Public Employee Press


Unit contract victory
Social Service workers gain in new city deal

The new unit contract for social service workers will boost the city's contribution to the group's annuity fund and provide extra pay for employees with at least 10 years on the job.

The union's Social Services and Related Titles Unit wrapped up bargaining with the city on the contract in May.

The term of the contract is from March 3, 2010, to July 2, 2017, matching the duration of the union's economic agreement with the city, that covers more than 100,000 municipal workers.

The contract will be funded by an "additional compensation fund" equivalent to .52 percent of the city's payroll, due at the end of the economic agreement.

Under the economic agreement, the union's unit and workplace bargaining committees must settle their contracts before members can receive a 3 percent salary increase due on Sept. 3.

"We didn't get everything that we wanted, but this is a nice settlement," said Anthony Wells, president of Social Services Employees Union Local 371. "This will strengthen our annuity, which has already worked out very well, and it extends the RIP to more people."

The RIP, or recurring increment payment, will cover workers with at least 10 years experience as of March 3, 2017. The $500 annual RIP will be distrubed every other week in members paychecks. The RIP is pensionable.

The unit contract covers 15,000 social service workers in locals 371, 1549, 768, 113 and 1070.

The unit contracts of workers at mayoral agencies deal with working conditions and non-salary payments - such as RIPS and longevities - for specific titles.

The social services unit contract also calls for a $40 increase in the city's contribution to the annuity. With the increase, the city's total annual contribution will be $724.

The contract also includes non-economic items.

A side letter calls for due process rights for provisional employees with more than two years of experience in titles that lack active civil service exam lists.

The city also agreed that new employees and employees returning from unpaid leave are on the payroll within two weeks. That will ensure the workers receive timely coverage of their health insurance, welfare fund and other benefits, said Moira Dolan, senior assistant director of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations Dept., who coordinated the contract talks.

Following a requirement of their constitution, SSEU Local 371 members will vote on the contract on June 15. The other covered locals aren't required to vote on the contract.

Negotiations are continuing for several other DC 37 unit and workplace contracts.

— Gregory N. Heires