NY Court of Appeals sides with Ogdensburg Fire Union, issues go to arbitration

OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) - A win in court for the union representing Ogdensburg firefighters.

The New York State Court of Appeals denied an appeal by the City of Ogdensburg which sought to prevent two issues from going to arbitration.

After a state supreme court judge ruled in favor of the city, an appellate division court overturned that ruling, siding with the union, Local 1799.

Decisions made by city council over minimum staffing levels and the structure of the fire department will now be settled by an independent arbitrator.

A lawyer for Local 1799 says, “We are confident that the union will prove its case and receive damages associated with the breach of contract by the city.”

Ogdensburg’s city manager said the council has recently had a shift in majority opinion concerning the fire department, in a statement he said, “should a majority of city council decide to cease the defense of these issues, they will need to provide a definitive plan how the additional personnel and overtime resources will be funded for the remainder of this fiscal year and future years beginning in 2023.”

There’s no word on when arbitration will begin.

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