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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 426-07
November 21, 2007

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE LABOR AGREEMENT WITH ASSISTANT DEPUTY WARDENS/DEPUTY WARDENS ASSOCIATION

Collective Bargaining Agreement Provides Over 20% Increase in Wages and Benefits

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Sidney Schwartzbaum, President of the Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Wardens Association (ADW/DWA), today announced that a tentative settlement has been reached, pending ratification, on an overall economic agreement covering approximately 150 high-ranking supervisory and administrative uniformed personnel in the New York City Department of Correction. The new agreement covers the 52-month period from March 1, 2008 through June 30, 2012. This latest agreement is modeled after the comparable economic parameters contained in settlements reached with the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, the Captains Endowment Association, the Lieutenants Benevolent Association, the Sanitation Officers Association, the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, the Detectives Endowment Association, and the Correction Captains Association. A four-month extension provides additional funding for some of the improvements made during the term of the contract.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with the Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Wardens Association whose members provide high-ranking administrative supervision in the City's jail system," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This proposed agreement is the product of hard work on both sides of the bargaining table. I want to thank Sidney Schwartzbaum and his team for their efforts in negotiating this agreement."

"The contract is a prime example of labor and management working together to achieve mutual goals," said ADW/DWA President Schwartzbaum.

"Deputy Wardens and Assistant Deputy Wardens are a critical management link in the operations of our jails and the supervision of more than 100,000 inmates every year," said Correction Commissioner Martin F. Horn. "They implement and supervise security, programs, administration and a host of functions in jails housing thousands of individuals, and they help assure that our jails continue to be the safest and most secure they have ever been. This agreement will ensure that a career as a correction officer remains an attractive one, and that our officers will continue to have compelling career options as they climb the ladder and join the ranks of our managers."

The principal features of the settlement include:

  • Effective March 1, 2008, a wage increase of four percent
  • Effective March 1, 2009, a compounded wage increase of four percent
  • Effective July 1, 2010, a compounded wage increase of four percent
  • Effective July 1, 2011, a compounded wage increase of four percent

Additional Features

Effective July 1, 2008, the "overtime bank" for Assistant Deputy Wardens, which has been used as a funding mechanism in previous contracts, will be reduced. After six years, the bank is eliminated altogether for individual Assistant Deputy Wardens. Also effective July 1, 2008, a differential in the amount of $100 per day will be established for Deputy Wardens who serve as "Acting Warden" during the regular Warden's scheduled absence.

Effective March 1, 2009, each step of the longevity schedule will be increased by $405. There will be a further increase of $500 on the 20-year step of the longevity schedule. Effective April 1, 2009, any Deputy Warden promoted after July 1, 2006 will reach basic maximum salary after three years instead of four. Effective December 31, 2009, the salary schedule for Assistant Deputy Wardens promoted between July 1, 2006 and July 31, 2008, will be improved by eliminating the step before basic maximum salary. These Assistant Deputy Wardens will then reach basic maximum salary after three years instead of four. Effective August 1, 2011, the longevity schedule for Assistant Deputy Wardens will be increased by $700 on each step of the schedule.

Effective April 1, 2009, the City's contribution to the retiree welfare fund will increase by $200 per year per retiree. Also effective April 1, 2009, the City will send a one-time lump sum payment to the annuity fund in the amount of $5,000 per employee. There will also be a one-time lump sum payment of $500 per employee into the Legal Support Fund. Effective April 1, 2009, the current requirement to work six additional tours will be eliminated after the third year of service instead of the fourth year.

Also effective August 1, 2011, the City's contribution to the welfare fund will increase by $75 per year on behalf of each active member. Effective as soon as practicable after ratification, the Department of Correction will establish a category of employees designated as "special assignment."

The Mayor thanked Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler, Correction Commissioner Martin Horn, ADW/DWA President Sid Schwartzbaum, Labor Commissioner James F. Hanley and First Deputy Commissioner Pamela S. Silverblatt and their team, and Mark Page, Director of the Office of Management and Budget and his team for their efforts in reaching this Agreement.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser / Jason Post   (212) 788-2958




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