By LILLIAN ROBERTS
Executive Director
District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO

After four long, hard years of no pay increases while the price of everything we have to buy kept going up, our new contract means DC 37 members will finally see their income rising so they can start catching up with the cost of living. We stood strong in these negotiations, and we brought home a fair deal for our members in a tough economic climate.

The proposed contract will raise our salaries by more than 10 percent by September 2016, and members will get substantial payments by late October or early November of this year - a combination of the $1,000 "signing bonus" and retroactive raises for 2011, 2012, and 2013 - adding up to about $3,600 for an average member who was making $42,581 in 2010.

And we made major strides toward justice on some non-economic issues.

At just the right time, while the Long Beach court decision forces the city to eliminate provisionals in thousands of upper-level positions, this contract marks a new day for our union and Mayor Bill de Blasio by opening the door to promotions in a fairer way than ever before.

For the first time ever, the city has agreed to work with a union to study and eliminate unfair barriers to career advancement. Our agreement creates a committee on recruitment and promotion made up of top administration officials with equal union representation. This group will take a sharp look at the impact of the one-in-three rule that has let management unfairly bypass so many of our members for promotions.

The agenda will be civil rights progress in civil service as this team focuses on advancement opportunities for the minority and women workers who have been historically underrepresented in upper-level city jobs.

This pact truly opens a new era in labor relations for this city, because it was negotiated with a focus on working out our differences in a spirit of mutual respect between the city and our committee. I believe this new tone stems from Mayor Bill de Blasio's understanding of the hard work and dedication of our members in providing the vital services that keep this great city running and his deep respect for working people.

During our last night at the bargaining table, we reached a point where we weren't making progress. I telephoned the mayor, and he came through for our members. He didn't give us all we wanted, but he agreed to what we needed.

You can read all the details on the following pages of this newspaper, but I have to give you an important warning: This contract will only take effect, and the listed pay raises will only become real money in our pockets, if you, the members of DC 37, vote for it.

Your Negotiating Committee, Executive Board and Delegates all voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement, but in our democratic union it is only the vote of the membership that can give the final okay to a contract. You will get your ballot in the mail. Be sure to vote YES to ratify this economic package, and be sure to mail back your ballot.

Getting this contract was no easy task. The Negotiating Committee, made up of the presidents of every local, showed tremendous dedication. Early in the morning and late at night, they persevered. They showed the intelligence to compromise when that would bring gains for members, and they showed fortitude when they needed to stand firm. Associate Directors Henry Garrido and Oliver Gray, Research and Negotiations Director Evelyn Seinfeld and General Counsel Robin Roach constantly provided the insight, analysis and leadership the committee needed. On behalf of our 121,000 members, I thank them all for their help in achieving this contract.

The most important element in this tremendous victory was the strength and patience of the membership of DC 37. We waited a long time for this contract, we fought hard for it, and the fruit of our labor is a contract we can all be proud of.