Release #127-01

 

Contact:

Sunny Mindel/Peter Fenty

(212) 788-2958

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Joseph Diesso, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Staff Representative, announced a tentative settlement, subject to ratification by the membership, of an overall economic agreement covering approximately 10,000 employees.

Communications Workers of America members perform a wide variety of very important tasks within City government, ranging from Administrative Employees to Traffic Agents to Board of Elections Technicians.

"This tentative agreement is similar to the economic agreement reached last week with District Council 37," said Mayor Giuliani. "It satisfies the City's commitment to enter into fiscally prudent settlements with the Unions, and provides our employees with fair treatment. In addition to providing the employees with a well-deserved wage increase and job security, it also allows the City to recognize and reward outstanding performance with a Merit Pay Plan."

The Union acknowledges the City's right to reward exceptional employees with additional compensation beyond the negotiated settlement, based upon their job performance.

The principal features of the Agreement include:

• A 24-month contract, with a three-month extension, that covers the period from January 1, 2000 through March 31, 2002;
  
  
• A 4% increase on the first day of the contract, and another 4% increase, compounded on the first day of the 13th month of the contract;
  
  
• A special fund, within the overall settlement, that is funded through a contract extension and set aside to address certain unique, specific issues for this bargaining unit;
  
  
• Job security during the life of the contract, and a Redeployment Process and Procedure that is coterminous with the Job Security provision.

Upon ratification of this agreement, a number of pension and health benefit improvements are scheduled to be implemented including elimination of the 3% pension contribution for employees with 10 years of service. The elimination of the pension contribution and various improvements in the health benefits area are a result of the agreements negotiated over the past year between the City and the Municipal Labor Committee. The pension agreement will save the City $800 million due to the pension restart, and the health benefit agreement will save the City more than $360 million through FY 2004.