Public Employee Press

Bloomberg still trying to cut blue-collar pay
City appeals prevailing rate ruling

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

The city has appealed a unanimous court ruling that rejected the Bloomberg administration's plan to gut the pay of city trades workers by reclassifying their titles and ending a century-old pay-setting process.

In September, the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, agreed to consider the city's appeal of the 5-0 decision by the Appellate Division.

"The Appellate Division was correct," said DC 37 Sr. Assistant General Counsel Steven Sykes, the lead attorney in the suit by New York City municipal unions that has so far blocked Bloomberg's plan. "It's unfortunate that the administration is persisting with this case, but we are optimistic we will come out on top."

The city and the unions are to submit briefs later this year and present oral arguments in January.

"The lower court ruling shows that our argument is rock solid and that the administration's unilateral reclassification clearly violated civil service law," said James Tucciarelli, president of Sewage Treatment Workers and Sr. STWs Local 1320. "Continuing with this lost cause so close to the end of his term seems to be another sign of the arrogance that has characterized Mayor Bloomberg's administration for three terms."

DC 37 and other unions filed the lawsuit in 2012 after Bloomberg issued a personnel order in scrapping a procedure under Section 220 of the state Labor Law that lets the comptroller set the wages of city trades workers based on a survey of the prevailing pay in the private sector. The mayor's order came after several DC 37 blue-collar locals won substantial wage increases and back-pay awards through the survey process and only weeks after City Laborers in Local 924 won big pay hikes.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts called Bloomberg's action "a naked power grab" aimed at suppressing the pay of hardworking men and women.

DC 37 represents about 10,000 trades workers.