Catherwood LibraryILR School

The Civil Service Employees Association Local 1000 is suing the Mount Vernon Library in Westchester County, New York on behalf of library employees who say they should be paid the same as City Hall staff. The case was initially heard by an arbitrator who decided that the library staffers were only entitled to back pay for a retroactive raise if the library trustees removed specific language in the union contract stating that the library employees get raises when the city hall workers, who are also unionized, receive them. The Civil Service Employee’s lawyer says that the arbitrator’s decision violated public policy and grossly surpassed his authority. The case is now being heard in the New York Supreme court.