other information in the mail that will allow them to go to a special online site to cast their votes. 

The voting will be handled by the American Arbitration Association and results should be known by the close of business on April 24, said PBA spokesman John Nuthall. Police officials expect the new deal to be easily ratified.

The latest proposed pact will be retroactive to 2017 for a series of raises totaling nearly 30% over the eight year life of the contract. The new contract, if approved, would expire in mid-2025.

One groundbreaking provision in the contract is the pilot program for 10 and 12 hour work days designed to give cops longer stretches of time off and cut down on overtime, officials said. The pilot program will take place in two Bronx precincts and two other Bronx commands, said NYPD commissioner Keechant Sewell.

The NYPD has been bleeding thousands of cops a year through retirements and resignations. Some officers have quit to join other police departments such as those in Suffolk and Nassau counties where the pay rate is higher, said union and police officials.

The proposed starting salary increase for NYPD officers, coupled with higher basic maximums of $131,500 after five and half years with various allowances, is viewed as an incentive for cops to stay with the department, some rank and file officers have said.

 NYPD officers had been working without a contract since 2017 and negotiations had reached an impasse, forcing both sides to submit to arbitration before the state Public Employment Relations Board. However, outgoing PBA president Patrick Lynch said he decided to approach Mayor Eric Adams at the start of his administration to see if both sides could break the impasse. The proposed contract was the result, Lynch said.

 Lynch, 59, announced earlier this week that after nearly 25 years as PBA president he was going to retire by the end of June. A new election for Lynch’s successor is expected before he leaves. 

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.