NYPD sergeants, who earn less than some of the officers they oversee, are calling on Mayor Eric Adams to come to the table to renegotiate the apparent pay gap.
The Sergeants' Benevolent Association (SBA) last spoke with the city's Labor Relations Department in August, just weeks before City Hall was thrown into turmoil after a series of raids by federal agents targeted Adams administration officials. This was a few weeks before it happened.
“They feel like they've been abandoned,” SBA President Vincent Valleron said of the 1,243 sergeants, out of about 18,000 police officers.
“You're moved up in rank and given more responsibility. As a result, you earn less,” Vallelong told the Post.
Under the current salary structure, sergeants earn about $98,000 to reach the maximum salary of about $118,000, which can take about five years. Meanwhile, some rank-and-file officers earn more than $115,000 a year, the union said.
Further complicating the pay structure are the peculiarities of the contract, where newly promoted sergeants earn more than previously promoted sergeants. After paying their dues, new sergeants can immediately advance to the highest salary.
This created “resentment among the classes,” Valerong said.
In May, two sergeants got into a shoving match after one sergeant made a mean comment about the union contract, sources told The Post at the time.
Mr. Vallelong noted that Mr. Adams should be sympathetic to the issue because he previously worked as a sergeant.
He claims it costs the city up to $150 million to promote sergeants to top positions, rather than create a step program where they work up to a higher salary of about $118,000 a year. did.
“But so far we have not received any response from city hall,” Vallelong said.
There have been a number of high-profile resignations during the Adams administration, and the mayor himself was faced with shocking indictments on five counts of federal corruption and bribery, leading to contractual grievances.
Despite growing calls for his resignation, Adams remained adamant that the city would operate as usual.
“We do not comment on the details of ongoing negotiations,” a city spokesperson said Monday when asked about the contract.
“We want to reach an agreement with the SBA that is fair to both workers and city taxpayers.”
