Patrick Lynch, the police union boss who once claimed Mayor Bill de Blasio had “blood on his hands,” now says his relationship with the mayor is “respectful.”
But Mr. Lynch, in a television interview last night, said he is still has plenty of bones to pick with City Hall.
“It’s a respectful relationship. But what I’m looking for and when I speak out–there’s always a natural tension between labor and management and there should be,” Mr. Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, said on NY1. “What we’re looking is for him to show respect to New York City police officers.”
Mr. Lynch has been one of Mr. de Blasio’s most aggressive critics. After two NYPD officers were murdered last December, Mr. Lynch blamed Mr. de Blasio for fermenting an anti-police atmosphere that led to the killings, a charge he did not back away from last night. In the months following the murders, City Hall’s relationship with the top police unions has gradually improved since most of them reached new contract agreements with the city.
Mr. Lynch’s union is an exception. The PBA and the firefighters’ union are also currently fighting with City Hall over how much uniformed workers hired after 2009 should receive in disability benefits.
“Offering 18 months of zeroes, saying that our younger police officers don’t deserve to be taken care of if they’re disabled,” he said. “That’s not showing respect.”
Mr. Lynch said that NYPD officers should be treated “differently” because of the dangers they face patrolling a large city. “I never say New York City police officers are better than anyone else because quite frankly, we’re not. But we’re different, we’re asked to do a different job and we should be treated differently,” he said.
“That’s saying, pay us a market rate of pay so we can take care of our families and God forbid we’re disabled, that you’re able to take care of your family moving forward,” Mr. Lynch added. “That’s a moral obligation the city has–it’s not about dollars and cents.”
