Police Union Members Try To Disrupt De Blasio's Morning Routine With Protests
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio had plenty of company as he headed in to Brooklyn for his daily workout on Tuesday morning.
Dozens of police union members tried to disrupt de Blasio's morning routine, following him from Gracie Mansion to a Park Slope coffee shop and then to the YMCA.
Chanting "one term mayor" and "work out later, pay us now," union members demanded better pay, benefits and equipment. They also held signs that read, "put some sweat into working on our contract."
PBA President Pat Lynch said they want their voices to be heard.
"Usually we'd have them sit at a table and have them hear the message in negotiations. He hasn't heard it. So if he's going to be here at the gym, running city government from the gym, that's where we come," Lynch said.
It's been four years since the officers got a new contract and Lynch says their salaries are among the lowest of any force in the nation.
"We are more diverse than ever before, but we're the lowest paid," Lynch said.
The mayor spent more than an hour working out and left the gym just before 8 a.m. without addressing the protests. The mayor's office insists de Blasio works on city business at all hours of the day and night, and is entitled to time at the gym, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported. The city has previously said its doors are always open to negotiate a long-term contract.
The protests came hours before de Blasio announced NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton will be stepping down next month.
