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Mass. Chief Justice Gets 'No Confidence' Vote After Union Ruling

Union workers are calling for the state's chief administrative judge for the Massachusetts Trial Court to step down.

The National Association of Government Employees on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted "no confidence" in Chief Justice Robert Mulligan.

The vote comes after an arbitrator last month ruled that the Trial Court violated a union contract by refusing to pay 3 percent pay raises since 2007 and has to pay $30 million in back pay. Union President David Holloway says Mulligan skirted state law by backing out of the contracts.

"Those types of things don't happen in labor relations, but for some reason, Justice Mulligan thinks he's above the law," Halloway said.

Mulligan's office released a statement Thursday saying he has deferred raises, frozen hiring and taken other measures to avoid layoffs because of budget restraints during the recession.

But Holloway says Mulligan doesn't show enough respect and support for his employees.

"It's tough enough to be on these urban streets and dealing with the type of people that these folks deal with every day and get slapped around by your employer," he said.

This program aired on June 10, 2010. The audio for this program is not available.

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