NYC Police & Fire Public safety alliance: police and firefighters join forces to fight mayor's disinformation campaign

The city’s two largest uniformed unions are joining forces to counter Mayor Bloomberg’s misinformation campaign attacking pensions as the Mayor attempts to renege on a long-standing Variable Supplement Fund (VSF) agreement that was bought and paid for in previous negotiations, it was announced today by PBA president Pat Lynch and UFA president Steve Cassidy.

PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said: “A lie is a lie no matter how many times you say it.  Mayor Bloomberg has orchestrated an out and out assault on the livelihood and reputation of the very people who risk their lives to make this city safe and livable and we will not stand for it.”

UFA president Steve Cassidy said: “Using the excuse of a downturn in the economy, Mayor Bloomberg is trying to steal the VSF from firefighters and police officers.  In the 1988 deal that made the VSF a defined benefit, the police and firefighter unions gave the city hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and billions of dollars in recurring savings.”

Lynch added: “The mayor says that he wants to bring the pensions of police and firefighters more in line with pension in the private sector, but I don’t know of any private sector job where employees are expected to put their lives on the line day in and day out.  Young men and women who consider becoming police officers and firefighters are willing to take the chance that they might survive two decades on the job and collect a modest pension.  This pension arrangement has been in existence for over 130 years through world wars, the Great Depression and numerous recessions with the city upholding it end of the bargain.  Without the existing pension, it is unlikely that the city could maintain a young and vigorous force of qualified men and women to do these dangerous sometimes-deadly jobs.”

Cassidy said, “Transparency in the Bloomberg Administration has been abysmal.  If the mayor is so concerned about the city budget he wouldn’t have flushed $800 million on ‘City Time’ and another $1.8 billion on its failed ‘Public Safety Access Center (PSAC)’ 911 call taker system down the toilet.”

Starting today, the New York City Police & Fire Public Safety Alliance will use every legal, legislative and public relations resource at our disposal to fight these blatant attempts to undo the promises that were made to us when we accepted these dangerous jobs.