I recently heard about the arbitrated union contract for city of Pittsburgh police officers (Jan. 11, “Police Union Head Calls Pay Arbitration Outcome Unfair and ‘Compromised’).

I find it a disgrace that Pittsburgh City Council and the administration did not support our police officers in negotiation for a fair contract.

We spend millions of dollars to build parks over a highway, millions of dollars to build bicycle lanes, thousands of dollars to paint city cars neutral gray and, yet, we ignore one of our primary first responders who put their lives on the line every day.

Add this to the great achievement list for the city of Pittsburgh to entice businesses to move to Pittsburgh:

• Our police have the worst contract of any emergency agency in the city.

• Our full-time police officers are now the worst paid police department in Allegheny County.

• Our full-time police officers have the worst benefit package of any police agency in the state of Pennsylvania.

Perhaps our local government officials are setting the wrong priorities in what is best for city residents and what is best to attract new businesses to the city.

John Busin
Fineview

First Published: January 19, 2020, 5:00 a.m.