BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Police Benevolent Association has been without a contract for more than a year, with union leaders saying the department is understaffed, overworked, and has received no communication from the mayor's office about negotiations. But city leaders say those claims are "simply false."
Buffalo PBA President John Davidson said the union is being "stonewalled" by the Ryan administration on contract talks.
"We've not heard from the Ryan administration regarding our contract at all," Davidson said.
The last contract expired June 30, 2025. Davidson said morale among the union's approximately 700 members is low, especially following a violent Fourth of July weekend in the city which saw eleven people shot in two hours.
"You've got members that are wondering, are we supported? Is there any support from the mayor's office? But not only are we out of contract for a year, but there's been no movement whatsoever - we have had no negotiation session in 2026," Davidson said.
But Deputy Mayor Maria Whyte contradicted Davidson's claims. She said negotiations with the police union are set to begin this fall, and that information was communicated to all city union representatives, including the PBA.
WATCH: Buffalo police union out of contract for a year, as negotiations with city set for fall
"More than a month ago I personally communicated to the legal counsel for the PBA what the schedule was and conveyed our timing for the fall of this year," Whyte said.
But questions remain over staffing levels at the Buffalo Police Department. Since the start of 2025, 61 officers have retired and only 13 have been recruited, according to Davidson. He said no new recruit test is currently scheduled.
"So there'll be no additional officers added this year," Davidson said.
Whyte said that claim was also inaccurate, stating that she and Deputy Mayor Eugenio Russi have been working together to schedule a police exam.
"We intend to fill those positions," Whyte said.
But there are only two police academy classes each year, with the next class scheduled to start in late July, so it's a big ask to process and vet potential candidates before then.
"Generally what happens is the city will give a test for people that want to become Buffalo police officers," Davidson said. "If they pass the written test, they then begin the canvassing process, which involves a physical agility test, a background check, a lie detector test, all kinds of background information on your financials and whether or not you're suited to be a police officer. None of that process has begun."
WORKING OUT OF CONTRACT
It is not unusual for the Buffalo PBA to work out of contract, with negotiations between the city and union dragging on for years under previous administrations.
The PBA went 10 years without a contract under former Mayor Byron Brown, as negotiations rumbled on between 2005 and 2015. More recently, the union was out of contract for around two and a half years between July 1, 2021 and January 2024, also under Brown.
This will be Davidson's first contract negotiation period with the city since becoming union president at the start of 2025, but he's aware of the lengthy negotiations of the past.
"It's not historically crazy to not have a contract done right away. It is historically strange to not have any conversation about the contract with the mayor," he said.
