By REUVEN BLAU
On the last workday before the Spitzer sex scandal erupted, the then-Governor nominated a former Patrolmen's Benevolent Association attorney, Rosemary Queenan, to fill the vacant seat on the Public Employment Relations Board.
Ms. Queenan, who is currently a visiting Assistant Professor at Albany Law School, served as the PBA's assistant general counsel and associate general counsel for seven years and left in August 2007, according to the union.
City May Seek Veto
Her nomination, which was never publicly announced and is widely seen as a favor to the PBA, must be approved by the State Senate. Although PERB's Chairman said her name was withdrawn from consideration when Eliot Spitzer left office last month, it is expected to be resubmitted by Governor Paterson.
But her selection will likely be challenged by the Bloomberg administration, which is against having the entire three-member board comprised of labor attorneys who previously worked for unions, sources last week indicated.
"Do you really think the Senate is going to confirm anyone Spitzer put in when the dust settles?" one labor attorney said last week.
The third board position has remained vacant for more than two years. Mr. Spitzer nominated Eric J. Schmertz last year, but the veteran labor attorney withdrew his name after the State Senate refused to confirm his appointment, largely due to opposition from three of the city's supervisory police unions.
'Won't Oppose Her'
But the unions representing NYPD Detectives, Lieutenants and Captains appear to have no problems with Ms. Queenan. "We are not in opposition to her," said Michael J. Palladino, the Detectives Endowment Association president, after being told of her nomination.
The State Senate's Labor Committee approved her an hour before the New York Times reported the former Governor patronized a high-priced prostitution ring. "The scandal broke about an hour after she was finished," said PERB Chairman Jerome Lefkowitz. "When the Governor resigned, her nomination was automatically deemed withdrawn."
It remains unclear when her nomination might be revived. "I have not heard that her name has been resubmitted," Mr. Lefkowitz said. "I spoke to [Governor Paterson's] appointments office. They said they anticipated it would be resubmitted, but I do not have any specific information."
The lack of a complete tripartite PERB panel has created a backlog of labor cases pertaining to the state's largest public-employee union.
Mr. Lefkowitz has recused himself from all matters involving his longtime former employer, the Civil Service Employees Association.
Hite Steps Back
Similarly, the agency's other board member, Robert S. Hite, has removed himself from handling issues dealing with Council 82 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He served as the general counsel at that union from 1995 to 2000.
As a result, PERB has not addressed any matters brought to the board by those two unions since December 2006.
By all accounts, the incomplete board has not resulted in a major backlog, but there are several representation cases pending. "We have four or five unions that have won elections to represent specific titles and we can't certify them because the CSEA was a party to some of them, or a union that Mr. Hite had represented was a party," Mr. Lefkowitz remarked. "There are some inequities because we don't have a third member."
The police supervisory unions successfully bottled up the nomination of Mr. Schmertz in retaliation for his ruling as the chair of the 2005 PBA arbitration panel, which created much controversy by sharply reducing the starting pay for new cops.
Hurt the 'Unborn'
Practically all of the city's uniformed unions blasted that pattern-setting award, although it also increased incumbent officer salaries by 10.25 percent over two years.
Critics of the terms have repeatedly pointed out that those raises were partially funded by reducing the pay scale for new cops and other givebacks. The other police unions in all but one case had to slash starting pay for new promotees to get the same raises.
On the last workday before the Spitzer sex scandal erupted, the then-Governor nominated a former Patrolmen's Benevolent Association attorney, Rosemary Queenan, to fill the vacant seat on the Public Employment Relations Board.
Ms. Queenan, who is currently a visiting Assistant Professor at Albany Law School, served as the PBA's assistant general counsel and associate general counsel for seven years and left in August 2007, according to the union.
City May Seek Veto
Her nomination, which was never publicly announced and is widely seen as a favor to the PBA, must be approved by the State Senate. Although PERB's Chairman said her name was withdrawn from consideration when Eliot Spitzer left office last month, it is expected to be resubmitted by Governor Paterson.
But her selection will likely be challenged by the Bloomberg administration, which is against having the entire three-member board comprised of labor attorneys who previously worked for unions, sources last week indicated.
"Do you really think the Senate is going to confirm anyone Spitzer put in when the dust settles?" one labor attorney said last week.
The third board position has remained vacant for more than two years. Mr. Spitzer nominated Eric J. Schmertz last year, but the veteran labor attorney withdrew his name after the State Senate refused to confirm his appointment, largely due to opposition from three of the city's supervisory police unions.
'Won't Oppose Her'
But the unions representing NYPD Detectives, Lieutenants and Captains appear to have no problems with Ms. Queenan. "We are not in opposition to her," said Michael J. Palladino, the Detectives Endowment Association president, after being told of her nomination.
The State Senate's Labor Committee approved her an hour before the New York Times reported the former Governor patronized a high-priced prostitution ring. "The scandal broke about an hour after she was finished," said PERB Chairman Jerome Lefkowitz. "When the Governor resigned, her nomination was automatically deemed withdrawn."
It remains unclear when her nomination might be revived. "I have not heard that her name has been resubmitted," Mr. Lefkowitz said. "I spoke to [Governor Paterson's] appointments office. They said they anticipated it would be resubmitted, but I do not have any specific information."
The lack of a complete tripartite PERB panel has created a backlog of labor cases pertaining to the state's largest public-employee union.
Mr. Lefkowitz has recused himself from all matters involving his longtime former employer, the Civil Service Employees Association.
Hite Steps Back
Similarly, the agency's other board member, Robert S. Hite, has removed himself from handling issues dealing with Council 82 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He served as the general counsel at that union from 1995 to 2000.
As a result, PERB has not addressed any matters brought to the board by those two unions since December 2006.
By all accounts, the incomplete board has not resulted in a major backlog, but there are several representation cases pending. "We have four or five unions that have won elections to represent specific titles and we can't certify them because the CSEA was a party to some of them, or a union that Mr. Hite had represented was a party," Mr. Lefkowitz remarked. "There are some inequities because we don't have a third member."
The police supervisory unions successfully bottled up the nomination of Mr. Schmertz in retaliation for his ruling as the chair of the 2005 PBA arbitration panel, which created much controversy by sharply reducing the starting pay for new cops.
Hurt the 'Unborn'
Practically all of the city's uniformed unions blasted that pattern-setting award, although it also increased incumbent officer salaries by 10.25 percent over two years.
Critics of the terms have repeatedly pointed out that those raises were partially funded by reducing the pay scale for new cops and other givebacks. The other police unions in all but one case had to slash starting pay for new promotees to get the same raises.
