[6] In 1967, New York State passed the Taylor Law, which sets the rules for municipal union organization with regard to representation and bargaining.
The association was opposed to the change, claiming women lacked the physical strength needed to back up male officers.
Samuel DeMilia, then the president of the association, explained in an article in The New York Times that the order was "unworkable in the police department and can do more harm than good.
He criticized the mayor on pay issues, saying, "The inability to keep veteran cops on the job or to recruit adequate numbers of new ones can be traced directly back to the Giuliani mayoralty."
He added, "While the city was rolling in money, the Giuliani administration cried future poverty and stuck New York police officers with three and half years without a pay raise.
In the course of their work shifts, scores more were exposed to toxins—produced by the collapse of the Twin Towers during the rescue and recovery effort after the September 11, 2001 attacks at Ground Zero.
[2][20] Following NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's election in 2013, running largely on a political campaign advocating for reform in publicly unpopular NYPD policies, including "Stop and Frisk", the PBA began actively organizing against de Blasio, accusing him of failing to support the NYPD, as these policies were heavily promoted by previous mayoral administrations to prevent violent crime.
The PBA felt that their officers were being wrongly blamed for the failed change of policies by politicians, rather than being supported in transitioning to a new form of policing by the de Blasio administration.
[14] Following the killing of two NYPD officers in Brooklyn on December 20, 2014, in an execution-style shooting, the PBA's opposition to de Blasio reached an all-time high, with PBA President Patrick Lynch accusing Mayor de Blasio of having blood on his hands, and of encouraging violence against police and acting like the leader of a "f-ing revolution."
Further, the PBA asked members to sign letters ordering the Mayor not to attend their funerals, should they perish in the line of duty.
They felt that if the Mayor were to attend their funerals it would be out of political motivation rather than a sincere appreciation of their sacrifice to protect the citizens of New York City.
[23] Many feared Lynch's comments would further inflame the more radical elements of his opposition, serve to incite further acts of violence against the NYPD, and lead to further police abuses carried out as a result of the "wartime" posture.
[27] She told NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan during the heated dispute that "I don't give two rats' asses about your cops."
[33] After the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees was repealed, the PBA called for officers that were dismissed for noncompliance to be rehired and given back pay.
[34] In April 2024, the PBA launched a lawsuit against the Adams administration for implementing a policy banning the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by NYPD officers.