The social services and CUNY white collar and blue collar bargaining units recently wrapped up talks on how to allocate the 1 percent of additional compensation in the 2000-2002 economic agreement.

The CUNY blue collar unit concluded talks Sept. 26, the CUNY white collar unit settled Oct. 16 and the social services and related titles unit finished Nov. 7.

The social services unit, which represents 15,000 members, will use the additional money to build upon the $522 annuity fund that the union established in the previous contract.

Under the new agreement, the city will add $1.83 per covered day - totaling $478 a year - to each member's account as long as he or she remains in city service.

The union had expected to conclude talks several weeks earlier, but management delayed the agreement by trying to make it contingent on abolishing the seniority-based transfer clause. The clause was one of the fruits of SSEU Local 371's monthlong strike in 1965, and union negotiators refused to budge on the issue.

The white collar unit at the City University of New York negotiated a settlement that allocates the additional funds to longevity payments. The blue collar unit and Local 375 members in the white collar unit will dedicate the 1 percent to across-the-board wage increases. The union is pushing for CUNY to pay the increases as soon as possible.

Details about the costs of the longevities are still being worked out. They will be paid once the union and CUNY agree on the value of each longevity.

About 10,000 members are covered by the CUNY agreements, which run July 1, 2000, through Sept. 30, 2002 (and remain in effect until DC 37 negotiates a new economic agreement). The CUNY pacts also call for a new labor-management committee that will deal with issues related to the use of video display terminals.

The white collar committee members included President Joan Reed, Maryann Avino and Henrietta Valinoti of Local 2054, President Esther (Sandy) Tucker and Debbie Lane of Local 384, Sy Rutkin of Local 375, President Maf Misbah Uddin and Vijay Bhatia of Local 1407, and President Ed Hysyk and Robert Ajaye of Local 2627.

Members of the blue collar committee included President Edna Williams and Ella Montgomery of Local 1597 and President Charles Farrison of Local 1797.

The local presidents who led the social services committee were Charles Ensley (Local 371), Helen Greene (768), John Cummings (1113), Alex Parker (1457), Juan Fernandez (Local 154) and Alfred Edwards (1759).