Don't cut Nassau cop ranks more

James Carver is president of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, which represents 1,700 police officers.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority is expected to vote today to declare a state of fiscal emergency for Nassau County. The move would potentially allow NIFA to freeze wages and that, along with the proposals County Executive Edward Mangano made this week, could have far-reaching consequences for how the county governs and provides police protection.

History shows that the Police Benevolent Association has already helped the county over the past few years. Starting salaries and steps to reach top pay have been adjusted to lessen the impact on county finances when new police officers are hired.

In July 2007, the PBA was awarded a contract for the years through 2012. But in September 2008, when the county was working on the following year's budget, the county requested concessions from the PBA. We reached an agreement that gave the county real savings in both 2009 and 2010, as well as long-term savings beyond. We agreed to civilianize some positions and eliminate others, resulting in nearly $30 million in savings each year. In return, the PBA agreed to a contract extension -- although one that kept the starting salary the same, providing additional long-term savings.

The following February, then- County Executive Tom Suozzi proposed layoffs of police officers and other county employees. The five major public employee unions met with the county and, as a result of negotiations, provided $50 million in savings for each of the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 -- as well as $25 million to $30 million in the years following, from reduced staffing. Those concessions, along with the nearly $40 million the county was to get from a new tax on home heating fuel, helped Nassau fill its budget gap.

Then we entered the Mangano era. Among Mangano's first acts upon taking office in January 2010 was to repeal the home heating tax, and within months, he asked the county's unions to provide $60 million in savings -- even though we all were already in the middle of three-year concession plan that ran through the end of 2011. The PBA told Mangano we couldn't help in 2010 or 2011, but that from 2012 on we would discuss what we could do to help out the county.

Regardless, we still sat down with him to figure out ways to save him the $60 million in 2011 and beyond. And in those discussions, we negotiated the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program, leading to retirements of 125 police officers along with those of many more civilian county employees. Since Nassau didn't fill those positions, the county executive admits they will result in a minimum of $55 million in recurring savings for 2011 and beyond.

So we have been there, helping the county all along. Although the PBA and the other county unions were under no obligation to reopen our contracts, we did so in 2008, again in 2009, and yet again in 2010. Our members are essentially taking a wage freeze in 2011, with the last year of the original three-year concession plan still in full force and effect.

The county executive has now asked NIFA to freeze county worker salaries immediately -- even though he has stated many times that his budget is balanced. Back in 2009, when Suozzi was asking for concessions, Legis. Mangano stated that the budget shouldn't be balanced on the backs of its hardworking employees. Now as county executive, Mangano has changed his stance.

Nassau's financial problems are not the result of the dedicated men and women, but of the broken assessment system and the reduction of sales tax revenue from the economic downturn that began in 2008. Time and again, the unions of this county have worked together to help balance the budgets. Now, the police department is at a critical stage in staffing -- we are down 300 police officers since 2008, to around 2,400 -- and any additional reductions will severely affect the quality of lives of the residents of Nassau County. The PBA has been part of the solution, we aren't the problem. We have done our fair share.