Local 342 v. Helsby
The petitioner initiated an Article 78 proceeding to challenge the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) decision. The petitioner sought to decertify the Suffolk County Chapter of CSEA and gain certification as the exclusive negotiating representative for the Town of Smithtown's full-time blue-collar employees, advocating for a separate bargaining unit. PERB dismissed the application, affirming a long-standing history of effective negotiations for all Town of Smithtown employees, where blue-collar workers constituted a significant majority within the existing unit. The court upheld PERB's determination, finding it supported by substantial evidence and that PERB appropriately considered past negotiating history under the Civil Service Law, concluding that no conflict of interest prevented effective negotiations within the current bargaining unit.