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Levy assails "outrageous" county police perks(Newsday (Melville, NY) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 20--With a struggling economy and a police contract in the hands of an independent arbitrator, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy appealed Friday to the public to be aware of county police perks he called "outrageous." While officials of Suffolk's largest police union called the benefits fair, Levy asked for a "restructuring" of the contract, which allows time off that he says far exceeds most public and private sector jobs. Suffolk officers can get more than 100 days off a year, including 30 vacation days, 26 sick days, 13 paid holidays, six personal days and 28 other days, Levy said. Some officers also get cash payouts of more than $100,000 for unused sick time when they leave the department, Levy said. "People in the private sector cannot fathom that this is actually happening," he said. Speaking Friday in a conference room outside his Hauppauge office, Levy saved special scorn for provisions that give pay bumps tied to police work to officers who work full-time as union officials. "If I posed this to you on the street, you'd say, 'This is nuts.' But that's what's in these union contracts," he said. Jeff Flayer, the president of the county Police Benevolent Association, Friday accused Levy of exaggerating the county's fiscal situation to further his political career. He also said police pay and other perks are in line with other departments. "There are 34 police departments in Long Island. Our contract puts us tied for 16th, so we're not the highest paid in the world, as Levy likes to say," Frayler said. "We have for this area a very fair contract." The last police contract expired at the end of 2007. After unsuccessful negotiations, the contract went to an independent arbitrator in September. Both sides are now preparing briefs for the arbitrator. A decision is not expected until late spring. Frayler said members of the public concerned with time-off benefits should consider the stress and dangers of police work. "You're out there with a gun and a bulletproof vest ... and you're expected to perform perfectly every time," he said. Extra time off is "necessary for health and stress and a whole lot of other issues." Flayer derided Levy for rejecting the PBA's "good faith" offer of a $15,000 pay reduction for new officers. Levy would not confirm or deny that, but said that "nothing is offered by the PBA for free." Levy denied the timing of his plea was a bid to influence the state-mandated arbitration. But he acknowledged the timing was tied to the heated back-and-forth he and the department engaged in after Levy's decision to replace highway patrols with county sheriffs. "It's our response to the PBA pressuring legislators to jump through hoops," he said. "If they can do that, I want the public to put a counterpressure on legislators as a way to help keep taxes down." To see more of Newsday, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsday.com Copyright (c) 2008, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |