NY Daily News

The embarrassing starting pay of $25,100 for new police officers was bumped to $35,881. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and others said it was still too low (starting pay used to be about $40,000) but noted it was a move in the right direction.

Top pay for cops was bumped from $59,588 to $65,382.

This decision covers a contract period that is already almost two years old, Aug. 1 2004, through July 31, 2006. So cops will get retroactive pay for that time.

As expected, both the city and the PBA tried to spin the decision in their favor.

The PBA was the first to send out a release touting the fact that the decision broke the 3% and 3.15% pattern other uniformed unions had received for those two years. Instead, the decision awarded cops raises of 4.5% and 5%.

And while the union called it a "historic award" it declined - through their representative on the three-person panel - to sign off on the deal.

On the other hand, the city put out a release emphasizing the "substantial givebacks."

Under the deal, new police officers will receive 10 fewer vacation days.

In addition, all cops will now have to use a vacation day to qualify at a police firing range and they can have their schedules changed five additional days a year. This means the department can give cops a different schedule up to 20 days a year without paying overtime.

But the full impact of this decision between the city and the PBA has yet to be felt.

Several of the city's uniformed unions have said they may take advantage of a reopener clause in their contracts to seek the higher raises won by the cops.

But city officials have made it clear that higher raises will only be available if those unions provide "productivity enhancements" to pay for them.

"This is certainly not open house," Mayor Bloomberg said last week. "They would have to come up with the same . . . givebacks."

Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy announced last week he is exercising the reopener clause.

Cassidy also said the union is suspending the current negotiations with the city over the 2008-2010 contract to focus on the 2004-2006 contract.

Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, said he is also interested in reopening his union's contract for 2004-2006. But he doesn't want to give up vacation days for new sanitation workers.

"I don't believe in going backward, I believe in maintaining what I have," said Nespoli.

"I have to see exactly what they lost. Maybe there is there is something I can do to generate money and get more for my members.

"I can be very creative," Nespoli added.

Bloomberg also said he wasn't sure what the impact would be on the city's 7% property tax cut.

"We'll have to decide as we get closer to June what to do with this budget," he said.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg expressed concern that the city may not be able to deliver the 7% property tax cut if the arbitration decision exceeded the pattern.