Date: Fri 21-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

police-union-dispute-COLA

Full Text:

Town Gets Favorable Ruling In Labor Dispute

A judge has ruled in favor of the town concerning a long-running labor dispute

between the town and the Newtown Police Union.

In a March 14 ruling, New Haven Superior Court Judge Beverly Hodgson denied a

police union request to invalidate a past arbitration award on a contested

issue involving annual pension cost of living adjustments (COLA) for retired

police officers.

The police union filed a grievance on June 14, 1993, alleging that the town

had violated the police labor contract by taking the position that in order to

be eligible for an annual COLA in their pensions when police officers retire,

they must be 55 and must have worked for the department for at least 25 years

at the time of their retirement.

The police union claimed that the COLA should also apply at age 55 to retirees

who retired before age 55 with at least 25 years of service.

On June 24, 1993, the union filed a demand with the state Board of Mediation

and Arbitration for binding arbitration to resolve the dispute.

The panel ruled that the dispute was non-arbitrable because no actual dispute

existed concerning the payment made to any individual employees. The panel

urged the town and the police union to negotiate rather than seeking grievance

arbitration.

In September 1996, the police union filed a labor grievance after the town

denied COLA pension benefits to retired Sergeant Klaus Ertl, a police officer

who retired with more than 25 years of service but who had not reached age 55.

Sergeant Henry Stormer, the police union president, was not available for

comment before press time Thursday morning.