DC 37 SETTLES THEIR CONTRACT; LIRR UNIONS THREATEN STRIKE

DC 37 has settled on a contract calling for 10%  salary increases over seven years +.  It basically follows the pattern set by the UFT in May including the undetermined health savings which might be reduced benefits and/or higher copayments as opposed to us paying part of the healthcare premium. However, it does look like there is one significant difference.

It is interesting to note that the city seems to have sufficient funds to pay all of the back pay they owe DC 37 since 2011.  I don't see in any of the press reports that DC 37 members will have to wait until 2020 to get their arrears like UFT members or wait until 2018 to have higher pay scales from previous years added to paychecks.  Maybe I missed it.

Here is what the DC 37 statement on the contract says about 2014 raises: "...our members will see their base pay increase by 4.58% in September 2014.”  This is 4.58% over their 2010 salaries.  UFT members by September 2014 will see our pay rise by 2% over 2008 figures.  It appears our kind patience of waiting to 2020 to be made whole from 2008 is clearing the way for other city workers to benefit now.

I certainly do not begrudge DC 37 members their well earned raises and I can almost understand why our arrears will take so long to be paid because it is so much but why couldn't we at least have the 8% from 2009-11, that other unions received as far back as 2008, put in our paychecks now instead of waiting in stages until 2018 for all of it to be added in?

What should we be doing?  As the entire teaching profession nationally is under a full scale attack from the elites, we should learn a little from the Long Island Railroad unions.  They are threatening a strike as early as July 20th.  Please don't go yelling about how we are unprepared for any job action (I agree) and LIRR workers are not covered by the Taylor Law which prevents legal strikes by most government employees in NYS.  A committee of the United Nations has already ruled that the Taylor Law's anti-strike provisions violate the principles of free association. You won't hear the UFT talking about this at any point in the near future.