BOSTON, June 29 - Municipal labor disputes hardly ever have national repercussions, but the contract dispute involving this city's main police union is different, because it has begun to bedevil the Democratic Party and could hurt Senator John Kerry's hopes of achieving party unity in the presidential campaign.þþFor many Democrats, the contract dispute is raising fears that the police union will picket during the Democratic convention to be held here next month and that thousands of delegates will have to choose between honoring the union's picket line or attending the convention. Those fears grew on Monday when Boston police officers picketed a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, and Mr. Kerry, the expected Democratic presidential nominee, decided to honor the picket line, angering some mayors who had crossed the picket line and were eager to hear him speak.þþIn many ways the dispute is a game of chicken between Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the police union, but the people who could be hurt most are the Democrats in general, and Mr. Kerry in particular. Mr. Menino has prided himself on landing the Democratic convention for Boston, but the police, seething because their contract expired two years ago, appear intent on disrupting his party in an effort to wrest larger raises from the mayor. þþÿI think that from the beginning the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association has intended to try to use the Democratic National Convention as leverage to bring the mayor to the brink in the hope that the mayor will back down and give in to higher demands,'' said Samuel Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, an independent budget-research group. þþThe union appears to be sending out deliberately ambiguous signals about how disruptive it will be when the convention comes to town from July 26 to 29. On one hand, union leaders say they will in no way disrupt the nomination process, meaning they will not put Mr. Kerry in a ticklish situation about whether to cross a picket line to accept the nomination. On the other hand, union leaders make muscular statements that they will picket Mayor Menino wherever he goes during the convention, and let the chips fall where they may.þþÿWe're entering our third year without a contract,'' said James Barry, spokesman for the 1,400-member union. ÿWe can't strike. We won't strike. We won't do a blue flu. We won't deny services. So we've got to bring attention to our plight, and the only way to do that is to protest.''þþAnd protest they have. In early June, the police union picketed outside the FleetCenter, where the Democratic convention will be held, paralyzing for three days the construction work needed to prepare the center for the convention. Last Saturday when Mr. Menino was the host of a party for the nation's mayors at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, the union chartered a 68-foot-yacht that sailed near the library, carrying a banner that read, ÿHow many mayors does it take to sign a contract?ÿ And then the union declared a big victory on Monday when Mr. Kerry declined to speak to the mayors, declaring, ÿI don't cross picket lines. I never have.''þþJeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University, said the union's dispute was not with Mr. Kerry, although he seems to be suffering some collateral discomfort, if not damage.þþÿThe union's target is Mayor Menino,'' Mr. Berry said. ÿThey are furious with him for standing firm.ÿ þþSome political analysts say this dispute involves three factors: equity, ego and extortion. The mayor says he has offered a raise of 11.9 percent over four years, but the police want at least 16 percent over four years, insisting that they deserve annual raises like the 4 percent the firefighters got last year.þþÿI don't think the police have inflated their demands to take advantage of the situation,'' said Jonathan Hiatt, who, as general counsel of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., is closely monitoring the dispute. ÿThe police just want their fair share. I think a lot of the problem is the mayor has been dragging his feet in the negotiations.''þþIn an interview, Mr. Menino said he had made a generous offer, considering that the financially squeezed city has reduced its workforce by 1,552 workers or 9 percent over the last two years.þþBase pay for Boston's police officers averaged $53,786 last year, according to the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, with total pay averaging $83,760, including overtime, uniform allowances and bonuses for college degrees.þþÿWe're in a tight financial situation,'' Mr. Menino said. ÿWe negotiated the firefighters' contract several years ago when we had the financial resources. But now we've lost $80 million in local aid from the state, and 11.9 percent is not a bad increase. Who in the world, who in the business community, is getting what they're asking for? No one is.ÿþþEach side has accused the other of having too much ego invested in the dispute, of being unwilling to show flexibility for fear of appearing weak.þþUnion officials deny that they are exploiting the Democratic convention to pressure Mr. Menino improperly. They are threatening to hound the mayor throughout the convention and to picket the parties held for state delegations at various hotels. But, pleased that Mr. Kerry honored their picket line, police union leaders have assured him that they will not put him in a position of facing a picket line during the convention.þþMr. Menino said there were still problems. ÿThere are 30 parties. How do you police them all? It can lead to chaos.''But a spokesman for the Kerry campaign, Michael Meehan, seemed reassured. ÿThey said they will not be picketing the convention,'' Mr. Meehan said. ÿWe take them at their word.ÿ þþþþ
Source: NY Times
