Co-op City Times 02/08/14

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Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community.

Vol. 49 No. 6

© Copyright 2014 Co-op City Times

Snow and ice deliver a one-two punch With the winter of 2014 becoming the most challenging in more than a decade for the entire metropolitan area, this week was perhaps the most challenging week of all as Mother Nature delivered a one-two punch of snow and ice on Monday and Wednesday. On Monday, February 3, snow began falling in the early morning overnight hours and fell steadily until

BY BILL STUTTIG

Open Board meeting scheduled to be held in Dreiser on Wednesday, February 12

Saturday, February 8, 2014

the early evening leaving up to 10 inches of snow in much of the Bronx, including Co-op City. Co-op City General Manager Vernon Cooper said with the forecast, a number of Buildings and Grounds and Janitorial workers were instructed to report to work at 5 a.m. Monday to begin the work of clearing the snow (Continued on page 4)

A small plow clears snow from the sidewalks of the Bartow Shopping Center Monday afternoon. Photo by Bill Stuttig

Riverbay’s labor attorney responds to allegations of unfair labor practices

Management would like to briefly respond to the recent articles regarding the wage and hourly litigation filed by several Riverbay employees. All named defendants, both corporate and individual, deny the allegations set forth in the Amended Complaint in the action Ramirez v. Riverbay Corp. et. al. Specifically, the Defendants in the action assert that hourly employees of Riverbay Corporation were properly compensated for all hours worked and were paid in accordance with the collective bargaining agreements that govern the terms and conditions of their employment. Further, we note that the pay practices challenged in the litigation are set forth in the collective bargaining agreement that was negotiated and approved by Local 153 and its members. Riverbay is proud of its long standing positive working relationships with the various labor unions that represent Riverbay’s almost 800 unionized employees. When complaints are raised to Riverbay, Riverbay works with the labor organizations to resolve them fairly and amicably. Indeed, had members of Local 153 utilized the grievance and arbitration process agreed to between Riverbay and Local 153 before filing the lawsuit, it’s possible that these complaints could have been resolved expeditiously. Riverbay provides quality employment to almost 1000 employees. In addition to fair wages, employees at Riverbay have access to quality health care at little to no cost. Riverbay also contributes a significant amount of money towards the various union pension plans and also provides paid sick, vacation and disability benefits. In fact, the benefits provided to Riverbay employees far exceed what is typically offered by private sector employers. Lastly, the personal attacks on Mr. Freedman are unfair and untrue. Any notion that Mr. Freedman is making a profit at the expense of Riverbay’s employees is simply false and defamatory. —Scott Trivella, Esq. Trivella & Forte, LLP

25¢

Riverbay Board President Bill Gordon has scheduled the third Open Board meeting for the 2013-2014 year to be held on Wednesday, February 12, 7 p.m. in the Dreiser Auditorium. As is usually the case, before the official beginning of the Board meeting at 7 p.m., cooperators who would like to discuss issues of concern or receive answers to specific questions from Riverbay department directors and personnel, will be able to do so between 67 p.m., when staff from the various service departments at Riverbay will be available to meet with shareholders. The Board Business meeting will begin promptly at 7:15 p.m. with the approval of the agenda (see page 2), followed by the approval of the Board Business Meeting Minutes of January 15, 2014. After this, the meeting will BY ROZAAN BOONE

proceed with Second Readings of resolutions which are discussed and then voted on by the Board Directors, followed by First Readings, which the Board will discuss and vote on at a later date. The fifth item on the agenda is Committee Reports and during this segment, the chairpersons of the various Board committees will report on the activities of their respective committees. The Gallery Session will be next and shareholders who have questions are asked to be concise so that as many cooperators as possible would have the opportunity to ask their questions as well. The Open Board meeting will adjourn after the Gallery Session. The Riverbay Board’s next scheduled Business meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 26.

Reminder to shareholders

No dogs, except service animals, are allowed on Co-op City premises. All dogs must be properly tagged and leashed. If you see a dog that is not properly tagged, please call Public Safety at (718) 671-3050.

Co-op City management receives prestigious industry award

Co-op City’s management, Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc., was honored as the “General Management Team of the Year” by the New York Association of Realty Managers (NYARM) at its annual dinner on Jan. 25 at Leonard’s of Great Neck. The award recognized the Riverbay Board of Directors and the management team of Riverbay Corp. and Marion Scott, Inc. for their dedication to the community as leaders in the New York City apartment management industry. In addition to managing the day-to day operations of one of the largest housing cooperatives in the nation, MSI was instrumental in successfully petitioning the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to open up its 223f program to cooperatives and thereby securing an historic $621M refinancing deal which is guaranteed by HUD and the City and State of New York. As a result of the deal, Co-op City’s interest rate for the next 35 years is fixed at an equivalent of 2.9% which results in $150M in mortgage interest savings to Co-op City’s shareholders over the first 14 years of the loan. Accepting the award were (l. to r.) Riverbay General Manager Vernon Scott; Riverbay Board President Bill Gordon; former Board President Helen Atkins; Herbert Freedman, a principal with Marion Scott, Inc; and Riverbay Assistant General Manager Gail Badger-Morgan. Photo courtesy of Bill Miller Photography


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