A big victory for city unions
Unions representing thousands of city and school district employees won a big court victory Wednesday.
A judge sided with unions, saying workers must be placed on the salary steps they would have attained had Buffalo's control board not imposed a wage freeze.
The city and its Board of Education maintain that employees are only entitled to move one notch up the salary scale, even if they missed multiple step increases during the 38-month-long freeze. The control board lifted the freeze in July.
If the ruling survives an appeal by the control board, the city and its school district will have to find an additional $130 million over the next four years, according to attorneys.
Unions claim the extra costs can be offset by bulging surpluses and anticipated increases in state aid. City, school and control board officials claim the added fiscal burden will have a devastating impact. Layoffs may occur, and the wage freeze might have to be reimposed if an appellate court lets Wednesday's ruling stand.
Should employees be elevated to the salary steps they would have been at had the wage freeze never existed?
-- Brian Meyer
