The Patrolman's Benevolent Association has filed for binding arbitration in their contract dispute with Mayor Bill de Blasio. The PBA issued a press release last week accusing the city of negotiating in bad faith. The city responded by charging the union with bad faith.
The PBA's only chance of winning at arbitration is if they can convince other municipal unions to let the PBA go first to set a pattern for raises for city workers in this round of bargaining. Pattern bargaining is when one municipal union settles with the city to set a pattern for raises or zeros. Other municipal unions then get the same settlement, although uniform unions often get 1% more than civilians. Pattern bargaining has been upheld by multiple arbitration panels over the decades.
We have expected the city to pick off a weak union like DC 37 to set the pattern. If DC37 resists, can a de Blasio phone call to UFT President Mulgrew be expected soon? The UFT settled first in 2014. Does Mulgrew have the sense to let the PBA go first?
For those who wish to contemplate what is on the table for the PBA from the city, just read part of the press release. Expect the UFT to get the same offer.
The City’s latest purported offer to NYC PBA members is the worst they have seen so far, featuring dramatic increases in out-of-pocket health benefit costs and other givebacks that would effectively wipe out the paltry wage increases they would receive. Among the City’s startling demands:
The health benefits reductions similar to those the de Blasio administration is seeking to obtain from the entire city workforce through the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), including the imposition of new medical deductibles, as well as a tiered copayment structures intended to drive members to utilize City-run Health + Hospitals Corporation hospitals and their affiliated doctors. For example, members who utilize top-tier hospitals and their affiliated doctors instead of HHC facilities would see their hospital in-patient copayments increase from the current $300 to $3,000 and their primary care doctor and specialist co-payments increase from the current $15 to $40.
A 57% reduction in the City’s contributions to the PBA Health & Welfare Funds, which provide NYC PBA members with prescription drug coverage and other benefits. This move would result in dramatic reductions in or the complete elimination of benefits provided to PBA members.
The elimination of the PBA Annuity Fund for both current members and future hires.
Along with thes draconian givebacks, the de Blasio administration is demanding that NYC PBA members accept below-inflation raises totaling 3.25% over two years, including months of zero raises.
PBA President Patrick J. Lynch said:
“The supposedly ‘labor friendly’ de Blasio administration is following the corporate union-busting playbook by offering below-inflation raises and slashing health and pension benefits. The City’s repeated bad faith proposals made a mockery of the negotiation process and were an insult to New York City police officers, who are already paid grossly underpaid in comparison to police officers in other departments locally and across the country.
32 comments:
Here’s the thing: If PBA goes to arbitration, the process can take up to a year or more to get settled. Our contract is up in November of this year. The mayor is going to totally want a less powerful union to settle first and set the pattern asap in case arbitration rules favorably to the PBA. However, the kind of givebacks the mayor is looking for is outrageous. Will the city try to eliminate our TDA? I also agree that the Mayor will be getting in touch with Mulgrew soon and try to put together a shitty contract with low raises but a possible improvement to our working conditions in which is needed to “sell” this contract to the rank and file teachers. I also predict this is going to happen before the summer Janus case gets decided.
This is the problem, de Blasio can say..."You want to wait another 5 years for a deal or you wanna get it done now?" Based on the retro situation, most would probably rather get it done now instead of getting those same tiny raises and having them hold 50k of retro. 4% over 2 years plus 1K up front prob gets it done.
4% over 2 years with a grand up front? I don’t think so.
Thats the best we can do. Prefer 10% over 7 years? Plus 50k held back for 11 years? This is the precedent the uft has set.
Count on the Union to completely lose out to the city in the next contract and then boldly tell its sheep-like members how great the new contract really is because there was an increasse in the number of informal observations. Only UFT JackAss fools will pay UFT dues after the Janus decision.
When I said "4% over 2 years with a grand up front, I don't think so", I was implying that the city would never make an offer that good to us. I would love to get an offer like that but I do not think for one second that the city will make such a generous offer. (Insert sarcasm here)
ANNO 12:09, I think you meant a "decrease" in the number of informal observations.
No an increase. Mulgrew thinks supervisors are there to support our teaching.
No thank you to a small Raise...these give backs are brutal and will be quite painful!
It won't stop until we get it together and say no more collectively.
Mulgrew is the FREE RIDER on the backs of UFT members! Say no to FREE RIDERS!
Yes, yes they will.
Knew, amazing deal that uft agreed to last year, which now is another negative for me..."...if an ATR is assigned to a school and rated Effective or Highly Effective by the school administration, absent extraordinary circumstances, the ATR will become a permanent member of the school community." Guess what, i will now be stuck in the school I am in, as provisional, because im in the effective or higher range. I signed something that said year then mutual agreement. Now, its too bad, I cant leave.
No an increase; UFT thinks they are the best thing for teachers.
New, not knew, my fault...
Here is Meathead Mikes negotiating strategy:
More givebacks, more erosion of members rights, increase in out of pocket health care, 7% TDA goes to 5%, longer work day, longer work year, more observations, and on and on, all in exchange for a 1% year "raise"
.
Then he crows to membership "the cupboards are bare!, the cupboards are bare!" as he's bending over the railing for DiBLAHsio.
IF MU GEW DOESN'T STAND UP FOR US WE NEED TO ORGANIZE AND STAND UP FOR OURSELVES. IF THE BIG CITY UNIONS STAND UP TOGETHER AND DON'T CAVE IN WE CAN ALL DEMAND BETTER. WE HAVE THE POWER TO SHUT THIS CITY DOWN AND MAKE THEM REALIZE WE WON'T STAND FOR GARBAGE CONTRACTS ANY LONGER. WE THE WORKERS HAVE POWER. IT'S UP TO US TO STOP BEING TREATED POORLY.
Problem is people are too afraid to even sign the petition on the right to tell Danielson to go away. You think they would strike? Dream, dream dream.
I signed the petition and would strike if needed. Yep, I am scared and paranoid but you would have to be an idiot not to be paranoid in this day and age when working for the DOE. It is fear central out there. Everyone is a target. This is not fear mongering. It is truth.
Blah, blah, blah.... complain, complain, complain....
REPEAT.... REPEAT....
I’m so tired of everyone who just wants to complain and do nothing on this blog.
We should start a petition to the police set the pattern in this round of negotiations.
We should start a petition to the police set the pattern in this round of negotiations.
More from The Chief:
http://thechiefleader.com/news/open_articles/pba-seeks-arbitration-city-accuses-union-of-refusing-to-negotiate/article_b8ccc954-3367-11e8-897e-4bf80049159f.html
Key quote from Harry Nespoli:
Mr. Nespoli said, “I don’t know where it’s stated that when it’s contract time, we have to pay for our own raise.”
...
Asked about the PBA moving this early for binding arbitration, Mr. Nespoli said, “It doesn’t surprise me at all. The city’s taking a hard stand right now, and I think they’re expecting too much.”
The city is looking to screw us via healthcare. The UFT has a deal to mitigate Janus with Cuomo, in return for our endorsement. The UFT is in process of agreeing to a 30% pay in for healthcare from teachers. Do not continue to pay dues to the UFT.
Fuck Mulgrew, fuck the UFT, and fuck any teacher who supports the mayor of NYC. I have had it. Teachers across the country are walking out over all of this nonsense while we sit here in NYC and pay for our union to continue to sell us out. I ain't having it anymore. I'll keep my dues and take my chances unless things get better in the next contract.
Is this true? F-this! Our raises our totally destroyed! And then some! Screw this. Let’s strike and take the cops and firefighters with us. Shut this city the fuck down! Fuck Mulgrew and his corrupt Delegate Assembly. 30%! ?! Fuck it. We *all* walk!
EXACTLY! OUR POWER IS IN JOINING TOGETHER WITH THE PBA, ETC AND STOPPING ACCEPTING THE GARBAGE CONTRACTS NOW. THE ONLY THING WE HAVE LEFT THAT IS BETTER THAN THE SUBURBS IS OUR MEDICAL PLAN. IF WE PAY 30% MORE ARE WE GOING TO GET RAISES SO THAT WE EARN WHAT THEY DO TO COVER THOSE INSANE FEES? OBVIOUSLY NOT. WE HAVE TO STAND UP AND SAY NO. WE HAVE TO STAND UP FOR OURSELVES. YES, PRIVATE INDUSTRY DOES TYPICALLY PAY MORE FOR MEDICAL HOWEVER, THEY EARN MORE AND HAVE STOCK OPTIONS AND 401KS WITH MATCHING OPTIONS. IF THESE SMALL UNIONS CAN DO A SICK OUT HELL NOT THE UFT?
Mulgrew is the FREE RIDER by directing district reps nor to helo ATR's and withhold setvices. How come James does not write an article about how the unon can withhold support to teachers but still collect dues from them? Doesn'the this make the UT a free rider in every sense of the word. Isn'the the SCOTS trying to fix this injustice of the union stealing money from members?
Mr/Mrs ALL CAPS: I agree with you 100%, unfortunately Mulgrew pisses on the PBA every chance he gets, picks fights with Pat Lynch, etc. The straw that broke the camel's back was when he used our dues to pay for buses to Sharpton's cop-hating march on Staten Island a few years ago.
You are right our only hope is in the unions that actually have balls like the PBA, UFA and Sanitation. Unfortunately one more thing our "Leadership" has screwed up is alienating them like they've alienated us in the rank-and-file.
The straw that broke Lynch's back was when the UFT settled our contract first during the last round of contract negotiations and got every other union a shitty raise due to pattern bargaining. The UFT needs to chill the fuck out and let a real union like the PBA settle a contract first so every other union will be in good shape.
8:13- don't worry- the UFT will sign first, with threats like "if we don't sign now, we'll go to the bottom of the list" and "this is the best we can do".
I've said it before and I'll say it again- there are literally a half dozen teachers in my school who would strike. The rest would keep cross a picket line, because they might make the principal mad.....
You guys are missing the point in post 11:18 about healthcare. That is what brings us together with cops and firefighters. The feud between the leaders means nothing to rank and file. No strikes ever come from leaders anyway. OK and WV strikes were organized from ground up. And healthcare unites all three unions.
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