‘Sabotage’ suit vs. cable union is KOd

A MANHATTAN judge has tossed Spectrum’s suit against the union representing cable technicians — a victory for labor that came one day after a strike against the corporate giant entered its second year.

Spectrum sued Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in October, alleging that its members had intentionally sabotaged cable lines, cutting customers’ service.

But Judge Kathryn Freed ruled Thursday that the cable company’s allegations did not pass legal muster. Spectrum’s suit was rife with legal deficiencies and did not contain adequate evidence that union members were the perpetrators, she wrote.

“Charter’s allegations do not contain the names of the individuals who committed the allegedly unlawful conduct,” Freed wrote, referring to Spectrum by its corporate name, Charter Communications.

Last Wednesday, elected officials joined Local 3 at a rally marking one year since the start of their strike against Spectrum. The two sides are battling over benefits. The union seeks to hold on to its defined benefit pension fund and union health care plan.

“We’re ecstatic,” Local 3 business manager Chris Erikson said of the decision.

“I’m glad there are people with enough common sense to understand the law . . . I feel protected.”

But, he added, the decision likely wouldn’t bring the sides any closer to ending the strike by around 1,800 members.

A spokesman for Spectrum did not respond to a request for comment.

The company had said tens of thousands of customers were affected by vandals who knew how to cut lines to maximize the damage.

“We are pleased that Judge Freed saw through Spectrum/Charter’s attempt to deflect attention from its corporate greed and union-busting tactics,” Local 3 attorney John Byington said.