March 14, 2006 -- About 2,500 FDNY officers tentatively agreed to a contract yesterday, accepting a 17 percent pay hike over a period of more than 50 months dating back to 2003.
But the head of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association wasn't happy to follow a pattern established by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.
"Attrition bargaining stinks," UFOA President Peter Gorman declared at a City Hall press conference attended by Mayor Bloomberg.
The PBA accepted lower starting pay for rookies as part of an arbitration ruling that gave city cops 10 percent raises over two years. To save as much for the city, FDNY lieutenants agreed to take a year longer to hit their new top salary of $78,695 a year.
With much of the deal retroactive, Gorman said he expects the FDNY officers to receive retroactive checks for more than $20,000 apiece.
