Public Employee Press

Union wins pay battle against the MTA

A bitter pay dispute ended in May when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted to implement pay increases owed to 2,000 DC 37 members at New York City Transit and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.

Local 1655's members at the TBTA got an 8 percent pay increase June 16, including the two outstanding 4 percent raises owed under the current contract, plus 27 months of back pay on June 18.

At Transit, members in locals 154, 375, 983, 1407, 1655 and 2627, who already received their first 4 percent increase, will get the second 4 percent July 22 and 15 months of back pay Aug. 5.

As the MTA refused to pay increases that an arbitrator had ordered for thousands of Transport Workers Union members, the agency also held up the DC 37 members' raises.

Ultimately, the TWU prevailed in court and DC 37 pursued an improper practice complaint at the state Pubic Employment Relations Board over the MTA's refusal to pay the increases.

Jonathan Gray, president of Local 1655, which has about 600 members at the agencies, thanked the union team that helped win the pay fight: General Counsel Mary J. O'Connell, Associate General Counsel Robin Roach, former Director Dennis Sullivan and Assistant Director Vilma A. Ebanks of the Research and Negotiations Dept., and Rep Melroy Slowe of the White Collar Division.

State rent regulation workers get retro pay

Rent regulation employees in Local 1359 are scheduled to get about a month's retroactive pay on Aug. 4. The state owed the back pay because Gov. David Paterson stopped a 4 percent pay increase due April 1 as unions fought his plan to cut state employees' pay by 20 percent with one-day-a-week unpaid furloughs.

In May, a federal court blocked the furlough plan and the holdup of the April 1 pay increase because they would have denied pay increases negotiated in union contracts.

The state implemented the pay hike on May 26 and agreed to provide the retroactive money Aug. 4.

"Some of our members live paycheck-to-paycheck, so it's nice that they will receive the outstanding pay next month," said Local 1359 President Dennis Ifill.

Union battles city to hike differentials and increments

The union has filed for arbitration to force the city to raise the payments known as "additions to gross." The increases were due March 2 under the 2008-2010 economic agreement.

The payments cover uniform, equipment and transportation allowances; longevity increments; advancement and level increases; and assignment, certification, education, license, evening and night shift differentials.

DC 37 General Counsel Mary J. O'Connell filed the request for arbitration in May after the city rebuffed repeated union requests to implement the increases.

Members voting on changes in cultural pension

As PEP went to press, members of locals 374, 1306, 1501, 1502, 1559 and 1665 at the city museums, zoos and aquariums were voting on an agreement on changes in the Cultural Institutions Retirement System.

Staff of the union's White Collar Division and Research and Negotiations Dept. addressed more than a dozen worksite meetings to inform members of the changes, urge members to vote for the pact and mail in their ballots, which were to be counted June 24.

The changes will reduce benefits for the handful of CIRS members who opt for early retirement and collect their benefit before age 62. Without such a pact in place by June 30, federal pension law would let the CIRS trustees cut certain benefits and raise employer contributions unilaterally.