To serve & protect (themselves)

The Boston Herald reports:

The cash-starved Hub is lavishing more than $1 million in salaries on 11 cops and firefighters who serve and protect only their unions in full-time taxpayer-funded jobs - even as the city hikes property taxes on hard-pressed homeowners and businesses.

One $76,000-a-year union boss on the city payroll spends much of his time out of town serving firefighters in other states and countries, including a trip to New Zealand.

A Herald review of 13 similar-sized cities found that eight had no cops or firefighters on the payroll working full-time for their unions, while three burgs had just two. Baltimore carries six cop and firefighter union bosses on its payroll, compared to 11 in Boston.

The special class.