Article from NYPost.com by Khristina Narizhnaya
New York state employees rallied outside Manhattan Supreme Court Tuesday, October 28th.
Photo: John Mantel
Hundreds of court employees hit the streets of lower Manhattan Tuesday to protest cutbacks and a contract offer that includes no raises for three years.
Clerks and court officers filled the sidewalk outside Manhattan Supreme Court at 100 Centre St. railing against proposed givebacks and a lack of overtime.
“They want us to produce more with two-thirds less of the staff, and they won’t grant any overtime,” said Irene Laracuenta, a supervising jury clerk in Manhattan. “They won’t replace the people we’ve lost. The public is really getting hurt.”
Union officials said the contract proposal from the Office of Court Administration demands too many givebacks and doesn’t keep pace with the cost of living.
“If you didn’t have it, we would understand,” said Billy Imandt, president of the Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County. “But you have it. It’s degrading.”
An Office of Court Administration spokesman declined to comment on the contract or negotiations.