TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Monday night, the Town of Tonawanda Board voted to take legal action against the Town of Tonawanda Police Club for allegedly engaging in an unlawful strike through a ticket-writing boycott.
Town Supervisor Joseph Emminger said that the alleged strike took place from roughly January 16 to February 5, during which a "large number" of officers were not issuing tickets for three weeks. Supervisor Emminger said the alleged action violated civil service law, prompting the board to take action.
"We are following the law, and I follow the law, so we are going forward with it," Emminger said earlier Monday ahead of the board meeting.
However, Police Club President Andy Thompson denied the allegations.
"A strike is a stoppage of work. Our officers showed up every day and did their jobs," Thompson said, suggesting the union is being unfairly targeted due to tensions between the police chief and town officials.
Phil McDonald, Vice President of the Police Club, expressed anger at the board's actions.
"We are outraged that this town board is considering filing a frivolous and merit-less lawsuit against our police union falsely claiming that we ordered a strike," McDonald said.
Residents at the meeting voiced concern over the legal costs, a retired town police officer told 7 News he attended the meeting in support of the police officers and he agrees with the union, that a lawsuit isn't the best alternative.
The town board will release a full report after the 60-day investigation concludes, which will guide further action.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
