NYC News in Brief, Aug 22

NYC News in Brief, Aug 22: Verizon Strikers to Return to Work, EPA to Halt Concrete Cover Construction, Lawyer Predicts DSK Charges May Be Dropped.
NYC News in Brief, Aug  22
8/21/2011
Updated:
8/21/2011

Verizon Strikers to Return to Work

After a two-week strike, Verizon workers will return to their jobs on Monday, Aug. 22. In a statement issued on Saturday, Verizon Communications said that 45,000 employees represented by the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) unions will go back to work without any new agreements. The employees will be working under the terms of their expired contract, which has been extended from Aug. 6 to an unspecified date. Negotiations about critical issues, such as benefits, cost structure, work flexibility, and job structure, will continue. Verzion’s management team helped keep the company operating while the employees were on strike. Verizon spokesman John Bonomo said that Verizon had been relatively successful in continuing service with a large portion of employees absent from work. Verizon plans to quickly resolve customer requests neglected during the strike as soon as employees return to work.

 

EPA to Halt Concrete Cover Construction

In a letter to Sen. Charles Schumer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that it will consider postponing construction of a $1.6 billion concrete water cap for a Yonkers reservoir. While the agency has decided that the concrete cover would not need to be built until 2028, it will continue to follow the issue closely to determine whether the cap might become needed earlier, according to the Wall Street Journal. “Science will drive our ultimate decision,” wrote Lisa P. Jackson, EPA administrator. Schumer has been a vocal critic of the project and had written a letter to the EPA requesting a cheaper and more effective alternative to protect the water. In his letter, Schumer stated that the city had already started a project near the reservoir that uses ultraviolet light to treat water and that the EPA should consider other alternatives before spending more money to improve water quality. “New York City manages the largest and most impressive drinking water system in the nation, a system that provides clean drinking water for over 9 million residents and others located in the watershed area,” wrote Schumer. “Clean water systems are not one-size-fits-all, and New York City should not be made to comply with rules that are unduly onerous or costly and not based on the best available data.”

 

Lawyer Predicts DSK Charges May Be Dropped

The lawyer representing Nafissatou Diallo, a hotel maid that has accused former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, has predicted that the case may be dropped after he received a letter from the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Friday. The letter invited Diallo to a meeting at the district attorney’s office on Aug. 23, the day before the court is scheduled to decide whether to proceed with the case. The meeting‘s purpose was described as to explain to Diallo what would be expected in court. “My interpretation of that letter is that they’re going to announce that they’re dismissing the case entirely, or some of the charges,” Kenneth P. Thompson, the lawyer representing Diallo, told The New York Times. “If they were not going to dismiss the charges, there would be no need to meet with her.” In June, prosecutors were able to provide evidence that undermined Diallo’s credibility as a witness. Strauss-Kahn has denied all charges against him and is currently under house arrest in Manhattan. He resigned from the IMF post following the incident. Prior to his arrest, Strauss-Kahn was planning to run for president in France.