Paterson Pension Veto Draws the Ire of Cops, Firefighters

On the heels of articles about police chiefs making $188,000 and over $300,000 per year, this act seems justifiable, but the rank and file don't make that much and they will need a pension. I say raise the service requirements to qualify for retirement and cap the high end on pay. Then sign that bill.

they need to go a step further and begin reduction to current state employees across the board, not just new hires... many friends and family have left this state because of the crazy tax burden and diminishing quality of life. This state is slowly bleeding its residents dry. At least this is a start.

Its funny how now liberals are all against government spending...um...what exactly do you think got us in this problem? City spending has EXPLODED under Mikey B, almost 20% a year. MTA anyone? Bus drivers making $70K/a year, they get pensions too morons.

Is a 'real life' black person different from a 'real live' black person, or just a 'black person'? Sounds like you belong with the dumb cops with your poor grammar.

You made your own point without realizing it. Omar Edwards was a dumb cop. In Nassau, they dont have off duty cops running down the street with a weapon drawn...after stealing PROPERTY. Police 101..deadly force is not authorized when someone is stealing property, rather only when you feel physical deadly force is going to be used on you. Breaking a car window...eh..not so much. And now..he's dead.

An internet tough guy.

"Omar Edwards was a dumb cop."

You do realize that his funeral was a few hours ago. Accidents happen. This isn't the first time, and it definitely wont be the last.

"In Nassau, they dont have off duty cops running down the street with a weapon drawn...after stealing PROPERTY. Police 101..deadly force is not authorized when someone is stealing property, rather only when you feel physical deadly force is going to be used on you. Breaking a car window...eh..not so much. And now..he's dead."

This is a classic example of someone who thinks they know how to do a cop's job better than a cop. You're a pathetic excuse for a human, and I have no doubt in my mind that you would never utter these words in front of his family and loved ones.

This is all I'm hearing: Wah! Wah!

How come none of you were crying for civil servants when times were good and cops were screwed over by the city contract after contract? I guess what goes around comes around. If you guys think this is a good idea why don't you take the test and get on the job to see for yourself how good we have it.

These two idiots (Bloombturd and Blind Man Paterson) do not realize that their shenanigans will cost more in the long run. These jobs are for young people. Imagine a 45 year old cop running after an 18 year old perp or a 50 year old firefighter climbing the ladder to the fire - the disability pension claims would skyrocket, but don't let logic get in the way of preventing hard working people from getting a decent pension after serving an ungrateful city, whose citizens could care less about its uniformed services. And, no, don't pay attention to the people who started this whole financial mess, that would be too logical.

Let's all get raises! yah! let's all join the public sector and then retire in 20 years when we're 40! yah! no private sector anymore!

Have we forgotten Omar Edwards already? Do you know why you never hear about this kind of thing happening in Nassau County? It's not because they don't have high crime areas (Hempstead reminds me of Harlem in the 80's). It's because they pay their officers $44,360 Annual salary after 12 months and $ 85,282 Annual salary after 6 years plus 12% Shift Differential. You get what you pay for in this world. You would have to either really love the NYPD or be a complete moron to want to be a cop in NYC. Fortunately there are alot of cops on the job who love the job and the city so much they would probably do the job for free if they could afford to. The city actively recruits rubes from all over the country who have never seen a real life black person before and then dump them in the South Bronx or East New York fresh out of the academy. These kids are scared for their lives every day. Everywhere they look is another snarling face that despises them. And they're clearly not too bright (otherwise they would have joined a better paying department like sanitation). And now here's some guy with a gun. Did they screw up? Absolutely, and they will be put through a grueling judicial process and have every aspect of their lives torn apart on top of living with the guilt that comes from taking a life, any life.

They say you get the government you deserve. That holds true for alot of things. People who are unwilling to pay for quality will get what they paid for. Look at Capt. Sully who crashed in the Hudson. The passengers on that flight paid top dollar to fly on an established union operation with a proven track record and lived to bitch about their soggy luggage. The folks who flew to Buffalo on a cut rate contractor found an unqualified and inept pilot who managed to defeat the plane's safety features while hitting on his copilot. If you want better emergency services it's gonna cost you.

"Everywhere they look is another snarling face that despises them"

Just curious, why do you think that is?

Gov. that took balls.

Brass ones. who were the six who opposed the bill?

Paterson also just got my vote... he's got balls. Thought he was a spineless idiot for awhile and this made me really look at him in a new perspective.

This pension poo has got to get back on track. Detectives make 100k, and then retire at full pay for the next 20 years. My friend in law school was 40 years old, a seargent when he retired, full pay... going to law school so that he can not just collect the pension but then work at CADWALLADER making 160k starting salary, a full life (and lots of money!) ahead of him.

I don't begrudge the salaries. I do, however, believe that 20 years and a full pension is not justified anymore.

I do not think I can do a cop's job better than he can. I have no desire to do a cop's job. If the private sector can't afford raises this year, why can the public sector? Because it's not their money.

It's not a raise, it's the continuation of a benefit.

To be clear, any change would affect only new hires. Anyone already on the job would have their benefits continued exactly as they currently are.

I don't begrudge the salaries. I do, however, believe that 20 years and a full pension is not justified anymore.

Based on what exactly? You're knowledge of the rigors and stresses of the job? One of the tougest parts of a cops job is that everyone thinks they know how to do his job and better than him at that.

Paterson just got my vote back, seriously.

UnrepentantFenian, you might have a point that Bloomberg isn't worth the vote, but you fail to discuss the topic at hand. The police union is more toxic to the government than the UAW is to GM, yet the UAW is not draining government money so I don't particularly care that GM got what was coming to them.

Yet when NY State and NYC go bankrupt because no one had the spine to stand up to this BS, try and remember that Paterson & the evil Mayor Mike were right about this.

I don't know what your profession is, but if you've been doing it since the age of 25 or below, you could plan to retire at 45, run up overtime your last 3 years on the force b/c that's entirely what your pension is based upon, and then your "half" salary pension will be more like the actual salary you were making. Unless I'm living in France, this is fucking bulllshit and needs to be stopped.

In my profession, I have a 401k, which builds up over time, which means that my entire career determines how much money I get to retire with, not my last 3 years on the job. Oh, and if I retire at my current ripe age of 27, I don't get paid half my salary for the rest of my life.

As much as I hate pigs, they're like terrorists in the fact that most Muslims aren't actually terrorists. Cops and firefighters deserve a just retirement package for their service to our city and state, but not a giveaway that's more about gaming the system.

Well said, on all points. And again, these pension setups were supposed to be temporary. They were put into place because they were seen as needed, temporarily, at the time -- in 1981. There's no evidence that they're still needed for recruiting purposes... and the only way to know that is to end them, as should have happened a couple of decades ago.

If they're needed, they can be put back in place.

Unacceptable! 20 years of work is definitely worth up to 40 years of retirement at half-pay!

King Mike is right. Screw the folks he keep us safe, let's build another stadium with the cash instead.

This measure should also help us attract good people to the departments. For fucks sake.

The state's broke. At least Patterson is not afraid to address these "untouchables".

Yes, these folks keep us safe and should receive fair retirement packages. No, we can no longer afford to pay these robust pensions.