Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Now with a city budget passed in Buffalo, police union representatives are ready to sit down at the negotiating table in order to formulate a new contract for their officers.
In a statement from Mayor Sean Ryan's office to WGRZ-TV on Wednesday, it says the city is "looking forward to negotiating with all of our locals, several of which are already out of contract. Now that the budget process is complete and the new fiscal year begins in July, we expect to begin meeting with unions at the bargaining table this summer.”
Buffalo Police Benevolent Association (PBA) president John Davidson is very much looking forward to the opportunity to discuss a new contract for his officers whenever the city is ready.
"We think a contract is the best way to attract new officers and retain the officers that we have," said Davidson in an interview with WBEN. "We're in a shortfall of officers, we're short 100 officers by the mayor's budget, and we're also below minimum officers at the ranks of lieutenant and captain. So I think the best way to find a way to recruit new officers and retain the officers we have is to sit down with the city and come up with creative ways in the contract to do that."
Davidson feels the department's shortage of officers and recruits puts officials in a tough spot.
"According to the budget numbers and the what the city needs to operate on - I believe the number that Mayor Ryan used was 814 - we are 100 below that. And as far as supervisory ranks, we are currently one below minimum staffing at captain and two below minimum staffing at lieutenant," Davidson said. "The contract's been expired for 332 days, and we're ready to sit down when the city's ready to sit down."
While there has been no timeline given to Davidson and other leaders at the Buffalo PBA about negotiations with the city, he does feel confident that based on some informal talks with the city, to this point, a new deal can get done.
"I won't get into negotiations in public, as we've agreed not to, but what I will say is we cannot in the City of Buffalo at the moment recruit officers. In our most recent class, we only recruited five officers - one of which has already decided the job's not for them," Davidson added. "Last year, we had 47 retire. We're almost at double-digit retirees this year. To combat that amount, we've only hired four officers. So we've got to find a way to recruit officers, and the officers that are retiring, we've got to try and find a way to retain them in the meantime."
"We're ready to sit down when the city's ready to sit down" - Buffalo PBA president John Davidson
"We're ready to sit down when the city's ready to sit down" - Buffalo PBA president John Davidson
