By Martin Finucane
The Associated Press

BOSTON - The city's labor dispute with its police union prompted the cancellation of Democratic National Convention welcoming receptions for the Ohio and Michigan delegations, organizers said Wednesday.

The police union has been locked in a bitter contract dispute with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and has vowed to picket the parties this weekend to draw attention to its cause.

Jim Barry, a spokesman for the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said the union was happy about the cancellations because "there's a realization here that this mayor has not treated any of his public employee unions with any kind of respect in this process."

Host committee Boston 2004 Inc. said it and Menino shared the disappointment of "all who have taken part in the planning of these events, including the businesses, community leaders and residents who have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to host these visiting delegations in their neighborhoods."

The city's more than 1,400 unionized officers have been working without a contract for more than two years.

The police are asking for a 17 percent raise over four years, while the city is offering 11.9 percent. The average base pay for union members last year was $53,700, according to the Boston Municipal Research Bureau.

Ohio Democratic Party officials asked the convention host committee to cancel their reception, Chairman Denny White said Wednesday.

"We're the Democratic Party. We represent working men and women. We don't cross picket lines, whether it's in Boston, Cleveland, wherever," White said during a stop on his 12-hour ride to Boston on his Harley motorcycle.