PBA Arbitration Chair’s Bowing Out to Delay Contract for Months

The long-awaited contract arbitration between the Police Benevolent Association and the de Blasio administration, scheduled to begin Jan. 27, will be delayed another several months at least after John M. Donoghue, who had been chosen to chair the three-man panel, was forced to withdraw due to unspecified health issues.

Both sides said they would move quickly to select a replacement for Mr. Donoghue, a highly regarded neutral who has been used since 1972 by both the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the American Arbitration Association to settle labor disputes. He serves on permanent panels in a variety of industries including telecommunication, publications, media, agriculture and transportation.