Attempting to vacate an adverse arbitration award rendered after a consensual arbitration process
Transit Workers Union, Local 100 v New York City Tr. Auth., 2017 NY Slip Op 05446, Appellate Division, Second Department
The New York City Transit Authority [CTA] terminated the employment of a member of the Transit Workers Union, Local 100 [Local 100], a bus CTA driver, who had been involved in an incident with a pedestrian. Local 100 filed an Article 75 action seeking a court order vacating an arbitration award that held that CTA had just cause to terminate Local 100's member's employment because of the incident.
The Supreme Court denied the petition and Local 100 appealed.
The Appellate Division sustained the lower court's decision, explaining that "Where, as here, an arbitration award was rendered after a consensual arbitration process pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, the award may not be vacated unless it violates a strong public policy, is irrational, or clearly exceeds a specifically enumerated limitation of the arbitrator's power."
Contrary to Local 100's contention that the arbitrator's award was irrational, the Appellate Division ruled that "the arbitrator's award was supported by evidence in the record and is, therefore, rational."
Local 100 also argued that the penalty imposed, termination from employment, was irrational. The Appellate Division said it disagreed and sustained the dismissal of the bus driver from employment by CTA, concluding that the penalty did not violate any strong public policy or clearly exceed an enumerated limitation on the arbitrator's power.
The decision is posted on the Internet at:
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