The social services and CUNY white collar and
blue collar bargaining units recently wrapped up talks on how to
allocate the 1 percent of additional compensation in the 2000-2002
economic agreement.
The CUNY blue collar unit concluded talks Sept. 26, the CUNY white
collar unit settled Oct. 16 and the social services and related
titles unit finished Nov. 7.
The social services unit, which represents 15,000 members, will
use the additional money to build upon the $522 annuity fund that
the union established in the previous contract.
Under the new agreement, the city will add $1.83 per covered day
- totaling $478 a year - to each member's account as long as he
or she remains in city service.
The union had expected to conclude talks several weeks earlier,
but management delayed the agreement by trying to make it contingent
on abolishing the seniority-based transfer clause. The clause was
one of the fruits of SSEU Local 371's monthlong strike in 1965,
and union negotiators refused to budge on the issue.
The white collar unit at the City University of New York negotiated
a settlement that allocates the additional funds to longevity payments.
The blue collar unit and Local 375 members in the white collar unit
will dedicate the 1 percent to across-the-board wage increases.
The union is pushing for CUNY to pay the increases as soon as possible.
Details about the costs of the longevities are still being worked
out. They will be paid once the union and CUNY agree on the value
of each longevity.
About 10,000 members are covered by the CUNY agreements, which run
July 1, 2000, through Sept. 30, 2002 (and remain in effect until
DC 37 negotiates a new economic agreement). The CUNY pacts also
call for a new labor-management committee that will deal with issues
related to the use of video display terminals.
The white collar committee members included President Joan Reed,
Maryann Avino and Henrietta Valinoti of Local 2054, President Esther
(Sandy) Tucker and Debbie Lane of Local 384, Sy Rutkin of Local
375, President Maf Misbah Uddin and Vijay Bhatia of Local 1407,
and President Ed Hysyk and Robert Ajaye of Local 2627.
Members of the blue collar committee included President Edna Williams
and Ella Montgomery of Local 1597 and President Charles Farrison
of Local 1797.
The local presidents who led the social services committee were
Charles Ensley (Local 371), Helen Greene (768), John Cummings (1113),
Alex Parker (1457), Juan Fernandez (Local 154) and Alfred Edwards
(1759).