[2][3] The police called in sick, a form of strike action known as blue flu, in this case circumventing Article 14 of the New York State Civil Service Law, aka the Taylor Law, which legally prevented police officers from striking.
[3][4][5] The stoppage was partly a response to a lawsuit by the Sergeants Benevolent Association being struck down in court.
[2] More specifically in the 19th Precinct, where the first set of day-shift officers struck at E. 67th Street, another triggering event was the subpoenas from the Knapp Commission investigating corrupt practices.
[6] The strike was ended on January 19, after a "stormy union voting session" at the Hotel New Yorker.
The back-pay issue was eventually settled in the favor of the officers and firemen with a ruling by State Supreme Court judge Irving H. Saypol.