Disciplinary action taken under the CBA notwithstanding the teacher’s requesting a hearing pursuant to the CBA “reversed on the law”

Disciplinary action taken under the CBA notwithstanding the teacher’s requesting a hearing pursuant to the CBA “reversed on the law” 

2013 NY Slip Op 04472, Appellate Division, Fourth Department

The Appellate Division reversed a Supreme Court decision that denied a tenured teacher’s [Educator] Article 78 petition seeking to annul the school district’s suspending her without pay for 30 days.

The Appellate Division said it agreed with Educator that the school district failed to comply with the requirements of Education Law §3020(1) when it disciplined her without affording her a hearing pursuant to Education Law §3020-a.

The court explained that “the plain language of Education Law §3020(1) provides that a tenured teacher facing discipline, and whose terms and conditions of employment are covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that became effective on or after September 1, 1994, is entitled to elect either the disciplinary procedures specified in Education Law §3020-a or the alternative procedures contained in the CBA.”

The court determined that the relevant CBA took effect on July 1, 2006. Accordingly, said the court, Educator was entitled to choose whether to be disciplined under the procedures set forth in the CBA or to elect a disciplinary hearing in accordance with Education Law §3020-a as a matter of law regardless of whether or not the CBA offered such an option.

The school district, however, had denied Educator’s written request for a §3020-a hearing.

Finding that the school district’s action was “incorrect,” the Appellate Division annulled the school district’s imposing a disciplinary penalty suspending Educator for 30 days without pay and directed the school district to [1] reinstate her to her position with back pay and benefits retroactive to the date of her suspension and [2] to remove all references to the discipline imposed from Educator’s personnel file.

Significantly, §3020.1, in pertinent part, provides that any such ”alternate disciplinary procedures contained in a collective bargaining agreement that becomes effective on or after September 1, 1994, must provide for the written election by the employee of either the procedures specified in such §3020-a or the alternative disciplinary procedures contained in the collective bargaining agreement.” [emphasis supplied].

Further, the negotiated alternative disciplinary procedure must provided constitutional due process protections equivalent to those available under the statutory procedure [Antinore v State, 40 NY2d 6].

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_04472.htm

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Local Government Performance and Efficiency Program (LGPEP) grant assistance

Source: Department of State

On June 19, 2013, the New York Department of State announced over $12 million in Local Government Performance and Efficiency Program (LGPEP) grant assistance in recognition of the recurring financial savings generated by 13 projects.  The grants will be distributed in equal parts over three years, and are contingent upon continued demonstration of savings. 

A competitive program, LGPEP rewards local governments for undertaking significant and innovative actions that reduce the property tax burden confronting residents.  The projects recognized today are estimated by applicants to generate $38.2 million in combined annual savings. In accepting an award, these local governments commit to measuring and sustaining the financial impact of these savings. 

The Awards were as follows: 

City of Corning, $279,575.00, Fire Department Efficiency Initiative

Town of Gates, $710,000.00, Health Insurance Consolidation Project

Town of East Hampton, $536,425.00 Re-engineering of Town Government

Village of Liberty, $99,375.00, operations streamlining

Essex County, $244,881.40, Creation of the Office of Community Resources

Madison County, $1,615,724.00, Home Care Services Privatization

Town of Alden, $138,905.00, Town Clerk/Tax Receiver Consolidation Project

Nassau County, $5,000,000.00, Police Department Personnel Reduction and Precinct Consolidation Initiative

Town of New Castle, $194,313.14, Once per Week Garbage Collection

Town of Bethlehem, $776,107.36, Departmental Restructuring of Payment System and Maintenance Staff

Essex County, $984,250.00, Privatization of the Horace Nye Nursing Home

Town of Alden, $72,578.20, Innovative Employee Health Insurance Program

City of Rochester, $1,857,183.30, Neighborhood & Business Development Consolidation and Efficiencies Program

For additional information concerning the grant program please call the Office of the LGPEP Program Manager, (518) 473-3355.

Article 75 petition seeking to confirm an arbitration award holding the current CBA preserved the rights retirees obtained under previous CBAs granted by court

Article 75 petition seeking to confirm an arbitration award holding the current CBA preserved the rights retirees obtained under previous CBAs granted by court

Port Auth. of N.Y. & N.J. v Port Auth. Police Lieutenants Benevolent Assn., 2013 NY Slip Op 50953(U), Supreme Court, New York County [Not selected for publication in the Official Reports]

Due to budget constraints, the Port Authority, effective January 1, 2011, discontinued its free E-Z Pass program available to all Port Authority retirees. As a result, the Port Authority Police Lieutenants Benevolent Association [LBA] filed a grievance under the arbitration provision in its Collective Bargaining Agreement, [CBA] claiming that the Port Authority had violated the CBA by discontinuing the E-Z pass program for retirees.

The Arbitrator framed the issues as follows:

1. Is the grievance substantively arbitrable?

2. If so, did the Employer violated [sic] the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by discontinuing on or about December 2010 or January 2011 free passage and parking at Port Authority facilities for retirees of the bargaining unit?

3. If so, what shall the remedy be?

The relevant CBA was agreed to in April 2005, effective retroactive to January 21, 2003, through to January 20, 2010. It contained a "Savings Clause," which provides that wages, benefits and conditions of employment "shall remain in full force and effect until a new Memorandum of Agreement [i.e., CBA] is executed." The provision relied upon by the LBA provided “for distribution of free passes for ‘permanent and project employees, retired employees, and employees on military leave for use at tunnels, bridges and some air terminals.’" Retired Lieutenants were provided with free passage “in the form of E-Z Passes.”

Arbitrator Howard C. Edelman found in the LBA's favor, ruling that the Port Authority had "violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by discontinuing on or about December 2011 free passage and parking for retirees of the bargaining unit." The Port Authority was directed to reinstate the free passage and parking, and reimburse retirees for the monies they had expended on passage and parking since the program was terminated.

The Port Authority filed an appeal pursuant to Article 75 of the CPLR seeking to vacate the award. It contended that the Arbitrator exceeded his powers in ruling that free passage should be applicable to all LBA retirees, because the issue before the Arbitrator was limited to those employees who retired under the CBA 2003-2010 CBA. Accordingly, the Port Authority contended that it was error to apply the Arbitrator’s ruling to all “LBA retirees” and argued that the court should modify the award so as to limit the benefit to employees in the negotiating unit retiring between 2003 and 2010.

Judge Anil C. Singh said the Arbitrator had acknowledged the Port Authority’s argument in the Award but found that under Savings Clause which provided that, "all clauses of the contract ... continue in full force and effect' after the expiration of the [CBA]" and that the CBA thus "requires the continuation of the retiree benefit in question until the parties modify it in collective bargaining."

Judge Singh found that the Arbitrator had not exceeded his power by including pre-2003 retirees in the award where the arbitration was conducted pursuant to the 2003-2010 CBA.

Citing Riverbay Corp. (Local 32-E, S.E.I.V. AFL-CIO), 91 AD2d 509, the court said that “An arbitrator exceeds his or her power by giving ‘a totally irrational construction to the contractual provisions in dispute,’ so as to effectively rewrite the parties' contract.” The court then held that the Arbitrator did not exceed his powers, or rewrite the parties' agreement, when he found that the right to free E-Z Passes and parking applied to more than just retirees who had retired under the 2003-2010 CBA. The decision indicates that the language in CBA’s “Savings Clause” retained the right of retirees from previous MOAs to receive these benefits.

Concluding that the current CBA preserved the rights retirees obtained under previous CBAs, Judge Singh ruled that Arbitrator was not acting irrationally or exceeding his powers when he applied his ruling to past LBA retirees and confirm the LBA’s petition to confirm the award.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_50953.htm

Reimbursment of Medicare premiums paid by retirees participating in their former employer’s health insurance plan
Bryant v Board of Educ., Chenango Forks Cent. Sch. Dist., 2013 NY Slip Op 04379, Appellate Division, Third Department

Supreme Court, Broome County, granted Theodora Q. Bryant’s CPLR Article 78 application to annul a determination of Chenango Forks Central School District to terminate reimbursement of certain Medicare premiums.*

The Public Employment Relations Board directed the School District to rescind its June 2003 memorandum in which it notified employees and retirees that it was terminating its practice of reimbursing Medicare Part B premiums.

In a companion case PERB ruled that the school district must reinstate its former practice of reimbursing retirees for Medicare Part B premiums** -- the same relief sought in the current proceeding.

The Appellate Division noted that PERB's order in the companion case has been upheld by the Court of Appeals [see 2013 NY Slip Op 04039 (2013)]. Accordingly, Bryant received the full relief challenged by School District in the current appeal as a result of that determination, . Accordingly, the court ruled that the instant appeal is now moot.

As to argument advanced under color of an exception to the mootness doctrine, the Appellate Division held that the claimed exception “does not apply in that, although the issue advanced herein may recur and is significant, it is not likely to evade review.”

* The underlying facts are set forth in the Appellate Division’s prior decision (21 AD3d 1134 [2005]) and in the companion case brought by the Chenango Forks Central School District (Matter of Chenango Forks Cent. School Dist. v New York State Pub. Empl. Relations Bd., 95 AD3d 1479 [2012], affd ___ NY3d ___, 2013 NY Slip Op 04039 [2013]). See, also, NYPPL’s summary of that decision posted on the Internet at http://publicpersonnellaw.blogspot.com/search?q=bryant

** The reason for reimbursing retirees for Medicare Premiums that they are required to pay is explained in a “comment" in NYPPL’s summary of Munger v Board of Educ. of the Garrison Union Free School Dist., 85 AD3d 747, posted on the Internet at:  http://publicpersonnellaw.blogspot.com/2009/12/city-to-pay-100-of-cost-of-health.html

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_04379.htm

The Statute of Limitations for seeking payment of compensation alleged due an employee pursuant to a contract begins to run when the employee had a legal right to demand such payment

The Statute of Limitations for seeking payment of compensation alleged due an employee pursuant to a contract begins to run when the employee had a legal right to demand such payment

2013 NY Slip Op 04321, Appellate Division, Second Department

The Village Police Commissioner and the Village had signed a contract that provided that the Commissioner was to earn $5,000 more than the highest-ranking lieutenant for each year that he served as Commissioner. In June 2010, the Commissioner learned that he would not be reappointed as Commissioner and alleged that he subsequently learned that his Lieutenants were earning more than he had been earning.

The Commissioner filed a written claim with the Village on November 2, 2010 alleging that the Village had breached its contract with him from 1999 through 2010 and on September 28, 2011commenced an action in Supreme Court pursuant to CPLR Article 78 alleging breach of contract and sought to “recover the wages that allegedly were owed him for those years.”

Supreme Court denied the Village’s motion [1] to dismiss so much of the Commissioner’s complaint that sought to recover payments allegedly due him prior to March 28, 2010 and [2] to transfer the Commissioner’s complaint to District Court, Nassau County. The Village appealed.

The Appellate Division reversed Supreme Court’s ruling and remanded the matter to District Court, Nassau County. In the words of the court, ”the damages sought [by the Commissioner] in connection with the portion of the complaint that is not time-barred fall within the jurisdictional limit of the District Court. Therefore, removal to that court is appropriate.”

Addressing the issue of the timeliness of the Commissioner’s petition, the Appellate Division [1] said that §9802 of the Civil Practice Act and Rules provides that, "no action shall be maintained against the village upon or arising out of a contract of the village unless the same shall be commenced within eighteen months after the cause of action therefor shall have accrued, nor unless a written verified claim shall have been filed with the village clerk within one year after the cause of action shall have accrued," and [2] explained that “Where the claim is for the payment of a sum of money allegedly owed pursuant to a contract, the cause of action accrues when the plaintiff possesses a legal right to demand payment.”

The Village had argued that the Commissioner's causes of action alleging breach of contract accrued at the end of each year that the Commissioner allegedly was not paid in accordance with his contract. The Appellate Division agreed, ruling that as the Commissioner’s action was not commenced until September 28, 2011, the Village established, prima facie, that the action was time-barred to the extent that the Commissioner sought to recover damages accruing prior to March 28, 2010, i.e., 18 months prior to the commencement of his action.

Significantly, the Appellate Division held that the Commissioner’s reliance on “his lack of knowledge that the several breaches had occurred” did not toll the running of the statute of limitations for bringing a timely action.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2013/2013_04321.htm

Selected reports and information published by New York State's Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli

Selected reports and information published by New York State's Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli

Reports issued during the week ending June 15, 2013 [Click on text highlighted in bold to access the full report] 

DiNapoli: Watertown Boasts Strong Finances

The City of Watertown has maintained a stable tax base, developed healthy revenue streams and built up rainy day reserves, according to a fiscal profile of the city issued by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report was released June 12, 2013 in conjunction with the Comptroller’s 2013 Local Government Leadership Institute in Watertown.

DiNapoli: Auditors Uncover $3 Million in Improper Unemployment Insurance

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli uncovered up to $3 million in inappropriate unemployment insurance payments made by the Department of Labor, including payments to recipients who were ineligible because they were employed, had collected more than the maximum weekly benefits or were not authorized to work in the United States, according to a reportreleased June 14, 2013.

Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Municipal Audits

On June 13, 2013 New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced that his office completed audits of:

the Village of Belle Terre;

the Town of Calicoon;

the Town of Gardiner;

the Town of New Berlin;

the Village of Nichols;

the Town of Pittsfield; and,

the Sylvan Beach Fire District.

Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Audits

On June 14, 2013 New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced that his office completed the following audits:

the Metropolitan Transit Authority;

the Office of General Services;

the Workers’ Compensation Program;

the Department of State; 

the Office of Children and Family Services; and,

the Division of State Police.