INTRODUCTION

The New York City Office of Collective Bargaining ("OCB") and its constituent Boards, the Board of Collective Bargaining ("BCB") and the Board of Certification ("BOC"), were created by the New York City Council in 1967 through enactment of Chapter 54 of the City Charter. The OCB and its Boards are charged with administering and enforcing the provisions of the New York City Collective Bargaining Law, New York City Administrative Code, Title 12, Chapter 3 ("NYCCBL").

Enactment of the NYCCBL represented a commitment to the collective bargaining process by the City of New York and the municipal labor unions. The structure of OCB was uniquely designed to ensure impartiality in the resolution of labor disputes and acceptability to both labor and management.

OCB is an independent, impartial agency authorized, through its Boards, to resolve questions concerning union representation, issues concerning the collective bargaining process (including contract mediations and impasses), claims of improper labor practices (including discrimination based on union activity, refusal to bargain, and breach of the duty of fair representation), and the administration of the parties' contractual arbitration process.