Public Employee Press

Pay talks scheduled for Sept. 24

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

The union and city plan to resume bargaining Sept. 24 for a new economic agreement that will cover almost 100,000 members.

"The money is there for a fair and reasonable wage increase for our members, so we plan to push hard to settle a new economic agreement," DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said.

"The city ended the last fiscal year with a surplus. We have identified millions of dollars in funds that would be available if the administration ended its wasteful spending on consultants and contracts and turned its attention to more aggressively collecting outstanding revenue," she said.

The union and the city opened economic bargaining in November 2011. However, negotiations remained stalled until the city and union agreeed this summer to resume talks after Labor Day.

"Our members need - and deserve - a raise," DC 37 Research and Negotiations Director Evelyn Seinfeld said. "Our last pay increase was in 2009, so they are really struggling to meet their household expenses. Since then, city employees have boosted their productivity as they cope with increasing workloads and downsizing."

The last contract expired in March 2010. Its terms will remain in effect until the union and the city conclude talks on a new pact.

At the opening session, the Negotiating Committee reacted unenthusiastically to the city's offer of a five-year contract with a three-year pay freeze.

The union seeks a three-year agreement with a "fair and equitable" pay hike, additional funding for health and welfare benefits and a no-layoff clause. The union also aims to eliminate the reduced initial pay scale and lower benefits for new workers, add recurring annuity payments and increase mileage and meal allowances.

At the opening session, Seinfeld spoke of the economic squeeze members face as they struggle to handle rising food, energy and transportation costs with stagnant wages.

"In recent years, the city has balanced its budget on the backs of our members, who deserve credit for continuing to maintain services for the taxpayers while working harder as the workforce shrinks," Seinfeld told PEP.

The economic agreement covers workers at city agencies, including the Dept. of Education, and the Health and Hospitals Corp., Housing Authority, libraries and cultural institutions.

The economic agreement does not directly cover prevailing-rate workers, Emergency Medical Service workers, or members at the Bridge and Tunnel Authority, NYC Transit, the City University of New York and the School Construction Authority. But the terms of the agreement generally shape their negotiations.