Administrative decisions and actions must be made in compliance to the law

Administrative decisions and actions must be made in compliance to the law
Cimino v Grasso, Decisions of the Commissioner of Education, #14,319

Michael J. Cimino asked the Commissioner of Education to remove members of the board of education and the superintendent of the Plainedge Union Free School District.

The complaint: the board and the superintendent had spent $79,000 to illegally construct and equip a room for the board without first obtaining voter approval, without getting competitive bids and without the board adopting a resolution authorizing the expenditures.

Cimino also alleged that expenditures for the purchase of computers, computer desks and online service for home use by board members constitutes an unconstitutional gift of public monies [Article VIII, Section 1].

Contending that all the expenditures were made in good faith and for legitimate district interests, school superintendent Gene Grasso took full responsibility for the decision to fund the projects with operation and maintenance monies rather than as capital expenses. He also said that the board had absolutely no involvement in the project.

The Commissioner, with certain exceptions, said that serious violations of law and policy have occurred in this matter. However, he also stated that removal from office is a drastic remedy that should be taken only in extreme circumstances. As there was no evidence that the superintendent or board members willfully violated the law and the construction constituted a substantial and continuing benefit to the district, the Commissioner declined to exercise his power of removal.

The superintendent and the board members were told to be absolutely scrupulous in their future compliance with the law, as additional violations of this kind may well subject them to removal.
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All about "cloud computing"

All about "cloud computing"
Source: Sui Generis - a New York Law Blog written by Nicole Black, Esq. at http://nylawblog.typepad.com/suigeneris/

Nicole Black explains the basics of “cloud computing” in an article published in the March 14, 2011 issue of the Daily Record.

It is posted on the Internet at:
http://nylawblog.typepad.com/files/dr-3.14.11.pdf
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Serving disciplinary charges on an employee in a disciplinary probation period status does not preclude his or her summary termination

Serving disciplinary charges on an employee in a disciplinary probation period status does not preclude his or her summary termination
Matter of Nieves-Diaz v City of New York, 37 AD3d 356

After being served with disciplinary charges while serving a disciplinary probation period, New York City Police Detective Luis Nieves-Diaz was summarily terminated from the Department without being given a pre-termination hearing on those charges.

In response to Nieves-Diaz’s appeal challenging his termination, the Appellate Division said that because Nieves-Diaz was on “dismissal probation,” he was subject to termination for any reason or for no reason, and without explanation, as long as the termination was not made in bad faith or for an impermissible reason.

Nieves-Diaz’s appeal did not allege that his termination was made in bad faith or for an impermissible reason.

Noting that the Department had “broad prerogative” to terminate Nieves-Diaz as a probationary employee, the Appellate Division ruled that the fact that Nieves-Diaz was served with disciplinary charges while in disciplinary probation status did not preclude his summary termination as a probationary employee.

Thus, said the court, the Department was not required to provide Nieves-Diaz with a “pre-termination hearing” regarding the charges that were served on him while he was in probationary status as a “condition precedent” to his dismissal.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:
http://nypublicpersonnellawarchives.blogspot.com/2007/02/summary-termiination-during.html
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A public employer may not unilaterally discontinue a past practice but must negotiate any proposed change with the appropriate employee organization

A public employer may not unilaterally discontinue a past practice but must negotiate any proposed change with the appropriate employee organization
Matter of Meegan v Brown, 2011 NY Slip Op 01158, Appellate Division

The City of Buffalo appealed the denial of its Article 75 motion seeking a stay of arbitration to address a grievance filed by Buffalo Police Benevolent Association President Robert P. Meegan, Jr. challenging the City’s refusal to pay certain collective bargaining agreement (CBA) benefits to police officers receiving General Municipal Law §207-c benefits

Affirming the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the City’s motion, the Appellate Division said that although “It is well settled that the benefits provided to a police officer pursuant to General Municipal Law §207-c are exclusive, and a CBA will not be construed as impliedly expanding such benefit.,” there is no prohibition against a CBA providing for enhancements to §207-c benefits provided by law.

As the City of Buffalo conceded, it had been paying CBA benefits to police officers receiving General Municipal Law §207-c benefits for over 40 years. Viewing this as a “past practice” providing for certain “fringe benefits for current employees,” the Appellate Division held that such a past practice cannot be unilaterally modified by the public employer “even where unrelated to any specific contractual provision.” The court explained that a public employer has "a duty to negotiate with the bargaining representative of current employees regarding any change in past practice affecting [such] benefits."

The Appellate Division also observed that the CBA contained a "Maintenance of Benefits" clause.

This clause, said the court, provided that "[a]ll conditions or provisions beneficial to employees now in effect [that] are not specifically provided for in [the CBA] or [that] have not been replaced by provisions of [the CBA] shall remain in effect for the duration of [the CBA], unless mutually agreed otherwise between the City and [petitioner Buffalo Police Benevolent Association]."

Clearly, said the court, the City also had a contractual duty to negotiate a change in any past practice and it lacked the authority to unilaterally discontinue the payment of the benefits at issue to police officers receiving General Municipal Law §207-c benefits.

The decision is posted on the Internet at: http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/3dseries/2011/2011_01158.htm

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General Municipal Law§§ 207-a and 207-c - a 1098 page e-book focusing on administering General Municipal Law Sections 207-a/207-c and providing benefits thereunder is available from the Public Employment Law Press. For more information click on http://section207.blogspot.com/

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