Public Employee Press

“Exotic language” interpreters share $68,000 award

Nearly 75 Court Interpreters could receive a total of as much as $68,000 in overtime pay that the courts have unjustly denied them since 2006.

The state Office of Court Administration agreed earlier this year to settle a dispute with Court, County and Dept. of Probation Employees Local 1070 by paying more than 70 “exotic language” Interpreters the overtime they deserved. (The courts consider all languages but Spanish “exotic.”)

The dispute began in 2006, when a management E-mail alerted exotic language Interpreters that they would be paid “minute for minute” when they were recalled for unscheduled weekend work.

Local 1070’s contract guarantees members at least four hours of pay when they are recalled for unscheduled overtime.

“OCA announced a new policy, apparently without checking our contract,” said Local 1070 President Cliff Koppelman. “This was a violation of our terms and conditions of employment.”

The Interpreters were outraged that management had decided unilaterally to deprive them of their contractual right, and some were so upset that they didn’t make themselves available for the unscheduled overtime.

Spanish-language Interpreters are generally always on duty in the courts, so they weren’t affected by the new policy.

“This was a matter of principle,” said grievant Jan Kociubinski, a Polish Interpreter. “We were losing a lot of money. It wasn’t right.”

With White Collar Division Assistant Director Chris Wilgenkamp and Assistant General Counsel Alan M. Brown handling the case, the issue was headed to arbitration. “It was nice that we were able to work out a settlement with the court administration at the eleventh hour, which ensured that the case didn’t drag out any further,” Brown said.

The union is pressing management to distribute the back pay to the affected Interpreters this fall, Wilgenkamp said.

“It was really a slam dunk,” said Local Vice President Fausto Sabatino.