Mayor de Blasio and Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Reach Tentative Five-Year Agreement, Bringing Entire Uniformed Union Workforce Under Contract

January 31, 2017

NEW YORK— Mayor Bill de Blasio and Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) President Patrick Lynch today announced a tentative contract agreement covering 23,810 NYPD employees. With this settlement, the City has secured deals with each of its uniformed unions through the 2010-2017 round of bargaining. This is only the second voluntary settlement reached between the City and the PBA since 1994. 

“This agreement is the result of many hours spent negotiating between the City and the PBA, once again demonstrating the power of collective bargaining,” said Mayor de Blasio. “It doesn’t matter how far apart the parties start; it matters where they end up. This agreement provides the compensation and benefits the world’s finest police department deserves, while outfitting the entire force with body cameras and delivering the transparency and policing reforms at the center of effective and trusted law enforcement.”

"With this contract settled, the country's finest police department can keep doing the great work the NYPD has long been known for - devoting all of our energy to fight crime, keeping this city safe, and continuing to build trust with the community," said Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill.

PBA President Patrick J. Lynch said, “New York City police officers are no better than anyone else, but we are different. We perform the most difficult police job anywhere in the world, and the challenges and dangers we face each day continue to grow. The agreement that we announce here today recognizes those challenges and continues to move New York City police officers towards a package of compensation and benefits that is equal to our status as the finest police officers in the nation. It has been a long and arduous process, but we are grateful that Mayor de Blasio and his team sat down with us and negotiated in good faith to achieve this agreement.”

“I am proud we were able to come together and negotiate the second voluntary agreement in 23 years,” said Office of Labor Relations Commissioner Robert Linn. “The settlement is fiscally responsible for the city and fair for officers.”

As part of today’s deal, the PBA has agreed to drop its body camera litigation against the City and the NYPD can expand the use of body cameras to the entire workforce – a huge step forward in increasing police accountability and transparency. All patrol officers will be outfitted with cameras by the end of 2019. Additionally, the PBA has agreed to withdraw and refrain from pursuing litigation related to the administration of naloxone – a lifesaving drug used by first responders as an emergency overdose treatment – and have agreed that such duties are a term and condition of employment.

The Administration recognizes that our widespread efforts to implement neighborhood community policing create a fundamental change in the work our officers do and as such, deserves compensation. As part of this settlement, effective March 15, 2017, all officers shall be entitled to a neighborhood policing differential in the amount of 2.25 percent of base salary. These increases are funded by a reduction in the salary schedule for newly hired employees – detailed further below:

First 1.5 years - $42,500

After 1.5 years - $45,000

After 2.5 years - $46,000

After 3.5 years - $47,000

After 4.5 years - $51,000

After 5.5 years - $85,292

With this this settlement, the PBA joins other uniformed unions in reaching a deal on accidental disability. The City and the PBA have agreed to jointly support State legislation that would provide three-quarter of salary in the event of disability. The pension benefit is expected to be consistent with the other uniformed unions and includes a 1 percent employee contribution. Savings from the labor agreement were used to lower the required employee contributions.

As part of the agreement, the PBA has agreed to withdraw all litigation related to the 2014 and
2016 letter agreements regarding health savings and welfare fund contributions between the City and the Municipal Labor Committee. This means that the members of the PBA are now full participants in the joint goal of attaining the $3.4 billion in health care savings that the City and the MLC agreed upon in May 2014. Savings found from their participation will help fund pay increases included in this settlement.  

Fair Wages
The tentative contract agreement is consistent with the established city pattern. Wage increases will constitute 11 percent over seven years when combined with the previous two-year arbitration award reached in 2015:

August 1, 2012 – 1.0%

August 1, 2013 – 1.0%

August 1, 2014 – 1.5%

August 1, 2015 – 2.5%

August 1, 2016 – 3.0%

Affordable Costs

The cost of today’s tentative agreement over the contract period is consistent with that established with the other uniformed unions. The vast majority of these costs are covered in the labor reserve. Any incremental costs are in savings will be reflected in the labor agreement.

Gross Cost: $530.4 million

Health Savings and Stabilization Fund: ($193.7 million)

Net Cost: $336.7 million