# Staties get raises for traffic work



## Clouseau (Mar 9, 2004)

Boston Herald;

State troopers working traffic details got a $5-an-hour raise last week - the* cost of which will filter down to state taxpayers *and utility customers.

The price of having a statie watching over a roadside work project jumped from $32 to $37 an hour effective May 1.

``It wasn't like we said let's just increase the rate,'' said state police spokeswoman Lt. Sharon Costine. ``We did a survey and checked to see what the average rate is in big cities and we checked on the increase in cost of living.''

Most states allow civilian flaggers to handle traffic directing duties at construction sites, but business-backed efforts to get flaggers here have been beaten back by police unions. 
*
The nonprofit think tank Beacon Hill Institute calculates local police details cost state residents $141 million a year in the form of higher utility rates and other expenses, and that doesn't include the cost of state police details. * 
``It follows from our study that rather than raise the rate for state police details there ought to be serious consideration of substitution of flaggers for state police in many instances where they are currently employed,'' said David Tuerck, the institute's executive director.

Col. Thomas Robbins, commander of the state police, signed off on the increase after meetings with the State Police Association of Massachusetts.

``He knew there hadn't been an increase since 2000,'' Costine said. ``There were increases in 1998, 1999 and 2000, then it just stopped, and there were no further increases.''

The increase will hit hardest at the Massachusetts Highway Department, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and big utilities such as Verizon Communications, which spent $12.5 million on police details last year.

*``It would become part of the cost of doing business,'' Verizon spokesman Jack Hoey said. *
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What do taxpayers have to do with it?
Is this the same think tank that did the profiling study?
I don't think Verizon will lower your bill if their not paying for details...


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## Gil (Jun 15, 1998)

> details cost state residents $141 million a year in the form of higher utility rates and other expenses


 And like Verizon is going to lower our phone bills if flaggers were allowed to work, I don't think so it would just be a larger profit margin for them.


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## Pvt. Cowboy (Jan 26, 2005)

I can't believe this guy. I hope some Trooper or some local PD writes this guy, over, and over, and over and over again. I love how these squirrely "research assistants" and "resident scholars" can just fabricate numbers and make insinuations that the State Police deserve no more money. 

A real job outside of Academia, I doubt it Wolfman. 

"The university is great, they gave us money and facilites... I've worked in the private sector... they expect results!" - Raymond Stantz, Ghostbusters


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## Buford T (Feb 12, 2005)

In Me Back??? Senior economist??? Oh boy the fun you could have........


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

> We did a survey and checked to see what the average rate is in big cities and we checked on the increase in cost of living.''


I wish we can use the SP base salary for our next contract increase. :lol:


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