Saturday, April 01, 2023

DC 37 MEMBERS VOTE TO APPROVE PATTERN SETTING CONTRACT

DC37's contract easily was ratified with 97,7% of those voting saying yes on their new contract with a total of 16.21% salary increases over around 5.5. years.

Reading through the DC 37 press release (see below), we find that nearly 46,000 members participated in the contract referendum. They also say in the press release that there are around 90,000 DC 37 members who work for NYC. Even with a huge approval rate, still only around half voted to approve the contract. That's a mediocre turnout rate.

When I disagree with the UFT leadership on contracts, they can usually point to the fact that a huge majority of teachers and other UFTers voted to approve the agreements. DC 37 might not even get to half saying yes by my calculations. Still, 98% of those participating saying yes is an overwhelming yes vote that will have a major impact on UFT negotiations because DC 37 set a pattern that all other City unions must now adhere to by practice.

DC 37 press release: 

District Council 37 Members Overwhelmingly Approve New Citywide Economic Contract

 NEW YORK— Members of New York City’s largest municipal employee union voted 97.7% in favor of a 65-month-and-12-day economic agreement that will provide city workers their first pay raise since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement raises the minimum rate for city jobs to $18 per hour, preserves premium-free healthcare benefits and establishes flexible work policies across agencies, including remote work.

“We thank our members for showing their confidence in this union,” said Henry Garrido, DC 37 Executive Director. “These were the most difficult negotiations we’ve experienced in decades, and we fought hard to secure a contract that provides fair compensation for city workers and support for the new challenges they face on the job and at home.”

 Nearly 46,000 District Council 37 members participated in the ratification vote, which was conducted by the third-party American Arbitration Association (AAA).


 The term of the agreement runs from May 26, 2021 to Nov. 6, 2026 and includes: 


·       -Five compounded pay increases for a total of 16.21%;


·       -Retroactive pay to the first date of the agreement;


·       -a $3,000 ratification bonus;


·      -a Flexible Work Committee to develop policies that guide remote work, compressed schedules and expanded transit benefits;


·       -a Child Care Trust Fund to provide assistance for members’ child care expenses; and


·       -a Pandemic Response Joint Committee to improve the City’s response to COVID-19 or any future communicable disease outbreaks.

The citywide economic contract covers approximately 90,000 DC 37 members. More information on the terms of the agreement can be found here.

5 comments:

John Q. Teacher said...

DC 37 is going to create more remote work opportunities as well as implement compressed schedules. This is HUGE FOR US. We need the same thing. Make our extended time all remote where we can log in for self directed PD/Parent engagement time that could be done before or after school or even on weekends.

James Eterno said...

DC 37 has a management-labor committee discussing remote work. That is probably what we would get for these worthy goals.

John Q. Teacher said...

Yes, and that is exactly what we need. DC 37 is gonna have this hashed out by September and we should too. REMOTE OPTIONS ARE NEEDED.

Julie said...

The remote option is definitely a bonus! A lot of unnecessary travel when it comes to PDs and parent teacher conferences. The raises however seems way lower to actually survive. A paraprofessional already makes below the minimum to stay afloat. We shall see.

John Q. Teacher said...

MULGREW IS A GENIUS! He let DC 37 negotiate their contract first because he knew that they would accept a crappy 3% raise. That means that he now has absolutely no incentive to fight for our contract. He can just say that it's out of his hands since the pattern has been set. Mulgrew does not care what we think. He only wants to look like the good guy to Adams by saving the city billions of dollars in raises.