PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay released a statement over the weekend confirming that enough officers would be available to work the upcoming Beyoncé concert.
Target 11's Rick Earle reported Friday that the police union was recently notified that enough officers did not volunteer to work the concert, and the city would force them to do so.
McLay released the following statement regarding the staffing issue Sunday:
"Pittsburgh Police have secured sufficient volunteers using the systems already in place for scheduling secondary employment for off-duty officers to work the concert itself. There will be no on-duty officers assigned to work in the concert venue or officers forced to work that venue.“The facilitation of the flow of traffic in the City of Pittsburgh is a foundational responsibility of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.“The Police Bureau will ensure there are sufficient officers deployed to ensure citizens do not experience unreasonable traffic congestion or compromised traffic safety consistent with that responsibility.“I will forward a detailed breakdown of the police resources devoted to traffic control during this event to city officials, and it will be a city decision what costs to absorb, and what police services to bill to Heinz Field.“The police will focus on keeping this community safe while others handle the billing aspects of such events. It is the city's position this manner of scheduling is consistent with the collective bargaining agreement with the FOP. As always, differences in interpretation of the contract can be disputed through the existing legal channels."
The union contended it’s a violation of their contract, and planned to file an unfair labor practice charge against the city. The union accused the mayor and police chief of intentionally violating the contract.
"Like the marathon, both the mayor and the chief are intentionally violating the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act while hiding behind the veil of 'public safety,'" Fraternal Order of Police President Robert Swartzwelder said.
While the union focused on the forced "secondary employment detail," privately officers told Target 11 that they are upset because of Beyoncé's perceived anti-police lyrics in her latest album.
"Forcing officers to work secondary employment under threat of disciplinary action violates the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act when the CBA clearly states 'all secondary employment is voluntary,'" Swartzwelder said.
The union said at most sporting events and concerts, traffic details are covered by off-duty officers, and they’re paid by private venues. The union claims that if on-duty officers are called in to work traffic at the concert, the city is then prohibited from seeking reimbursement and taxpayers will be forced to cover the costs.
“My police officers cannot get a raise, but now we want to take tax dollars and pay to cover some private entity, and that's just unfair to my police officers and more importantly to taxpayers,” Swartzwelder said.
McLay contended that the manner of scheduling is consistent with the contract, and he said any difference can always be disputed through legal channels.
“The role of police is to protect this community, and we protect all individuals voicing First Amendment opinions even extraordinarily unpopular ones,” McLay said.
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