Public Employee Press

DC 37 at the bargaining table
Negotiators press talks for CUNY and prevailing rate workers, win contracts in TBTA, SCA units.

DC 37 has been negotiating new contracts for about 20,000 members who are not directly covered by the citywide economic pact. Some agreements have been reached as talks continue for prevailing rate and City University of New York employees.

“We are aggressively pursuing a number of new contracts,” said Research and Negotiations Director Dennis Sullivan.

Historically, the economic agreement for about 95,000 mayoral agency employees sets the pattern for prevailing rate blue-collar workers and members at CUNY, the School Construction Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.

The citywide economic agreement ratified by members in June includes a $1,000 bonus, a 3 percent raise effective July 1, 2003, a 2 percent raise as of July 1, 2004, and a possible 1 percent increase if a labor-management committee finds sufficient productivity savings.

Recent contract developments include:

• TBTA Clericals: In October, Local 1655 members at the TBTA approved a new contract similar to the citywide pact. The workers received the $1,000 Dec. 8, and checks were adjusted Dec. 22 to reflect the 3 percent and 2 percent raises.
  
  
• SCA: Bargaining Unit B has accepted a contract based on the economic agreement. Members in the unit are from Amalgamated Professional Employees Local 154, Accountants, Actuaries and Statisticians Local 1407, Board of Education Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1251 and Electronic Data Processing Personnel Local 2627.
  
  
• The union expects talks affecting Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375 members in SCA units A and C to heat up this month.
  
  
• CUNY: Talks are proceeding slowly. Historically, negotiations at the city university system are complex because four parties — the administration, the state, the city and the union — are involved.
  
  
• Prevailing rate: The city has asked locals covered by Section 220 of the state labor law to accept terms similar to the citywide economic agreement. The local bargaining committees are evaluating whether to do that or exercise their right under Section 220 to seek raises that reflect the prevailing rate of pay in the private sector.
  
  
• NYC Transit: In October, the authority agreed to approve a new contract based on the citywide economic agreement for members of locals 375, 1655, 154, 2627 and 1407.
  
  
• 1 percent raise: DC 37 and the city have held exploratory discussions of union productivity proposals for funding the additional 1 percent increase.