Mayor de Blasio will have some unexpected company in Iowa on Tuesday.
The city’s largest police union is sending some of its members to follow the mayor to the political swing state to argue that an impasse over their contract shows de Blasio isn’t as progressive as he claims.
Hizzoner is headed to Des Moines Tuesday to speak at a fundraiser for the lefty advocacy group Progress Iowa.
“Our members are making this trip to tell progressives in Iowa and across the country about the real Bill de Blasio. He says he’s a friend of working people, but when it comes to his own employees, he is anti-worker and anti-union,” said Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch.
“If he is going to stand up before Iowa voters and union members and promise he’s a friend to labor, then he needs to earn it.”
The state’s Public Employment Relations Board appointed a mediator last month after contract negotiations between the union and administration hit an impasse.
PBA officials complained that the mayor’s offer for a deal retroactive to August included an unacceptable 3-plus years without a pay hike. They have long argued that cops in New York City are paid less — at this point 30 percent less — than cops in nearby jurisdictions and across the country.
The current round of mediation is non-binding.
“Those at the center of our successful efforts to reduce crime to historic lows deserve a fair contract. We’re confident mediation will get us there, just like it did last time and just like we’ve done with nearly the entire city workforce,” said City Hall spokesman Austin Finan. “We’re more than fine with their protests and wish them safe travels.”