Public Employee Press

Union wins no-layoff plan at closed aquarium

DC 37 and Local 1501 leaders averted layoffs at the storm-ravaged New York Aquarium when the Wildlife Conservation Society agreed to redeploy nine workers and offer a newly crafted retirement incentive to three others.

The WCS contacted the union in January to discuss the future of the seaside cultural institution in Coney Island, which has been closed since Hurricane Sandy did over $250 million in damage.

Trustees on the WCS Finance Committee asked aquarium management to plan on closing the institution for up to three years - or completely. Dedicated Local 1501 members there would have faced three years out of work and could have been rehired only if and when the aquarium reopened.

Aquarium managers offered an 11th hour solution involving partial restoration and limited opening of exhibits at a cost of $65 million and about 25 jobs, union officials said.

"We were especially sensitive to the importance of keeping members employed, especially in this tough economy," said Local 1501 President Robert Herkommer.

The local met in the aquarium, the first time a union meeting was held on aquarium property, to inform members of management's list of affected titles, explained DC 37 White Collar Division Director Mike Riggio. In February, the WCS offered a plan that cut 14 jobs; the union knew of at least three vacant positions and management cut the layoff list to 11.

The union stayed focused on securing employment for all the affected members, including Keepers, Maintainers, Supervising Maintainers, Attendants and a Restaurant Worker.

DC 37 also asked f or a retirement incentive, "although no such mechanism was in place at the time," said Riggio. WCS agreed to offer eligible workers an incentive of a week's salary for each year of service up to 20 weeks, plus pay for half the employee's accumulated sick time up to 120 days. Covered employees will stay on the payroll until their time is exhausted; then the incentive will kick in, their medical benefits will remain in place, and they can retire.

The union compiled a list of job openings at other WCS facilities including the Queens, Bronx, Prospect ark and Central Park zoos, but the plan faced a hurdle, since the various facilities have separate union contracts, which could have prevented direct transfers from one to another.

"Under these special circumstances," Riggio explained, "the WCS agreed that if positions become available at other facilities, members could transfer. And if workers obtained a security license or were in the process of getting that license, WCS said they could apply for security jobs."

The union found positions for all the aquarium workers except the three who opted for the retirement incentive. WCS agreed that as the legendary aquarium comes back on line, they will call everyone back to work there, even if they are employed at another facility.

"At all times during these negotiations, management was extremely open and considerate of the union's requests and the members' needs," Riggio said, "so we jointly came to a win-win agreement to keep members employed and protect their benefits and pensions."

The WCS has announced that the New York Aquarium will open partially to the public in late May.

The bargaining team included Riggio, Herkommer, Vice President Jeremy Sanders, Assistant White Collar Division Director Chris Wilgenkamp, Council Rep Wendell Reid and Research and Negotiations Dept. Assistant Director Heath Madom.

—Diane S. Williams