A number of police unions representing different segments of the NYPD filed a joint complaint against the City with the Board of Collective Bargaining, saying that Mayor Bloomberg's effort to cut the number of park-anywhere-you-feel-like placards is an economic hardship and a violation of state labor laws. The suit does acknowledge that there is nothing in union contracts regarding the issuance of placards, however.
One of Bloomberg's anti-congestion initiatives has been to reduce the vast number of parking permits that allow drivers to park on sidewalks, next to hydrants, in spots both legal and illegal--basically wherever one wants--with impunity. The number of placards issued to police personnel has been trimmed by approximately 20,000.
A recent study showed that on the Upper West Side of Manhattan alone, drivers wander 366,000 miles each year simply looking for a place to park. That's the equivalent of a trip to the moon. Ticketing for illegal parking is not equal throughout the city. Jackson Heights, Queens is the neighborhood to visit to accrue the pricey paper windshield adornments.
