Opinion ID: 548940
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Events Leading to the Adelman Arbitration

Text: 9 Although it was Waters' sexual harassment of a female co-worker in July 1988 that catalyzed this lawsuit, the dispute between Newsday and Waters began on June 21, 1983, when Waters, a compositor at Newsday's Melville, New York facility since 1968, was discharged for disorderly conduct in violation of Composing Room Office Rules. On June 25, Newsday voluntarily reinstated Waters, but Waters and the Union filed a grievance against Newsday for the suspension. The issue was arbitrated before George F. Sabatella in November 1983. 10 On February 23, 1984, Arbitrator Sabatella issued an award sustaining the disciplinary action as not being in violation of the parties' collective bargaining agreement. In his decision, Sabatella stated: 11 certain female employees also working in the composing room have complained to Newsday management about Mr. Waters [sic] behavior. It appears that when Mr. Waters was occasioned to pass by these female employees certain offensive and unauthorized contact took place. 12 Although Sabatella determined that the award was nonprecedent setting, 1 he stated: 13 Furthermore, I am also of the opinion the type and degree of misconduct which was the basis of Mr. Waters' disciplinary action can not in any way be tolerated in the work place for it disrupts and demoralizes the people functioning of [sic] a unit. Any action on the part of Mr. Waters which is consistent with this past citable behavior shall be grounds for immediate discharge and he will not be given the benefit of the doubt or shown any leinency [sic]. 14 Waters was again discharged for disorderly conduct on July 22, 1988. The dispute over whether the discharge was for just cause was submitted to Arbitrator Richard Adelman who, in an opinion and award dated August 25, 1989, made factual findings that included the following: Late in the evening on July 7, 1988, Waters brushed up against [a female co-worker's] lower back and upper buttocks, and then, ten minutes later, slammed into her back and said, 'Excuse me!' in a tone that made [the co-worker] feel the contact was not accidental. The co-worker reported the incident to the Union and to Newsday. Newsday conducted an investigation of this complaint, which revealed two other incidents of alleged sexual harassment. 15 As described by Arbitrator Adelman, Waters approached a woman in the composing room in late 1983 or early 1984, put his hand on her rib cage and started moving it down towards her waist. The woman grabbed Mr. Waters' hand and told him she would break his fingers if he ever did that again. Because the woman was a probationary employee at the time, she did not report the incident. 16 Another instance of harassment had occurred in the composing room in December 1986, when Waters came behind [a female co-worker] and slapped her on the rear end. Several supervisors witnessed the incident, but the worker refused to report it because she was new in the composing room. In light of these incidents and Sabatella's warning in 1984, Newsday discharged Waters on July 22, 1988.