NY police, firefighters demand better pay in rally

NEW YORK -- Invoking the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, thousands of off-duty police officers and firefighters jammed Times Square on Thursday to pressure the city to meet their demands for higher pay.

Some chanted, "Too much praise, too little raise," and carried placards saying, "They say, 'Never forget.' We say, 'Already forgotten.'" Union officials estimated the crowd at 15,000.

"All of these politicians were at ground zero talking about how much we were worth," said firefighter Kevin Roth, part of the throng. "Eleven months later, it's business as usual."

The two-hour rally was organized by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association. Beginning New York firefighters earn $32,724 a year, and starting police officers $31,305.

Reports said the PBA wants a 23 percent pay hike over two years.

The firefighters have been without a contract for 27 months and without a pay raise in 40 months.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he would like to pay police and firefighters more but is hampered by a $5 billion budget shortfall.

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