Public Employee Press

Pay hikes top 13% in state court workers’ pact

Local 1070 President Cliff Koppelman, right, shakes hands with James Welsh, deputy director for labor relations at the Office of Court Administration, as negotiations wrap up on April 2. The union's negotiating team, from right, includes Fausto Sabatino, Koppelman, Dennis Sullivan, Lillian Roberts, Chris Wilgenkamp, Jesse Gribben, Angela O'Conner and Tom DeRosa.

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

State court workers will vote May 5 on a tentative four-year contract that calls for a total wage increase of more than 13.5 percent with no givebacks.

“We’re satisfied with this proposed contract,” said Cliff Koppelman, president of Court, County and Dept. of Probation Employees Local 1070.

“This agreement calls for good wage increases, provides other improvements and protects our benefits while the economy is taking a hit and the state faces fiscal uncertainty,” said Koppelman, who is also secretary of DC 37.

The Local 1070 bargaining committee wrapped up the agreement in a marathon bargaining session over three days that began March 31, when the Unified Court System put a serious, comprehensive offer on the table.

The pact covers 1,450 members and runs from April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2011.

It calls for retroactive increases of 3 percent or $950, whichever is greater, effective April 1, 2007, and 3 percent or $975 as of April 1, 2008, and future hikes of 3 percent or $1,000 on April 1, 2009, and 4 percent or $1,025 on April 1, 2010.

The local also won hefty increases in the location pay that compensates members for the high cost of living in the New York City area. The location pay rises from $1,950 to $3,252 in 2006, to $3,350 in 2007, $3,451 in 2008, $3,555 in 2009 and $3,697 in 2010.

Another major gain is a new 30-year longevity. The payment will be $2,000 for workers reaching their third decade on April 1, 2008, $2,050 on April 2009 and $2,100 on April 2,010.

The contract also increases the 20-year and 25-year longevity bonuses. It restores funding for the Quality Through Participation fund, which helps defray members’ nonreimbursed spending on health, elder care and child care.

The contract increases the court system’s contribution to the union welfare fund, extends bereavement leave to cover mothers and fathers-in-law, lets workers go home early if the heating system fails and the temperature falls to 51 degrees, and requires management to work with the union to schedule training days when courts close during the holidays.

Besides Koppelman, the Local 1070 bargaining committee included Vice President Fausto Sabatino, Secretary-Treasurer Steven Schwartz and Executive Board members Tom DeRosa, Richard Beresford, Janice Swift, Charmaine Johnson, Denise Figueroa, Lionel Bajana, Chris Butters and Diane Taylor. Director Dennis Sullivan and Assistant Director Frank Burns of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations Dept. served as the lead negotiators with Koppelman and provided technical advice.

The contract covers Local 1070 members who work in the state courts, including Court Reporters, Interpreters, Law Stenographers, clerical workers and Law Librarians.