Public Employee Press

96% vote yes on CUNY pact

Workers at CUNY colleges have overwhelmingly ratified their new contract, which includes an $800 signing bonus and pay increases totaling 8.5 percent. The American Arbitration Association handled the mail-ballot vote. AAA announced March 31 that DC 37 members at the City University of New York voted 3,094 to 111 in favor of the pact, a 96 percent yes vote.

The contract runs from Oct. 1, 2002, to Sept. 30, 2006. It covers 11,000 blue- and white-collar workers in six DC 37 locals: 2054, 384, 375, 1597, 1407 and 2627.

The pact calls for a 2.5 percent pay hike retroactive to Oct. 1, 2003, 2.75 percent retroactive to Oct. 1, 2004, 2 percent on Oct. 1, 2005 and 1 percent in 2005. The union is pressing CUNY to provide the back pay and implement the raises as soon as possible.