Ross v. N.Y.C. Metro. Transit Auth.
| Decision Date | 10 July 2019 |
| Docket Number | 2017–05693,Index No. 291/17 |
| Parties | In the Matter of Leon ROSS, Respondent, v. NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY, et al., Appellants. |
| Court | New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division |
James B. Henly, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Robert K. Drinan of counsel, New York; Kalina Georgieva on the brief), for appellants.
David McGruder, Bronx, NY, for respondent.
LEONARD B. AUSTIN, J.P., SYLVIA O. HINDS–RADIX, JOSEPH J. MALTESE, LINDA CHRISTOPHER, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER
ORDERED that the order is reversed insofar as appealed from, on the law, with costs, that branch of the petition which was to vacate the penalty of termination is denied, the arbitration award is reinstated, and the matter is remitted to the Supreme Court, Kings County, for the confirmation of the arbitration award pursuant to CPLR 7511(e).
The New York City Transit Authority, named herein as the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority, and the Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (hereinafter together the appellants) terminated the employment of the petitioner, a bus driver, because of an incident involving the petitioner and a person who was in a wheelchair and waiting to board the bus. The petitioner commenced this proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 75 to vacate an arbitration award finding that the appellants had just cause to terminate the petitioner's employment because of the incident. The Supreme Court granted that branch of the petition which was to vacate the penalty of termination.
The arbitration proceeding at issue—conducted pursuant to the parties' collective bargaining agreement—was consensual in nature, and, as such, subject to the limited scope of review established by CPLR 7511. Therefore, the Supreme Court improperly applied the "closer judicial scrutiny standard" appropriate for reviewing an award that resulted from a compulsory arbitration process ( Matter of Tarantino v. MTA N.Y. City Tr. Auth. , 129 A.D.3d 738, 739, 8 N.Y.S.3d 923 [internal quotation marks omitted]; see Matter of New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Assn. v. State of New York, 94 N.Y.2d 321, 326, 704 N.Y.S.2d 910, 726 N.E.2d 462 ).
Pursuant to the applicable standard of review, an arbitration award rendered after a consensual arbitration process pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement may not be vacated unless it violates a strong public policy, is irrational, or clearly exceeds a specifically enumerated limitation of the arbitrator's power (see CPLR 7511[b] ; Matter of New York City Tr. Auth. v. Transport Workers' Union of Am., Local 100, AFL–CIO, 6 N.Y.3d 332, 336, 812 N.Y.S.2d 413, 845 N.E.2d 1243 ; Matter of Transit Workers Union, Local 100 v. New York City Tr. Auth. , 152 A.D.3d 530, 531, 57 N.Y.S.3d 530 ; Matter of Romaine v. New York City Tr. Auth. , 82 A.D.3d 986, 987, 919 N.Y.S.2d 91 ).
Contrary to the Supreme Court's determination,...
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