ake no mistake about it — this round of contract negotiations will be the toughest since the mid-70’s when the city laid off 5,000 active police officers and reduced everyone’s salary by 6 percent. Even with the recent compromises up in Albany on the tax question, the contract road ahead of us this round is sure to be rough going.

In the most recent contract battle we made use of the newly-won PERB law to secure the best contract of any city union — bar none. Not nearly enough — but the best in town. Even the teachers and librarians, held out by the misinformed as having gotten better deals, had to give back hard-won benefits or increase their work day to secure a settlement. The PBA deal gave back NOTHING for a short 24-month contract — the other unions’ were 30-month deals, remember. And we are the only uniformed union with a chance to preserve the 48-hour rule because of that PERB victory.

Our hard-won victory would not have been possible without your help. That’s right, the rank and file cop helped put us over the top. How? By an unprecedented show of unity. Back in July when the city sought to subvert the PERB process by adding 10 extra days to the settlement, we held the largest police rally in New York City history at Times Square. We put out the call and you responded. That historic response put enough pressure on the PERB arbitrator for him to shelve the city’s proposal and award the PBA a deal that broke vertical parity. “The PBA broke the pattern in this round,” Peter Gorman, President of the United Fire Officers Association said publicly.

None of this would have been possible without a strong show of unity at the right time. That time is here again. In a few short days you’ll be receiving ballots in the mail to elect a PBA president and the entire executive board that represent you at your union. It’s important for you to participate in this election by casting your ballot for the candidate(s) of your choice. City Hall and Albany watch union elections very closely. Politicians are very sensitive to the turnout of these elections because they believe that a member who votes in a union election would also be likely to vote in the general elections. A large turnout will translate into more influence for us in the political process.

Here’s how election process in our union works: The PBA constitution and bylaws require the formation of a “tellers committee” made up of two delegates from each borough and one city-wide delegate whose names were drawn at random at the April 9 delegates’ meeting. It is the tellers committee’s job to certify that candidates have satisfied the requirements to run for office.

Requirements to run for PBA office are clearly spelled out in the constitution and bylaws. To qualify for one of the top five spots you have to have been a member of the NYPD and PBA for not less than five years, to have served as a delegate for at least two years prior to the election, and to have attended not less than 10 regular meetings in the year prior to the nomination. Candidates for borough financial secretary or trustee or for citywide trustee must have at least three years on the job and have served as a delegate for one year, and have attended not fewer than ten regular meetings in the year prior to the nomination.

After the May 13 delegates’ meeting, the tellers committee certifies candidates and arranges for ballots to be mailed to each active PBA member in late May. It then coordinates the election with the American Arbitration Association, the independent entity responsible for counting the votes. The association will count the ballots in early June and post the results when they are done.

I can’t emphasize too strongly how important it is — for your union’s strength and power as well as for your own welfare — for you to vote in the upcoming PBA election. Give us the tools we need to represent you more efficiently — VOTE!

    Patrick J. Lynch, President