A federal judge granted local labor unions a preliminary injunction on the Nassau County Executive Powers Expansion Law (Local Law No. 315-12) Monday.
The law, if enacted, would have given Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano the authority to open up collective bargaining agreements and extract $41 million or more in drastic labor cuts to pay for the county's backlog of property tax judgments.
Judge Arthur Spatt granted the plaintiffs -- the Correction Officers Benevolent Association (COBA), Civil Service Employees Association, Police Benevolent Association (PBA), Detectives Association Inc. and Superior Officers Association -- the preliminary injunction, barring the county executive from unilaterally modifying any terms or conditions of employment for any unions that are set forth in contracts, according to a release from the COBA.
No changes can be made pending the final determination at the conclusion of the case.
"When you enter into an agreement with somebody, you should keep your word on that agreement," Nassau PBA President Jim Carver told Patch Tuesday, "and that’s what this is about -- keeping your word, your promise on a deal."
Carver made a point of saying that the various union members are already under a wage freeze set forth by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA).
"[This law] would have gone beyond just freezing our salaries, it would have gone into diminishing benefits," he said. "... This is a big win."
Also denied was the county’s argument that Spatt didn't have the jurisdiction to decide the federal issue since COBA has introduced a motion in state court contesting the manner in which this local law was adopted. The COBA is still proceeding in state court on this matter.
Lastly, the county asked the judge to have the plaintiff’s post a $41 million bond to put in escrow pending the final determination. Judge Spatt denied the county's motion on that request as well.
"This is a major victory for COBA and all of the other county labor unions," said John Jaronczyk, President of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Correction Officers Benevolent Association, in a release. "... We believe that Local Law 315-12 is unconstitutional and that this law was illegally approved by the legislature. We are very confident that we will prevail in these matters in the coming months."
Carver echoed Jaronczyk’s sentiments, saying that by looking at the judge’s language, he feels the unions will win in the long run.
Mondello trimmed the tax increase to less than 10 percent and left Gulotta the herculean task to eliminate about 2,000 jobs. Gulotta said on record "I'm doing the right thing and I get screwed by my own guys? I'm never raising taxes again.'" And he didn't. So Nassau borrowed like crazy, invented stupid taxes, and just did everything possible... simply not to raise taxes. Gulotta was a good politician that did his best to work in the chicago-style machine that was (and still is) Nassau County.
The main problem the county is having is the real estate tax refunds. So the workers should get screwed because the county over assessed home owners?
Why should municipal salaries go down? When was the last time you heard prices of goods going down? If the stock market hadn't "crashed" in 2008, all of this would be a non issue. If municipalities would have continued making the proper contributions to the pension systems instead of wasting that money on other projects...this would not be an issue. If the politicians would not have sicked the media on public workers, to take the attention of their mismanagemnet, this would not be an issue. It's all a bunch of BS. Oh the sky is falling, the sky is falling.......front page news: MUNICIPALITY IN CALIFORNIA DECLARES BANKRUPTCY!!!! ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY IN RHODE ISLAND DOES TOO. OMGGGGGGGG All of a sudden it's as if this is something new??? Do you folks think these bankruptcies only started occuring when the MEDIA made it FRONT PAGE NEWS???. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapter_9,_Title_11,_United_States_Code From 1937 to 2007 there were on average 8.54 municipality bankruptcies per year in the US. From 2008 to mid 2012 there have been an average of 9.33 per year. OHHH THE HORROR. Wake up folks. The media will do everything in their power to sway us in favor of it's MASTER'S agenda.
When the unions give up fellow union brothers and sisters for job cuts to keep their inflate job benefits let the laid off union brothers work it out with their employed union brothers and sisters. See if they agree if it's best to protect all and not the few. Mr Mangano do your job bring some real economic religion to Nassau County. The county must remain strong to represent the interest of the whole county and not the unrealistic union few.
What do you think keep paying or stop paying. Pretty easy decision.
You are right the economy is wonderful and the media is just making it all up. Municipal salaries should go down because salaries in the private sector are going down! Prices come down significantly for goods in a Depression, and that is what you will have if the unfunded liabilities and increasing government debt is not substantially curtailed and then turned around. The municipal bankruptcies in the last year or two have been some of the largest in history, and there will be many more on the horizon. The reason you do not see more, is because once a municipality declares bankruptcy credit is discontinued and NO ONE will lend them money. So the inept municipal leaders need to continue the charade until the last possible minute, after all they are not "playing" with their own money. You also have not seen too many "extra" municipal bankruptcies because of the OBAMA stimulus, now that the money dried up last year, you will see larger shortfalls and more bankruptcies...
"The only things in life that is guaranteed is DEATH and TAXES. No one ever said 0% contribution health care and 0% contribution pensions were guaranteed did they?
In good times organized labor unions do well. They want to share in the increase pool of cash. In bad times the public unions who have negotiated great benefits already are unwilling to budge on benefits, even if they accept no salary increases. Teachers, police, fire and clerical unions who give up salary increases, still enjoy seniority tier step-up raises. In NYC. the police and fire retirees get a $7,000 cash payment every year. This is due to the NYC financial crisis in 1975. The pension funds agreed to take on more risk by allowing the pension plan to invest in other financial instruments other than bonds to make up for losses. So the pension funds took more risk and the unions wanted some guarantees. Well it's 37 years since the crisis and the cash payment have grown from 1,500 to 7,000. In private industry in bad times, it's pretty simple no salary increases, higher benefit costs and no additional financial incentives and no guarantees. If the private companies go out of business well to bad. Simple, private citizens have less money because of cuts to personal finances and still have to pay the same or higher taxes. When pension funds drop, the NYS controller sends out yearly rate increases and the taxing authorities pass the increases to people with no resources. We need shared sacrifice.
They cannot be renewed automatically and indefinitely without new negotiations. This would fix a lot of fiscal problems, if the union members don't like the terms of the new contract offered, they could quit and find a better job somewhere else, just like non-union members.
How simplistic and childish "if the union members don't like the terms of the new contract offered, they could quit and find a better job somewhere else," is this the way business or the government should be run? How about the government wants your house and will give you half the value too bad take it or get nothing. An unrealistic stupid comment. You know what would fix problems independent negotiators and politicians who care about us above their career.
People today are one-sided, not willing or in many instances incapable to join in a discussion to come to a meaningful conclusion without getting an attitude. Compromise is a dirty word. People are inherently spoiled, demanding this and that without regard to the general consequenses. We are so close to the forest we cannot see the trees! Let's get together--- right now we are on an inflatable raft, pushing each other overboard-- and we cannot step back and look at the whole picture for a fear of drowning or loosing our self importance.
Good Afternoon.
I think your conversation about "when the economy turns around" is really really premature. Besides the turnaround we also have $16 trillion debt to pay off and that debt doesn't include the $4 trillion plus in state and municipal debt around the country. So in like 20-30 years of belt tightening - I will also agree to pre-existing levels of union pay and uncontrollable debt and spending, so the next 2 generations can feel the pain like we all will for the next 20-30 years...