WNBC 4

The UFA said it is now suspending current talks with the city and exercising the "re-opener" clause of its most recent contract.

"The UFA will be going back to the table to renegotiate the 2004-2006 cycle as guaranteed by the iron clad contract re-opener clause we negotiated," UFA President Steve Cassidy said.

This as Monday an arbitrator ruled Monday police pay was too low and raised the starting salary to just over $35,000 to be paid retroactively - for some of the force's roughly 23,000 officers, a $20,000 lump sum.

It's roughly a 9.7 percent raise, well above the city's 3 percent offer.

"35 is not enough for what they do," Ryan Hughes, a criminal justice student said. "I respect them and they have a tough job and 35 is not going to do it, especially in New York City."

However, Maki Haberfeld, a John Jay Criminal Justice professor, said he believes more of her students will be swayed.

"I think they will be happy because for young people the $10,000 sounds like a lot of money. Monday's ruling also bumps the top salary from $59,000 to more than $65,000.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said it was on the right track.

"While we wished the starting pay was higher, this is a step in the right direction," he said.

Though the deal puts money into the hands of police officers, the PBA did not sign it saying, "while it is a good contract, it does not go far enough in satisfying the Taylor Law's call for comparable pay to other local departments. It's good, but not good enough."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the ruling "gives our dedicated and hardworking police officers much deserved raises."

The pay hike covers August 1, 2004 through July 31, 2006, meaning a new contract still must be negotiated.