One of the oldest goals of the labor movement has been to secure greater wages and benefits as a reward for long service with employers. In many collective bargaining agreements wages are enhanced based on years of service with the employer. The Westchester County Correction Officers Benevolent Association (“COBA”) has such a provision. The enhancement […]

After a Public Employee Safety and Health (“PESH”) bureau finding that the New York City Transit Authority violated New York occupational safety and health laws by not having fire wardens at the Westchester Yard in the Bronx, the Authority assigned Fire Warden duties to Train Service Supervisors, Assistant Train Dispatchers, Train Dispatchers, and Yard Dispatchers […]

The New York City Transit Authority changed the assignment of Maintenance Supervisors at the Grand Avenue Central Maintenance Facility so that Maintenance Supervisors would have to supervise multiple groups of subordinate employees in the event a Maintenance Supervisor was absent. Historically, coverage for such absences would be made by assigning Maintenance Supervisors who had specifically […]

Congratulations to President Mario Bucceri and to the Executive Board and members of the United Transit Leadership Organization for its ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement with several affiliates of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority by an incredible vote of 283-14, or 95.3%. The agreement calls for three annual compounded raises totaling 8.25%, […]

IDCWLaw has a wealth of experience in appellate advocacy, on behalf of its union clients. Partner Liam Castro’s extensive track record includes numerous successful arguments before New York’s Appellate Court, with two notable victories at the state’s highest court. This expertise proved invaluable in March 2024 when the Third Department sided with a coalition of […]

Congratulations to President Michael Carrube and the board and members of the Subway Surface Supervisors Association on the overwhelming ratification of its new collective bargaining agreement with the New York City Transit Authority. 81% of the members voting approved the deal. The agreement overcame a wide array of obstacles including the Authority’s refusal to bargain […]

Starting pay for newly hired employees has to be negotiated.  This ensures a fair wage, not only for the newly hired employee, but also as it relates to incumbent employees.  Stated another way, it would be unfair for a newly hired employee to make more than an incumbent in the same position, sometimes the result […]

The health and safety of our union-clients’ members are paramount.  We do not give an inch, and we act very quickly when, the need arises to enforce their health and safety rights.  On March 17, 2023, late at night, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department reduced the officer-to-inmate ratio to less than two-to-one at a local […]

Workplace safety is as critical an issue as any other.  This is particularly true in law enforcement and the jails where workplace violence is most prevalent as officers deal with society’s most dangerous individuals.  Specifically, at the Nassau County Correctional Center, inmate assaults and uses of forces are increasing disproportionately each of the last several […]

At IDCWLaw creativity in arguing our cases is a bedrock principle. We took that principle and applied it to what seemingly was a staffing change, which is often a managerial prerogative. The Ulster County Sheriff’s Department supervisors work a different schedule than correction officers. The Department took the position that the scheduling disparity created supervisory […]