For The Record

Pam Silverblatt, the city's First Deputy Labor Commissioner for the past seven years, is a low-key, self-effacing public servant. It was not surprising, therefore, that after telling us she was leaving that job at the end of next week to become Vice Chancellor for Labor Relations at the City University of New York, she declined to be interviewed.

"I've had great opportunities and worked with terrific people, and I'm looking forward to joining CUNY," was all Ms. Silverblatt, who besides playing a key negotiating role has been responsible for overseeing the city's health benefits and deferred compensation plans, was willing to say about herself.

Fortunately, we found a few people to fill in the gaps.

"One of the finest human beings I've ever worked with, a class act, very smart, a very good negotiator, a friend for life," said her boss, Labor Commissioner Jim Hanley.

What may be more notable is that union officials who dealt with her in an adversarial role were nearly as effusive in describing her.

"If you asked me to find something that was objectionable about her, I couldn't think of anything," said Allen Brawer, a veteran union consultant who dealt with her in negotiations on behalf of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, Teamsters Local 237 and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

Asked what role Ms. Silverblatt played at the table, he responded, "She played a role of sanity. She was smart, she was analytical, she was fair and she made a good case for management. What she also did, which is rare in labor relations, was that she looked for a deal that was good for both sides."

Her skills in that regard particularly came into play, Mr. Brawer continued, during the negotiations on the USA contract prior to the current one, when the two sides ultimately agreed to significant changes in the Sanitation Department's collection productivity program, including the advent of one-person trucks.

"When problems were very difficult, she was always someone who had an open door," Mr. Brawer said.

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten also cited that round of contract bargaining, which was considerably rockier for most unions than the current one, in which more than a few have reached long-term deals before their old ones expired.

"That contract was just so intractable, and she took the time to be very creative and get it done," Ms. Weingarten said of the 2005 UFT agreement that made significant changes in work rules and disciplinary procedures in return for additional compensation, and also paved the way for the pension improvements she negotiated with the Bloomberg administration this October.

"I found her to be a very agile opponent," the UFT leader said. "Pam was in that grand tradition of people who have second-seated Jim who understood both sides' needs."

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City negotiators plan to use extra time to finish their case before the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association contract arbitration panel, leading the union to cite the strength of its preceding arguments.

"We have a very strong case and they have to counter that," asserted PBA President Patrick J. Lynch following last week's NYPD graduation.

The added hearings, which will begin on Jan. 7, will likely lead to the longest arbitration in recent city history.

While Police Officers have been working under an expired contract for more than three years, many have supported the union's stance against the city's wage offers.

That backing was evident last week after many officers at the graduation cheered Mr. Lynch following his introduction as part of the dais.

The union president maintained that the membership was prepared to wait however long it took and that cops have been constantly updated concerning the latest contract developments.

But one officer from East Harlem who called this newspaper last week said he wished the union would do a better job of informing the members.

"Everyone is supportive of Patrick Lynch," he said. "We think he's doing the right thing for us, but the complaint that I hear is about the lack of information coming from the PBA. It's a shame that we have to go to NYPD Rant for rumors."