MANCHESTER, N.H. — FairPoint is spending thousands a day for local police officers to oversee striking workers in northern New England locations, the New Hampshire Union Leader has determined.
On any given day, city police officers are standing at picket sites — at a rate that tops $82 an hour — at the request of FairPoint and its associated companies.
Police officials who spoke to the Union Leader stressed that the companies pay for the police details, not taxpayers. But FairPoint would not pay for police calls outside the picket lines. For example, Manchester police investigated damage to a FairPoint junction box on Thursday.
Police officials said the strike lines have been free of criminal behavior or any confrontations requiring police intervention.
But they are costly. In Manchester, FairPoint is paying $14,000 a day for a contingent of six officers and a supervisor, who are spread among the four locations where strikers are picketing, city police said.
Much of the cost is fueled by a provision in Manchester police union contracts that calls for a premium pay of $82.35 an hour for an officer hired for a strike detail, Assistant Police Chief Nick Willard said.
Portland, Maine, has a strike-detail provision in its union contract, said Commander Gary Rogers. Portland police officers are paid double-time wages for police officers — $52.38 — when they are hired by a company experiencing a strike, Rogers said.
He would not disclose how much the company is paying on a daily basis, citing security issues.
FairPoint wouldn’t discuss its costs for security or go into detail about the company’s security needs.
“Safety of employees, customers and community at large is our top priority. We will take appropriate steps to address their safety,” said FairPoint spokesman Angelynne Beaudry in an email.
Glenn Brackett, business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2320, said his union has about 20 to 30 picket lines taking place in New Hampshire at any give time.
Police officers are at all of them. On Wednesday in Lancaster, three police oversaw about a dozen strikers, he said.
Private security workers have also shown up at a few sites, he said. “We prefer the police,” Brackett said. “The cops know the law. The private security doesn’t know the law.”
He said the strikers know the law as well and are staying within its bounds.
Most police departments limit how many detail or extra-duty hours an officer can work a week. In Manchester, for example, an officer is limited to 24 overtime or detail hours a week, Willard said.
He said FairPoint has had no problem filling shifts with Manchester officers, given the premium pay.
Police are being hired for strike coverage in smaller cities and towns as well.
In Merrimack, FairPoint contractor Alta is paying the police department $3,300 a day for five officers, who are on duty for 12 hours a day, police Capt. Peter Albert said. He said the site has drawn as many as 70 picketers.
“All I know is they’re a company hiring us,” Albert said. “As far as I know, they’re a company subcontracting with FairPoint.”
FairPoint has hired temporary workers to perform duties of its unionized workforce during the strike.
In Concord, FairPoint is paying for 56 hours of police time a day; officers are policing three locations, Lt. Tim O’Malley said. The company bill works out to about $4,100 a day because cruisers, which cost extra, are stationed at the three locations, according to calculations of data supplied by O’Malley.
He said FairPoint has scheduled officers for the next two weeks.
“It’s open-ended right now,” O’Malley said. “It could end tomorrow.”
Other police departments were more cautious about giving information. In Portland, Maine, Rogers said he would not disclose staffing levels.
In Nashua, Sgt. Josh Albert only said that three police officers worked details earlier this week, but he would not say how many are assigned currently.
The three work a minimum of four hours, at a cost to FairPoint of $52.11 per officer-hour, Albert said.
Distributed by MCT Information Services