A number of police officers in a small town in New York, close to the border with Canada, have received fines for their alleged involvement in an unsanctioned labor strike during a snowy period this past winter.
The union described the fines as retaliation and an abuse of power that denied the officers due process.
One officer denies the accusations, stating that he reported to work, took part in training while on duty, and even conducted a traffic stop for drunk driving during a period of continuous snowfall.
Andy Thompson, an officer with the Tonawanda Police and the head of the Tonawanda Police Club union, mentioned, “They are unhappy because we did not generate enough revenue for them and meet their perceived quota for issuing tickets.”
This year, Tonawanda Police has issued 123 tickets, according to a filing with New York’s Public Employment Relations Board. Between 2021 and 2024, the department issued between 439 and 653 over the same period. Town leaders alleged in the document that the decrease is the result of officers striking without permission in violation of the state’s civil service laws.
“It’s unheard of,” said Mike O’Meara, the president of the Police Conference of New York, the state’s largest police union. “They’re making this up as they go along.”
He called the town’s labor complaint against Tonawanda officers “unprecedented,” as well as the fines, which are double the hourly wage of officers for each hour they were allegedly striking.
“It may be somewhat unprecedented to claim that a reduction in the issuance of traffic tickets constitutes a strike,” said Jerry Cutler, author of “Legal Guide to Human Resources” and a Columbia University lecturer. “However, the critical issue from a legal standpoint is whether the employees have abstained from performing their duties in the normal manner.”
Andy Thompson is the president of the local police union, the Tonawanda Police Club, and was accused of taking part in an unauthorized strike. (Andy Thompson)
Experts say that, feud aside, it boils down to whoever has more convincing evidence.
“A reduction in ticket volume may point to a concerted effort to interfere with the employer’s operations, in which case the action would likely be found to constitute an unlawful strike,” Cutler told Fox News Digital. “Alternatively, the evidence may suggest some legitimate reason for the reduced ticket volume – or that this is not an apt means of comparison – which would lead to a finding that the law has not been violated.”
Department leaders say officers went on strike to protest disciplinary measures taken against Tonawanda Officer Bikramjit Singh, a U.S. Army veteran accused of mishandling evidence while investigating a potential drug deal.
“He had his body camera on. He opens this water bottle. There’s a bag in there,” Thompson said. “He looks at the bag. … He says it’s garbage. He wraps it up in his glove, and he disposes of it.”
However, a suspected drug dealer and suspected drug user later told police there were drugs in the bag, and department officials moved to have Singh fired for throwing it out, Thompson said. The alleged drugs were never recovered, but Singh wound up resigning since being fired could have cost him his law enforcement certifications, Thompson said.
Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger speaks during his State of the Town address Feb. 7, 2025. He is involved in an ongoing dispute with the local police union. (Town of Tonawanda/Facebook)
Tensions were already simmering between the rank-and-file and Stauffiger, an Emminger appointee who they accuse of unfairly forcing Singh out and withholding paperwork that would allow him to find new employment in law enforcement in another department.
Stauffiger, a 30-year member of the department, was appointed chief five years ago as part of an effort to eradicate corruption from the department. Thompson, too, represents new leadership, having been president of the union for just over a year.
“There’s no due process, and this whole thing was done between the supervisor and the law firm that represents the town, who also donates large amounts of money to the town supervisors’ campaign and the Town of Tonawanda Democratic Party’s campaigns,” Thompson said, citing public records. “So, it’s more of a witch hunt than anything.”
Emminger did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did the town’s law firm.
Thompson believes the allegations mark the first time the state’s civil service law has been used to punish police officers for failing to meet “quotas” after he says the town lost money due to a decrease in traffic citations issued during the snowfall.
“This is going to end up being case law by the time this is all over,” Thompson said. “This has never been done to a police union before.”
The union has launched a public campaign urging residents to demand that local leaders remove Stauffiger, who they accuse of retaliation and harassment and withholding “basic gear,” including winter coats.
According to the union, during the time officers were allegedly on strike, the department still made seven drunken driving arrests, issued more than 300 tickets and responded to nearly 2,000 more calls for service than the same period a year earlier with 14 fewer officers.
“The real losers are town residents,” O’Meara told Fox News Digital. “They’re saying, ‘Make sure you tag the residents of this town.’”
