In a 1 page APA formatted MS Word document, answer the following questions:
During the bitter winter of 1971, police officers of the New York City Police Department walked out in a “wildcat” strike. The strike caught many by surprise. The cause was the issue of pay “parity” between different ranks. Parity meant that for every dollar a patrolman received in salary, the succeeding ranks received a differential pay increase. However, there was a problem. The police department’s pay scale had become tied to the fire department’s pay scale, but the police department’s rank structure was different from that of the fire department.
The first-line supervisor in the police department (first rank up from patrolman) was the rank of sergeant. The next rank was lieutenant. The fire department first-line supervisor was the rank of lieutenant. The fire lieutenants had negotiated and received greater pay for their rank than the police sergeants had received. This caused the Sergeants Benevolent Association to go to court to fight for parity with the fire lieutenants. This news was welcomed by the police department’s rank-and-file officers because a victory in court on the parity issue would award the police sergeants a large, retroactive pay increase.
On the day of the strike, officers reported to their commands, changed into their uniforms, and stood ready to respond to emergencies. They informed their supervisors that they would respond only to serious crimes and incidents during the job action but would not perform any routine patrol duties.
The department was quick to respond to the job action. They canceled all days off for supervisors and other members of the department. The sergeants and detectives of the precincts manned a few patrol cars to maintain coverage. The wildcat strike lasted for five days. In the end, the parity issue was settled in the officers’ favor. Officers were fined two days’ pay for each of the five days of the strike. Fortunately, the weather was extremely cold, and the incidence of crime during the strike was very low.
Should police officers be allowed to strike?
If so, under what conditions?
If police officers are not allowed to strike, what methods can they use to negotiate for fair wages and benefits?
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