Public Employee Press

Mayor de Blasio ends city attack on blue-collar pay

Mayor Bill de Blasio has ended his predecessor's attempt to cut the wages of the city's 10,000 prevailing-rate employees by unilaterally changing their civil-service classification. On July 11, the city withdrew former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's appeal of a 2012 court ruling against the reclassification.

"We are seeing a 180-degree change in city labor policy," said James Tucciarelli, president of Sewage Treatment Workers and Senior STWs Local 1320. "Mayor de Blasio recognized that Bloomberg's plan was unjust."

The plan would have ended the workers' right under state Labor Law Section 220 to have their wages set according to a city Comptroller's survey of pay in similar private-sector jobs.

Bloomberg's attack on blue-collar pay, which would have led to a two-tier pay system, came shortly after a court upheld the substantial pay increases former Comptroller John Liu granted to Laborers in DC 37's Local 924.

Local 376 filed a lawsuit and all the city's prevailing rate unions fought the plan in court, with DC 37 Associate General Counsel Steven Sykes and Assistant General Counsel Jesse Gribben representing the union.

Local 376 President Gene DeMartino and Treasurer Thomas Katou praised de Blasio for delivering on his campaign pledge to address the dispute.

DC 37's 2010-2017 contract should lead to the resolution of another Bloomberg attack on prevailing-rate workers.

In apparent retaliation for the big raises that resulted from the survey process, Bloomberg refused to participate in contract talks with Locals 1320 and 1087, denying the two 4 percent raises most employees got earlier to 800 STWs and 125 Radio Repair Mechanics in Local 1087.

After a recent meeting with labor relations officials, the locals are awaiting an offer from the city, Tucciarelli said.

"We want to be treated fairly and offered what the other prevailing-rate locals were offered," said Local 1087 President Manual A. Roman.