Public Employee Press

Gain in hard-fought battle
Local 1501 agreement restores zoo and aquarium pay


DC 37 Local 1501 and the Wildlife Conservation Society signed an agreement in June that restores higher titles and pay rates to the last nine of the 52 workers the agency laid off or forced into lower titles in 2009 when it cut jobs and pay to close a budget gap.

"This was a hard-won battle," said White Collar Division Director Mike Riggio, who with Council Rep Wendell Reid, local leaders and DC 37 Assistant General Counsel Aaron Amaral worked out the agreement with WCS.

"The layoffs and bumpings of members to lower titles were improper and unjust, so we stuck together and fought back," Riggio said. "We worked it out to have WCS correct their mistakes and adjust salaries to reflect what is right for our members under our economic agreement."

WCS managers agreed to restore the nine to their former salaries and make related payments retroactive to Feb. 2012. The negotiated settlement includes language to prevent similar problems in the furure.

WCS has rehired dozens of laid-off employees and recently added 19 new positions at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.

"This agreement restores the last nine members hit by the 2009 cuts," said Local 1501 President Robert Herkommer. "Some members took other jobs - we understand that three years is a long time to wait. We fought hard for this agreement and appreciate the members who hung in with us and were patient."

The WCS, which manages the city zoos and aquarium, is a private employer, and salary and job title restorations depend on employees' years of service. Local 1501 represents Maintainers, Attendants, Keepers, Food Service staff, and Gardeners at the Aquarium in Coney Island and the zoos in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and
Central Park.

"We now represent over 400 WCS workers, a new peak in membership," Herkommer added.