Peabody council approves 9-11 holiday pay for police union

PEABODY – Despite public outcry and nation-wide criticism, Peabody Police union members will indeed receive their Sept. 11 holiday pay. City Councilors made it official by approving the use of $575,000 to fund the terms of their latest contract.However, the approval didn’t come easy, as several councilors shared their discontent with the union’s request to use the tragic and historic day as a “holiday” with time and a quarter pay.”No government body in a city should have the right to create a holiday,” said Councilor at Large Dave Gravel, who struggled with the idea of approving funds for a contract he isn’t entirely fond of.Councilor Arthur Athas thought the contract was “poorly negotiated,” particularly by the city.”The city didn’t consider the ramifications,” he told the council. “I was hoping they would have come to their senses and scratched that out of the contract.”Athas, who voted against the appropriation of funds, said that he highly doubts holiday pay on Sept. 11 was a real deal breaker for the union.”The police are hard working?and deserve everything,” he said. “The idea of paying for a 9-11 holiday doesn’t sit right.”Councilor James Liacos agreed, saying that the contract item was an embarrassment to the city. He couldn’t understand how “a bell didn’t go off” to those involved in negations that said, “this isn’t right.””All we’re being asked to do is approve the transfer of funds?and that’s what I’ll vote for,” he said, adding that he hopes that each officer who benefits from the holiday pay will donate that money to good use.Other councilors saw the request from a different point of view.”Their intent is not to make light of it,” said Councilor Barry Osborne, who later noted that he received not a single email against the union’s request, but rather several emails of support from the fire department in NYC.Regardless, Mayor Michael Bonfanti took full responsibility for offending anyone by signing the contract.”I stand by the contract and the police department,” he said, adding that he was more focused on achieving mandatory drug testing and reducing health care costs to the city. “Don’t blame the police department, blame me.”The new agreement gives officers a retroactive pay increase of 2 percent for the year between July 2007 and July 2008, a 5 percent increase for the following year, and a 3 percent increase in both 2009 and 2010. Those increases are somewhat offset by a five percent increase in their health insurance premiums, as well as increases in copays for office visits, prescriptions, and emergency room admissions.The Councilors approved the transfer of funds with a vote of 7-4. Councilors Athas, Rico Mello, Anne Manning, and Barry Sinewitz voted against it.Councilors also approved the request to fund salary increases for the fire union ($625,000), the AFSCME ($459,940), and non-union personnel ($343,295).