Dozens of policemans in a sectarian New York cops division close to the Canadian boundary have truly been fined for supposedly taking part in an unapproved labor strike all through a snowy stretch this winter season.
The union defined the penalties as revenge and a misuse of energy that rejected the policemans due process.
One of the policemans claims the claims aren’t actual. He mosted prone to operate, took half in on-duty coaching and in addition made an intoxicated driving stop all through a interval when it snowed “every day.”
“They’re upset that we didn’t make them enough money and meet their perceived ticket quota,” claimed Andy Thompson, a Tonawanda Police police officer and the top of state of the division’s union, theTonawanda Police Club
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Tonawanda Police Chief James Stauffiger after an honor occasion inMarch The regional cops union is selling his ouster after contributors had been implicated of an unapproved strike. (Town of Tonawanda Police Department)
Tonawanda Police Chief James Stauffiger, whom the union is asking group householders to oust, claimed Thompson’s claims are “without merit.”
“I stand behind the charges filed against the union with the Public Employees Relations Board and the individual officers,” he knowledgeableFox News Digital “The process needs to unfold fairly and thoroughly.”
Thompson is amongst the just about 50 policemans implicated of happening strike with out permission for one hour a day over a nine-day stretch and has truly had 2 hours of pay anchored for each of these days, in accordance with a letter he obtained that was approved by Tonawanda Town Supervisor Joe Emminger.
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“We didn’t strike. We showed up to work every day. We did our jobs every day,” Thompson knowledgeableFox News Digital “We didn’t write enough tickets, and we didn’t put enough money in the town’s coffers. And they decided they’re going to fine each officer.”
Ticket allocations are prohibited beneath New York laws, he saved in thoughts, and workplace revenge may be, additionally.
Between late January proper into February, the group obtained quite a bit snowfall it lacked roadway salt, and there was a lift in cops cellphone calls. Officers had been moreover known as for to take a position 16 hours doing essential coaching with brand-new department-issued weapons, all all through a staffing lack after 7 policemans retired or left in the beginning of the brand-new yr, Thompson knowledgeableFox News Digital
The Tonawanda Police Department head workplace (Google Maps)
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This yr, Tonawanda Police has truly launched 123 tickets, in accordance with a declaring withNew York’s Public Employment Relations Board Between 2021 and 2024, the division launched in between 439 and 653 over the very same period. Town leaders affirmed within the paper that the discount is the result of policemans hanging with out authorization in offense of the state’s public service rules.
“It’s unheard of,” claimed Mike O’Meara, the top of state of the Police Conference of New York, the state’s greatest cops union. “They’re making this up as they go along.”
He known as the group’s labor drawback versus Tonawanda policemans “unprecedented,” along with the penalties, that are twin the per hour wage of policemans for each hour they had been supposedly hanging.
“It may be somewhat unprecedented to claim that a reduction in the issuance of traffic tickets constitutes a strike,” claimed Jerry Cutler, author of “Legal Guide to Human Resources” and a Columbia University speaker. “However, the critical issue from a legal standpoint is whether the employees have abstained from performing their duties in the normal manner.”
Andy Thompson is the top of state of the regional cops union, the Tonawanda Police Club, and was implicated of taking part in an unapproved strike. (Andy Thompson)
Experts declare that, battle aside, it comes all the way down to whoever has much more persuading proof.
“A reduction in ticket volume may point to a concerted effort to interfere with the employer’s operations, in which case the action would likely be found to constitute an unlawful strike,” Cutler knowledgeableFox News Digital “Alternatively, the evidence may suggest some legitimate reason for the reduced ticket volume – or that this is not an apt means of comparison – which would lead to a finding that the law has not been violated.”
Department leaders declare policemans went on strike to object corrective actions taken versus Tonawanda Officer Bikramjit Singh, a UNITED STATE Army seasoned implicated of messing up proof whereas exploring a potential medication cut price.
“He had his body camera on. He opens this water bottle. There’s a bag in there,” Thompson claimed. “He looks at the bag. … He says it’s garbage. He wraps it up in his glove, and he disposes of it.”
However, a thought pusher and thought drug addict afterward knowledgeable cops there have been medicines assured, and division authorities relocated to have Singh terminated for tossing it out, Thompson claimed. The affirmed medicines had been by no means ever recouped, nonetheless Singh ended up surrendering as a result of being terminated can have price him his police accreditations, Thompson claimed.
Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger talks all through his State of the Town addressFeb 7, 2025. He is related to a recurring battle with the regional cops union. (Town of Tonawanda/Facebook)
Tensions had been presently simmering in between the rank-and-file and Stauffiger, an Emminger appointee that they cost of unjustly compeling Singh out and withholding paperwork that would definitely allow him to find brand-new work in police in another division.
Stauffiger, a 30-year participant of the division, was designated main 5 years earlier as element of an initiative to eliminate corruption from the division. Thompson, additionally, stands for brand-new administration, having truly been head of state of the union for merely over a yr.
“There’s no due process, and this whole thing was done between the supervisor and the law firm that represents the town, who also donates large amounts of money to the town supervisors’ campaign and the Town of Tonawanda Democratic Party’s campaigns,” Thompson claimed, mentioning public paperwork. “So, it’s more of a witch hunt than anything.”
Emminger didn’t react to an ask for comment. Neither did the group’s legislation workplace.
Thompson thinks the claims word the very first time the state’s public service laws has truly been utilized to penalize policeman for falling brief to fulfill “quotas” after he claims the group shed money due to a discount in web site site visitors citations launched all through the snowfall.
“This is going to end up being case law by the time this is all over,” Thompson claimed. “This has never been done to a police union before.”
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The union has truly launched a public undertaking prompting householders to require that regional leaders eliminate Stauffiger, that they cost of revenge and harassment and withholding “basic gear,” consisting of winter season layers.
According to the union, whereas policemans had been supposedly on strike, the division nonetheless made 7 intoxicated driving apprehensions, launched larger than 300 tickets and replied to nearly 2,000 much more require resolution than the very same period a yr beforehand with 14 much less policemans.
“The real losers are town residents,” O’Meara knowledgeableFox News Digital “They’re saying, ‘Make sure you tag the residents of this town.’”
