Eric Schmertz
| Eric Joseph Schmertz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 24, 1925 The Bronx, New York City, New York |
| Died | December 18, 2010 (aged 84) Mount Kisco, New York |
| Occupation | Lawyer, law professor, and labor negotiator |
| Relatives | Herbert Schmertz (brother) |
Eric Joseph Schmertz (December 24, 1925 – December 18, 2010) was an American lawyer who specialized in labor negotiation, helping reach agreements between workers and management in many strikes and other threatened union actions in New York City, including actions by the city's taxi drivers and other municipal workers, as well as helping resolve other negotiations elsewhere in the United States. A law professor for many years, he also served as dean of Hofstra University School of Law.
Schemrtz was born on December 24, 1925, in the Bronx. Raised in suburban New Rochelle, New York, he played baseball at New Rochelle High School and was tendered a contract to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates after being spotted by a scout for the team. Schmertz rejected the offer and enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After completing his military service he completed his undergraduate degree in 1948 at Union College and earned his law degree in 1952 from the New York University School of Law.
When The Rockettes went on strike at Radio City Music Hall in 1967, Schmertz helped negotiate a deal that brought the dancers pay increases of 15%. A 1969 negotiation he oversaw brought 2,000 striking cab drivers back to work. While negotiating a labor agreement relating to adjusting the schedules of employees of the New York City Fire Department in 1970, Schmertz spent time with a firehouse and joined the firemen on calls to incidents.
Mayor of New York City Ed Koch refused to reappoint him after he had served 15 years as part of the city's negotiating board, saying that Schmertz had favored union workers over the needs and concerns of the city. Koch was so bothered by the favoritism he perceived that Schmertz had for union workers, that he said that he had "turned Schmertz into a verb and a noun", so that "If you have been abused, we say you have been Schmertzed. If you get an unwarranted and undeserved payment from the City of New York, you say, 'Thank you Mr. Mayor, for the Schmertz.'" "Schmerz" is a German and Yiddish word for pain.
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