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October 23, 2004 Hizzoner unloads on PBA BY MICHAEL SAUL The feud between Mayor Bloomberg and the union representing New York City's police officers just got nastier. On his weekly radio show yesterday, Bloomberg described the top officials at the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association as a bunch of fat cats with cushy jobs. "They've got good jobs. They get paid by the Police Department and by the union. They don't have to go out on the beat. They're not out there running many risks," Bloomberg said. "They're just sitting in offices and going to dinners and having a good time." The mayor and the union are locked in an ugly contract dispute, with the cops demanding better pay and the city calling for increased productivity. The cops, who have been working without a contract since July 31, 2002, have chosen to go to binding arbitration. "What the mayor is trying to do is try to divert attention from the fact that he has not once come to the bargaining table," PBA President Patrick Lynch said. Lynch accused the mayor's deputies of failing to bargain in good faith. "Four percent over three years is an absolute insult to our members," he said. Bloomberg said it's the union that's to blame. "This is the one union that says we're not going to talk," he charged.
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