I wrote yesterday about the disappointing decision of the Portland Firefighter’s union decision to take a raise instead of protecting their own. I’m pleased to read in today’s Press Herald that the Portland Police union did right by its members and voted to forego the pay raise and instead of having layoffs.
“We have sacrificed our pay raise for this year and are willing to save police officers’ jobs,” said David Argitis, president of the Portland Police Benevolent Association.
Because the city of Portland is in such a dire financial state, the city manager called on city emoloyees to skip any raises instead of losing jobs. So far, the paper says that six unions have accepted the proposal.
This Portland Police union represents the patrol officers and is the first public safety union to accept the deal. The Portland Professional Firefighters Local 740 (that I wrote about yesterday) and the Portland Police Superior Officers Benevolent Association (the union that represents the higher ranking officers, not the cops on the beat) both voted to keep their wage increase and turned their backs on those in their ranks who might lose their jobs.
In my mind, only the union representing the rank-and-file officers did the right thing by accepting the city’s offer. Protecting the jobs of your fellow officers should be more important than demanding a minor wage increase.
I commend the brotherhood of the Portland Police Benevolent Association and am disillusioned by the self-serving decision of the other two unions.
