Public Employee Press

Court shoots down roadblock to civilianization

Sometimes the road to success is littered with obstacles. On March 27, one stumbling block was removed when the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court ruled that the police union’s effort to block the pro-civilianization arbitration award of September 2004 was without merit.

The appellate judges issued a unanimous decision, ruling that the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association petition challenging the impartial arbitrator’s 2004 ruling that civilians should replace uniformed officers in administrative jobs was “without standing.”

The Sergeants Benevolent Association had joined the PBA in the court action.

“Civilians like me at the Police Department are wondering: Why are people still sitting behind desks in uniforms doing our jobs?” said Alvin Carter of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549.

Local 1549 Executive Vice President Lenora Gates said, “It’s disheartening that so much energy was expended in such a futile pursuit trying to block jobs and promotions that our members are entitled to.”

“I was confident that the law was on our side,” said DC 37 Associate General Counsel Mary J. O’Connell. “I knew that, ultimately, we would prevail.”

Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez noted that the effort to reverse the arbitrator’s decision regarding civilian jobs didn’t succeed. “Both the state Supreme Court and the appellate court have ruled. Now it’s time to move forward, implement the decision and stop wasting the taxpayers’ money by using higher-paid uniformed employees in our clerical-administrative jobs.”

The union has estimated that the city could save millions of dollars by replacing uniformed employees performing civilian jobs with civilian employees.

The arbitration decision affects DC 37 members in more than a dozen locals — civilian NYPD employees in jobs ranging from custodians to computer personnel, “including almost every title where a gun is not necessary,” said Carter.