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Public Employee Press
Local 1087 members ratify new contract Prevailing
Rate Employees Local 1087 recently approved a 32-month agreement providing
wage increases of nearly 10 percent for about 30 members in several job titles.
The members voted unanimously to ratify the pact in mail-balloting overseen by
the neutral American Arbitration Association. The contract follows the
terms of the current economic agreement covering nearly 100,000 DC 37 members.
Local 1087 represents prevailing rate blue collar workers who under
Section 220 of the state Labor Law dont have to follow the DC 37 model and
instead have their pay rates based on a survey by the city Comptroller of wages
and compensation for similar workers in the private sector. Local President
Victor Emanuelson said the local decided to opt for the DC 37 pattern since
the difference between the salaries of the affected local members and their private
sector counterparts was not very significant. The Local 1087 members covered
by the contract are Furniture Maintainers, Supervisor Furniture Maintainers, Furniture
Maintainers Helpers, Clock Repairers, Supervisor Clock Repairers, Printing
Press Operators and Press Operator Compositors. For its Radio Repair
Mechanics and Locksmiths, whose pay has fallen significantly behind private sector
employees who do the same jobs, the local has opted to seek a Comptrollers
survey. The contract for the furniture, clock and printing workers runs
from Oct. 1, 2006, to June 2, 2008. It provides for a 3.15 percent raise on Oct.
1, 2005, a 2 percent raise on Nov. 1, 2006, and a 4 percent hike on May 1, 2007.
Other provisions of the contract include a $100
increase in the citys welfare fund contribution for each member and retiree
and a one-time contribution of $166.67 for each covered individual. The citys
TransitChek program will be extended to cover Long Island Rail Road, Long Island
MTA buses and Metro-North Railroad. An additional compensation fund of
0.34 percent of payroll will be available at the end of the contract. The money
may be used for such items as recurring increments, longevities, annuities, uniform
allowances and assignment differentials. The local is also participating in a
Salary Review Panel that will consider proposals for extra compensation. The panel
has members from the city and the union and a third member chosen by both parties.
David Paskin, an assistant director of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations
Dept., helped coordinate negotiations with the city. In addition to Emanuelson,
Local 1087 members who participated in bargaining included Press Operator Ronald
Ricardi, a local trustee, and Press Operator Dennis Puleo, an executive board
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