Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 24, 2000

Release #197-00

Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter 212-788-2958

MAYOR GIULIANI AND THE MUNICIPAL LABOR COMMITTEE ANNOUNCE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ON VARIOUS LEGISLATION AFFECTING CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AND MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Randi Weingarten, as the chairperson of the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), today announced a tentative agreement on the joint support of legislation affecting teachers, members of the uniformed services and the civilian workforce that will result in pension enhancements similar to those gained by New York State employees under the recently ratified CSEA agreement. The effect of the various proposals would take place upon the ratification of the individual unit agreements in the course of collective bargaining.

In reaching this agreement, the MLC also commits to support enabling legislation in accordance with the recommendations of the Actuary for actuarial assumptions and methods for the New York City Retirement System to be effective fiscal year 2000.

The changes affecting teachers and civilian employees that would result from the legislation include granting one month's service up to a maximum of twenty-four months service to employees covered by Tiers 1 and 2 of the pension systems, and for Tier 4 employees, elimination of employee pension contributions after the employee has completed ten years of membership service. Legislation will also be supported to provide Tier 2 benefits to Tier 3 and 4 members.

In arriving at this agreement, the City's municipal Unions have adopted the CSEA paradigm with comparable pension enhancements of particular importance to the uniformed employees in the Police and Fire services.

Members of the Police and Fire pension systems would receive "increased-take-home-pay" (ITHP) improvements that result in a 2-1/2% reduction in the amount an employee is actually required to contribute to the pension system, and improvements in the calculation of "final average salary" for Tier 2 members.

Mayor Giuliani credited the leaders of the Municipal Labor Committee and its Chair, Randi Weingarten, in arriving at this cooperative agreement.

"Randi Weingarten, as the Chair of the MLC, has shown her leadership qualities in bringing consensus among the civilian and uniformed union whose various needs have been accommodated in this agreement," said Mayor Giuliani. "I also want to thank Deputy Mayor Robert M. Harding and Labor Commissioner James F. Hanley and his staff and staff from the Law Department and the Office of Management and Budget for their efforts in reaching this agreement."

Ms. Weingarten thanked Mayor Giuliani for the City's collaborative approach in resolving the issues affecting the municipal workforce. Ms. Weingarten said "Given the complex subject matter, the Unions and the City of New York have shown that especially difficult matters may be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties when everyone participates by bringing his or her own special expertise to bear on a solution."

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