The MidHudson News reported on the organizing victory.
Newburgh police officers are among the lowest paid in the Hudson Valley, according to Adrian Huff, principal officer. Their pay has risen less than one-half of one percent over the past decade. Turnover is high and the city is a training ground for other police departments in the area.
We love what Michael Pitt, president of the Newburgh PBA, had to say:
It’s a tough city, and the police need a tough union.Local 445 has tough members who stand up for themselves and for their right to a contract. Here's what they have to say for themselves:
Our Union stands for the proposition that employees at every workplace deserve the right to negotiate a contract to protect and improve their wages, benefits, working conditions, time off, and protection from unfair discipline or termination.
We live in a time when that proposition is challenged. We must rise to that challenge.
...We were recently honored to host a widely-publicized rally of nearly a thousand people at our Union Hall featuring legendary folksinger Pete Seeger; check out the photo gallery for more. We also organized a large rally outside the Sullivan County Government building, and helped the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation put together a massive protest at the intersections of Rts. 17K and 300 in Newburgh.Teamsters Local 445, the strongest union in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, is headquartered in Rock Tavern. It also represents police officers in Walden, the Village and Town of Chester, Greenwood Lake, the villages of Goshen and Harriman, and the Town of Mount Hope.
