Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

MAYOR GIULIANI AND LOCAL 1199, SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION,
ANNOUNCE RATIFICATION OF LABOR AGREEMENT
AFFECTING 1,830 CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and officials of Local 1199, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), today announced ratification of the recent settlement of an overall economic agreement covering approximately 1,830 civilian employees. Local 1199 represents pharmacists, dieticians, laboratory technicians and related titles, and microbiologists who perform clinical and patient care services in the various City mayoral agencies, as well as at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.

The Mayor said, "This agreement reflects the agreement reached between the City and District Council 37 that established the basic parameters for collective bargaining settlements in this round of bargaining."

The settlement covers the twenty-seven (27) month period from April 1, 2000 through June 30, 2002.

The principal features of this agreement include:

• 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 Local 1199, SEIU.

Other elements of the settlement include:

• Job security during the life of the contract, and a Redeployment Process and Procedure that is coterminous with the Job Security provision.

Mayor Giuliani also announced that, as part of this settlement, the City will establish and implement Performance Compensation. Under the program, which will include additional compensation for outstanding performance, the City will notify the Union of its intent to pay such additional compensation.

Mayor Giuliani said that this agreement will also serve as the catalyst to effectuate several recent innovations and enhancements in pensions and health benefits arrived at through collective bargaining with the Municipal Labor Committee. A number of pension and benefit improvements are scheduled to be implemented upon the ratification of this agreement.

The City and the Municipal Labor Committee worked together to reach historic results in both pension and health benefit areas in May 2000 and January 2001, respectively. The pension agreement saved the City $800 million due to the pension restart; and the health agreement saved more than $360 Million in FY2003 and FY2004. The benefits from both pension and health deals will take place upon the ratification of this agreement.

"Once more, the City's commitment to attain fiscally prudent settlements has been coupled with the Union's aim to achieve fair treatment and compensation, as well as job security, for its members," Mayor Giuliani said. The Mayor recognized Local 1199's members' daily contributions to the City's operations.

The Mayor thanked Deputy Mayor Robert M. Harding; the Local 1199 negotiating staff; Labor Commissioner James F. Hanley and his team; and HHC's President, Dr. Luis R. Marcos, M.D., and his staff for all of their efforts in reaching this agreement.