Posted:
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Message from President, Robert Richardelli
I am very happy to share some great news.
Yesterday the New York Court of Appeals, our highest court, rejected the state's motion for permission to appeal our NYSHIP litigation, bringing this five-year legal fight to a successful end. We recently negotiated an MOA to reinstate our NYSHIP buy back based on lower court rulings and now it's here to stay.
As you may recall, in 2012 the NYS Department of Civil Service issued a "policy memo," which would have prospectively eliminated the right of locals to negotiate health insurance buyouts for spouses who also had NYSHIP coverage. This would have effectively voided agreements for such buyouts in about 100 locals, depriving countless affected members of many thousands of dollars in negotiated payments.
Yesterday's rulings by the Court of Appeals closes the state's last avenue of appeal. This is a terrific win not only for the affected locals and members but in our continuing battle to defend our collective bargaining rights from every attack.
I look forward to seeing all of you Thursday, 6/8 at 2:50 pm in Rowe Hall for the presentation of the proposed contract. The ratification vote is scheduled for Tuesday, 6/13 in each of the 3 buildings.