A Chautauqua County Supreme Court Judge has sided with a City of Jamestown union in its lawsuit against the City.
AFSCME New York Council 66, Local 418, which represents employees in the City’s Department of Public Works, had filed three grievances, which Arbitrator Douglas Bantle found the city failed to respond to or set a meeting in the time period required in the union’s contract.
Following a meeting between the union and city with the arbitrator in July; the arbitrator made a determination on August 8, 2022 that agreed with the request from the union that the city provide back pay for the three grievances and that the “City’s arguments were contractually and legally without merit.”
Under the Arbitrator’s ruling, both the city and union then had 20 days to request a modification of the award.
The lawsuit in State Supreme Court contends that no modification requests were received and that the “blatant refusal by the City to honor and implement the Award of Arbitrator Bantle is being done with no legal basis and contrary to the process negotiated by the Union and the City in their collective bargaining agreement.”
Judge Grace Hanlon confirmed the arbitration award set by Arbitrator Douglas Bantle and ordered the City of Jamestown to comply with the award, including following seniority rights when assigning employees to equipment.
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