Public Employee Press


Economic talks set for Dec. 11

District Council 37 and city negotiators will meet Dec. 11 to press toward a new economic agreement. Bargaining subcommittees have been meeting to resolve differences on issues such as the transit benefit and work schedules. The negotiations picked up in the fall after a break during the first half of the year as the union fought layoffs and the city grappled with a budget crisis, which it resolved by raising revenues and eliminating thousands of workers.

“There is a little more urgency to our contract talks now that the city’s budget picture has improved,” DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said. “Thousands of our members showed up for our rally October 29. I think that sent a clear message to the mayor that workers are fed up with the delays in negotiations and are anxious to have a new contract.”

As DC 37 and the Bloomberg administration negotiate a new economic agreement, talks are being held between the city and the Municipal Labor Committee over health care and other benefits.

The steering committee of the MLC, which coordinates health-care bargaining for city unions representing 300,000 employees, was to meet with the city Dec. 8 in an effort to resolve issues including the future of the PICA program, which covers psychotropic, injectable, chemotherapy and asthma drugs.

“If the MLC can settle these issues, it will have a big impact on our economic bargaining,” said Ms. Roberts, who represents DC 37 on the Steering Committee together with DC 37 President and Local 372 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa and SSEU Local 371 President Charles Ensley.

Subcommittees discussing transit benefit and flextime
At the last bargaining session on Oct. 28, union and city negotiators established two committees on non-salary issues. One is focused on alternative schedules, telecommuting and heat days and the other is dealing with the transit benefit, which the union won in the last contract.

“As we move toward a settlement on salaries, both sides felt it was important to deal quickly with certain non-economic issues,” said DC 37 Research and Negotiations Director Dennis Sullivan. “Since our last bargaining session, the committees have held a number of meetings, which we feel have been productive.”