The timing couldn’t be worse, according to critics.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office has announced a delay in the holiday pay for NYPD officers, just as they prepare for extended 12-hour shifts amidst a sweltering heatwave and a packed schedule of summer events around the Fourth of July, The Post has verified.
Communications from city officials to union leaders indicate that officers will receive their holiday paychecks in the third week of July this year, a departure from the previous practice of issuing them in the second week. This information comes from an email sent by Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry to union members.
“This action not only breaches our contractual rights but also shows disrespect towards PBA members working tirelessly in severe heat to fulfill extraordinary security obligations during the upcoming holiday weekend,” states Hendry in a message dated Wednesday, which The Post has reviewed.
Hendry added, “The PBA intends to file a grievance to prevent the City from postponing these holiday payments, and we are committed to using all available options to hold the current administration accountable for neglecting our members’ support needs.”
Union leaders filed the grievance Wednesday with the NYPD’s office of labor relations, sources said.
NYPD holiday checks vary based on where an officer sit on the pay scale, but members at a basic level would get nearly $2,800, according to sources.
A similar delay unfolded in January with that month’s holiday check shortly after Mamdani took office, according to Hendry’s email.
Officials at that time contended the delay was necessary because the city’s payroll office needed to update its systems to deal with new tax requirements, the email states.
The grievance could go to arbitration if not corrected, sources said.
“This time, the City has offered no excuse for the delay,” Hendry’s email states.
Thousands of uniformed officers working 12-hour shifts will be deployed across the city leading up to — and including — the Fourth of July holiday, Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a joint news conference Wednesday.
The events start with Taylor Swift’s and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding Friday, followed the International Naval and Aviation Review, Parade of Sails and traditional Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks on Saturday.
They’ll continue Sunday with the Round of 16 World Cup match between Brazil and Norway at MetLife Stadium.
City Hall and NYPD officials didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
— Additional reporting by Haley Brown