Public Employee Press

Local 1087 approves 10 percent pay increase

Printing Press Operators and Compositors in Prevailing Rate Employees Local 1087 overwhelmingly approved an 84-month contract that boosts their pay by 10.4 percent.

This contract mirrors the economic agreement approved by tens of thousands of other DC 37 members last year. The union's blue-collar (prevailing rate) workers vote on their own contracts, though they often accept of the terms of the agreement that covers the vast majority of members in District Council 37.

"Negotiations generally ran smoothly, and the contract was a fairly straight- forward deal," said Manuel A. Roman Jr. the local's president. "Members were generally very happy with the agreement."

The contract calls for 1 percent hikes on May 1, 2012, May 1, 2013, and May 1, 2014; 1.5 percent on May 1, 2015; 2.5 percent on May 1, 2016, and a final increase of 3 percent on May 1, 2017.

With compounding, the total raise amounts to 10.4 percent. The term of the contract is from May 1, 2011, to April 30, 2018.

About 20 Printing Press Operators and Compositors voted in favor of the contract on Jan. 28.

Most of the Printing Press Operators and Compositors work preparing bulletins, parking permits, programs and booklets for the New York Police Dept. Other Local 1087 members are at the Dept. of Mental Health and Hygiene.

City workers agreed to extend their contract in order to cover an additional compensation fund and recurring pay increments. The Local 1087 members, who do not receive RIPs, extended their contract to boost this rate increase.

David Paskin, associate director of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations Dept., coordinated the work of the Local 1087 bargaining committee, whose members included Roman, Vice President (Printing Press) Dennis Puleo and Treasurer Ron Riccardi.

— GNH