DC 37 WINS LANDMARK CASE:
Arbitrator orders NYPD to assign desk jobs to civilians

Union estimates clerical administrative employees can replace 3,500 full time able-bodied desk-bound officers saving the City over $100 million per year while increasing public safety.

• Fact Sheet on Landmark Case (PDF*)
  

In a landmark case, on September 2, Arbitrator Maurice C. Benewitz ordered that the New York City Police Dept. must "cease and desist" from assigning clerical/administrative duties to police officers of various ranks and "forthwith" assign those duties to Police Administrative Aides (PAAs) and Senior PAAs. The grievance, first filed in 1995 by District Council 37, the city's largest public employee union, and its NYC Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549, could affect at least 3,500 full-time, able-bodied police officers assigned to clerical tasks at a cost of $60,000 to $70,000+ per year. PAAs and Senior PAAs average $25,000 to 32,000+ per year. The decision could save the City over $100 million a year once fully implemented.

The arbitrator agreed that the NYPD violated the union's contract by assigning clerical/administrative duties to uniformed personnel of various ranks.

"This is a win-win victory for our clerical and administrative members at NYPD and for New York City taxpayers," said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, who supported the case from its inception. "We have gone all out on this case to enforce our contract and our members' right to these positions. In 2002 we issued a White Paper stating that assigning police officers to 'desk duty' wastes taxpayer money and hurts public safety. This decision validates our position and saves millions of dollars with our members doing vital non-enforcement work, while the public will be safer with more police officers assigned to enforcement duties."

Eddie Rodriguez, President of Local 1549 which represents 3,000 PAAs and SPAAs, said, "These are our jobs. The arbitrator recognized that our members are trained and schooled to do police clerical work. Civilians play a distinct and vital role in support of the important work of the New York City Police Department. Full-time, able-bodied police need to be on street patrol making sure that our communities are safe, not behind a desk doing the clerical jobs belonging to our skilled members."

DC 37 and Local 1549 spent years preparing the arbitration case. Members leafleted to the public, testified before the arbitrator and at City Hall, and compiled lists of full-duty uniformed personnel performing clerical/administrative functions as their primary assignments. The union's case was bolstered by a 2002 audit by City Comptroller William C. Thompson that echoed earlier reports by former City Comptroller Alan Hevesi and former State Comptroller H. Carl McCall identifying considerable savings.

The favorable decision sets the stage for similar cases to move forward in other uniformed agencies, saving the city still more money and involving potentially hundreds of workers.