Public Employee Press

DC 37 turns up the heat on CUNY in contract talks

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

"While the governor's $15 minimum wage plan is a positive step to address inequality and wage stagnation, it is also outrageous that our 10,000 members at CUNY are being left out."
— Henry Garrido DC 37 Executive Director

The union has made a counter proposal to the City University of New York (CUNY) for a new contract, calling for a 14 percent wage increase over seven years.

DC 37 submitted its pay proposal at a negotiations session on Dec. 22.

In addition to the 14 percent wage increase, the union's proposal calls for City University of New York to increase its welfare contributions by $200 for every employee.

DC 37's proposal generally matches the provisions of its current economic agreement with the city that covers tens of thousands of workers. CUNY has offered a paltry 6 percent over seven years.

The CUNY contract negotiations are occurring as the funding of the city's university system becomes a hot statewide political issue.

The talks are growing more complicated because Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed state budget calls for a major shift of funding to the city - to the tune of $485 million a year.

Earlier this year, the governor vetoed a bill that would have helped cover the cost of CUNY's contracts with DC 37 and the Professional Staff Congress, which represents the faculty and other unions. The bill aimed to soften the budget cuts at CUNY since the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

CUNY negotiations have always been complicated because of the university system's funding structure. CUNY relies on funding from the state, city and tuition.

The Cuomo administration's failure to free up funds for a settlement is making this round of talks especially difficult. Cuomo's budget includes $240 million for collective bargaining costs.

Another complicating factor is that while Cuomo included State University of New York employees in his $15 minimum wage plan he unveiled on Jan. 4, he excluded workers at the city's public universities and colleges.

"While the governor's $15 minimum wage plan is a positive step to address inequality and wage stagnation, it is also outrageous that our 10,000 members at CUNY are being left
out," DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said. "I don't understand how he can treat two groups of public education workers differently."

Many CUNY workers are paid less than $15 an hour. DC 37 members at CUNY haven't seen a wage increase in seven years.