`i Want To Make The Best Of It.' 
Cougar Swimmer Leaves 
The Baseball Diamond 
For Life In The Wet Lane

Accident Victim Listed `critical'

By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Saturday, January 04, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- Police have failed to pay the city 10 percent of what they
earn moonlighting as security guards, the mayor says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The issue is the subject of a Jan. 20 arbitration hearing between the city
and the Police Benevolent Association, the union locked in stalled labor talks
with the city. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On Friday, Mayor Tom McGroarty accused officers of vastly underreporting
earnings made working off duty and underpaying the city its share. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Police also have failed to produce records pertaining to the work, which
McGroarty called a potential violation of the law. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A 12-year-old agreement between the city and police allows officers to work
off duty in full uniform and with city-issued guns in exchange for 10 percent
of their earnings from the private sector. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty said the city's share is meant to cover insurance costs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Union officials responded Friday by accusing the mayor of creating a major
issue out of a minor contract dispute. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The only issue here is the interpretation of a 1984 agreement," said
Police Benevolent Association President Ed Soltis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty said officers have been applying the 10 percent figure to their
hourly pay rate and "rounding" it to the nearest dollar. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For instance, an officer earning $14 per hour as a security guard would pay
the city $1 for each hour, not $1.40, McGroarty said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The result is that the city received far less revenue from the deal, he
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Soltis said that for years before McGroarty took over as mayor last
January, city officials accepted police interpretation of the agreement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He comes in and changes the rules of the game," Soltis said. "We don't
think he can do it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McGroarty said that in 1995, police paid the city $1,200, a figure he said
is far less than 10 percent of what all officers earned working off-duty at
supermarkets, nightclubs and other security jobs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This is money that's due the city," McGroarty said. "This is taxpayers'
money." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After taking over in January 1996, McGroarty requested an audit of the
Police Department's records pertaining to off-duty work. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since then, payments increased to $7,500 in 1996, an indication McGroarty
said, that police may have been underreporting hours in previous years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But McGroarty said police have been unable to produce off-duty work records
for any years prior to 1995. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said the city is looking into whether the failure to produce these
records violates the Pennsylvania Records Retention Act. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The appearance to me is, if you can't find them, maybe you're hiding
something," McGroarty said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Soltis denied that police underreported off-duty earnings and said that any
records available will be forthcoming. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The hearing comes amid ongoing rancor between the city and the police
union. Last month, the union rejected the city's final offer to settle a labor
contract, a move that will likely send the issue to binding arbitration. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The labor agreement between the two sides expired Wednesday. Police will
continue to work under the old agreement as the city and police work to set an
arbitration hearing date. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although the sides can continue to negotiate, McGroarty said the city has
no plans to request a meeting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The mayor denied the Jan. 20 hearing has anything to do with contract
talks. The city filed a grievance about the off-duty issue before contract
talks even began this summer, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mayor: Police Cheating W-b 
Mcgroarty Says Cops Underpay 
The City Its Rightful Percentage Of 
Earnings Made While Working Off-duty 
Security Guard Jobs. A Hearing Jan. 20 
Will Address Issue

Mayor: Police Cheating W-b Mcgroarty Says Cops Underpay The City Its Rightful Percentage Of Earnings Made While Working Off-duty Security Guard Jobs. A Hearing Jan. 20 Will Address Issue