Daily News (New York), December 22, 2005, Thursday

Copyright 2005 Daily News, L.P.
Daily News (New York)

December 22, 2005 Thursday
SPORTS FINAL EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 7

HEADLINE: STRIKE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TOP LABOR REF'S CAREER

BYLINE: BY ADAM LISBERG and TRACY CONNOR DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

BODY:
THE STATE mediator brought into the transit strike talks has intervened in some of New York's nastiest labor disputes - but nothing as big as the standoff between the TWU and the MTA.
Still, those who have worked with Richard Curreri said the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) veteran is the perfect man for a potentially thankless job.
"He is a master of mediation," said Dennis Campagna, an independent mediator and faculty member at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
"If he can't solve the strike, no one can," said Phil Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation. "He's the most skilled man they've got."
In 2000, when Buffalo's public school teachers hit the picket line, the PERB sent in Curreri, and he brokered a five-year contract within days. "The guy is tough on both sides," Rumore said. "But he's fair to both sides.
"When you're in a situation like this, you need someone you can trust. And both sides feel they can trust him because he doesn't play favorites."
Curreri, 53, a married father of two who lives in upstate Voorheesville, has been with the employment relations board for 27 years and has headed its Office of Conciliation since 1991.
His boss, PERB Chairman Michael Cuevas, said Curreri's easygoing personality and conversational skills are a big help in cutting the tension at the bargaining table. "He has an ease in getting people to talk to him," Cuevas said.
Since joining the PERB, Curreri has mediated some significant strikes, including the 1999 walkout by Yonkers teachers.
He recently helped hammer out a contract between the Olympic Regional Development Authority in Lake Placid and Civil Service workers.
But regardless of Curreri's past successes, some observers say he won't be the white knight riding to the rescue of city straphangers.
"This particular part of PERB would not be able to provide the oomph to resolve this case," said Lee Adler, another faculty member at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
"In a situation like this, where there are such big players . . . I would be surprised if they are the major entity to bring the strike to an end." tconnor@nydailynews.com

GRAPHIC: Richard Curreri