1971 NYPD Work Stoppage

The 1971 NYPD Work Stoppage occurred for five days between January 14 and January 19, 1971, when around 20,000 New York City police officers refused to report for regular duty.[1] While officers maintained that they would continue to respond to serious crimes and emergencies, they refused to carry out routine paroling duties, leading in some cases, to as little as 200 officers being on the street in the city.[2][3]

The ostensible rationale for the refusal was the blue flu, a form of strike action where the widespread use of sick leave is used as a method to circumvent laws preventing certain workers from striking, in this case, Article 14 of the New York State Civil Service Law, better known as the Taylor Law, which forbids police officers from striking.[3][4][5]

The stoppage resulted from the striking down of a lawsuit by the Sergeants Benevolent Association, which would have increased pay for both police and fire fighters, and entitled them to back pay up to the point of their last negotiated contract.[2] The pay issue was eventually settled in the favor of the officers and firemen, and each participating officer was fined two days pay for each day they had violated the Taylor Law.

References

  1. ↑ Sestanovich, Clare. "A Short History of Police Protest". The Marshall Project. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 Reuss, Edward. "The Police Strike". nycop.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 Maeder, Jay. "BLUE FLU Cops on strike, December 1970 - January 1971 CHAPTER 384". NY Daily News. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Definition of blue flu". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "New York State Public Employees Fair Employment Act — The Taylor Law". New York State Governor's Office of Employee Relations. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
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