From Bill Kaempffer, Bridgeport Police spokesman:
United Illuminating Co. and the Utility Workers Union of America presented a $2,500 check Wednesday to the Bridgeport Police Memorial Fund. So far, the city and Bridgeport Police Union Local 1159 have raised about $60,000 in private donations for a planned memorial to honor the 12 city police officers who have died in the line of duty.
“This means a lot,” Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr., said of the latest donation. “It is so important to honor these fine officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice doing this job. The outpouring of support from businesses and individuals speaks to that.”
Moses A. Rams, the president of utility workers union Local 470-1, called it a “pleasure and honor” to contribute. The money was raised collaboratively between the union and UI.
“I just hope this inspires more corporations to step forward,” he said.
Work to build the memorial has been ongoing for three years. The union is selling commemorative pavers that are inscribed with personal messages and incorporated into the memorial. They can be ordered at bridgeportpoliceunion.com. Individuals or businesses wishing to make donations can call the union office at 203-581-5131.
Construction is expected to begin later this year.
*** GOOD LUCK! ***
I salute the public-safety officers who died in the line of duty and respect the work of those who are creating a memorial.
I respect and support the public-safety officers who enlist in fire, police or emergency operations, train and re-train as well as keep themselves fit to serve in stressful situations as real public servants.
And I believe in the role unions play representing the broad interests of public employees while they are employed (though not when they are retired but may still have issues about their retirement incomes).
But when will Bill Kaempffer, or Mayor Finch, or the CT Post for example be doing a story on last year’s Police contract, specifically, which allows full retirees to double the monthly income they take home for the rest of their lives from what they could get when Plan B was supported by Bridgeport?
Work an extra 60% or less of overtime in addition to regular duty for three years and these highest three years will be the base for the 50% benefit all the years in retirement. How is that funded? And who is paying that? State or City or combo? When will somebody disclose the full story to the public taxpayer? Maybe you will ask that question of City Council incumbents and they can check their notes sometime before election? Time will tell.
Any police officer working for one of the utilities at a repair site should be paid, but the pay received should be 1099’d and not included in their retirement package. If the law requiring some sort of traffic control with a police officer on site isn’t changed, there will be continued abuse of the retirement system.