Public Employee Press

Subcommittees formed to speed wage talks

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Union and city negotiators have established joint working groups to discuss key issues in the bargaining for a new economic agreement.

As PEP went to press, the DC 37 Negotiating Committee was scheduled to meet with city negotiators March 30 to continue talks about the new pact. Both sides hoped that the work of the bargaining subcommittees, which were set up at a Feb. 21 meeting, would lead to progress at the March 30 session.

“We have stressed to the city that we would like to wrap up negotiations as soon as possible,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “That is one of the reasons we wanted subcommittees to help in the process.”

The subcommittees are assigned to deal with welfare fund benefits, citywide issues, pensions and a salary review procedure.

Subcommittees meeting
The Welfare Fund Subcommittee met March 7 and exchanged views about the union and city demands concerning benefit coverage, including funding for the prescription drug benefit.

The Citywide Subcommittee met March 7 and March 14 on subjects such as meal and mileage allowances, time and leave issues and civil service and personnel matters.The Salary Review Subcommittee met March 15 and the Pension Subcommittee on March 22.

The city and union opened the new round of bargaining on Dec. 5. The union presented its demands at the opening session, and the city issued its proposals on Feb. 7. The city’s demands include pension and health-care modifications.

Both sides have agreed to refer health-care matters to the Municipal Labor Committee. United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is chair and Roberts is secretary of the MLC, an umbrella group of city unions that negotiates on health and welfare benefits for municipal employees.

The citywide economic agreement under negotiation covers nearly 100,000 municipal employees represented by DC 37. The previous agreement expired June 30, 2005, but its provisions remain in effect during the negotiations.

The union proposed a two-year pact with a fair, reasonable and livable wage increase and the preservation of health and other benefits. The city has proposed a three-year agreement with a first year wage increase of 3.15 percent and additional raises to be funded, in part, through cost-savings initiatives.