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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 428-08
October 31, 2008

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE LABOR AGREEMENT WITH CORRECTION OFFICERS' BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION

New Agreement Maintains Parity with Police Pay, Conforms to Pattern Set Last Year

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Correction Officers' Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook today announced a tentative settlement has been reached with the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association (COBA) on an overall economic agreement covering approximately 8,300 Correction Officers in the City Department of Correction. The agreement includes a nearly 10 percent increase in compensation.  The new agreement, pending ratification, covers the two-year period from November 1, 2009 through October 31, 2011.

"Part of keeping New York the safest big city in America is keeping violence in our jails low," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Our Corrections Officers stand tall in a challenging environment everyday and through their dedication and commitment we have achieved historic lows in jail violence."

"I am pleased a tentative contract settlement has been reached with the City," said COBA President Norman Seabrook.  "The COBA Executive Board and I have achieved yet another contract, which all New York City Correction Officers can be proud of.  Correction Officers are at the forefront of keeping New York City safe and secure.  They deserve nothing less than a contract that reflects their tremendous contributions to this great city."

This latest agreement is modeled after the settlements reached with the other uniformed forces including the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (PBA), the Uniformed Firefighters Association, and the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association.

The principal features of the 2009-2011 portion of the settlement, including compensation increases of 9.75 percent during the contract, are as follows:

  • 4% increase effective November 1, 2009.
  • 4% increase, compounded, effective November 1, 2010.
  • 1.59% increase in additional compensation funds.

At the end of this contract, a Correction Officer's basic maximum salary will be $76,488.

The agreement also contains a "re-opener" to the 2005-2007 contract, which provides increases that match the wage increases recently provided to PBA members during the corresponding contract period.  The re-opener provision was triggered on May 22, 2008, when a Public Arbitration Panel issued an award in the PBA arbitration case.  COBA provided the necessary funding for these wage increases in part through:

  • A modified salary schedule that will reach basic maximum in five and one-half years instead of five years and a reduction of three annual leave days per year for the first five years of service for Correction Officers hired on or after January 1, 2009.

  • A reduction of $464 per year in the City's annual contribution to the annuity fund and a reduction of $50 per year in the City's annual contribution to the Civil Legal Representation Fund for all covered employees

Longevity Schedule

Effective December 1, 2010, the longevity schedule will be increased by $506 at each step. 

Welfare Fund Contributions

Effective December 1, 2010, the City's annual contribution to the Welfare Fund on behalf of each active member and retiree will be increased by $100 per annum.

Other Provisions

Effective December 1, 2010, the union applied some of the available funding from the 2009-2011 contract period to restore, in full, the annuity and civil legal representation fund reductions that are part of the 2005-2007 contract reopener.

Additionally, the union provided funding to enhance the starting salary for Correction Officers hired on or after January 1, 2009.  Effective December 1, 2011, that starting salary will be $39,755.

The Mayor thanked Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler, Correction Commissioner Martin Horn, COBA President Norman Seabrook, Labor Commissioner James F. Hanley and First Deputy Commissioner Margaret Connor 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



GENERAL CONTACT:

Mike Skelly (COBA)   (917) 551-1354


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