Letters to the Editor
DC 37 Deal Clever, Not Fair

To the Editor:

As a civil servant, there is no law on the books that says the city as your employer must provide you with a raise in pay, or for that matter, a comfortable salary. Unions are thought to be the so-called equalizers for the common man against the management bully types when it comes to securing an honest day's wage for an honest day's work.

Therefore, it would be appropriate to both believe and expect that when the cost of living goes up, your union would be inclined to secure, at the very least, an increase from the employer which on its face keeps pace with the cost-of-living increases that the union membership is forced to live with.

It is said that the majority of the general membership of District Council 37 are individuals who make on average approximately $30,000 annually. If this is accurate, the current proposed contract gives these individuals very little in the way of actual in-pocket dollars for spending, when you take into consideration what they have had to pay out in cost-of-living increases.

Yes, it is true that we as civil servants are not supposed to get rich at the expense of taxpayers. But, it is also true that all civil servants are taxpayers, too.

Unions are supposed to help their members keep pace with the cost of living, not deliver contracts that keep members constantly behind the cost-of-living increases, wondering if they will ever just catch up.

District Council 37's Delegate Body was once again issued a proposed contract for ceremonious approval. However, this particular contract carried some cleverly included facets. That makes this contract one to view with a sense of respect on one hand and objective disappointment on the other.

The respect comes in the form of having obtained a deal that has some form of salary increase that is not totally demeaning. Having said that, the next logical question seems to be, "Is this a good contract?"

The objective answer to that question is, "No, it is not a good contract," as was very correctly stated by Brother Charles Ensley during the recent Delegates meeting. I agree totally that this contract leaves the District Council 37 membership, once again, playing "catch-up" when it comes to the cost-of-living expenses and the actual paycheck dollar value that such a proposed contract will provide to the membership.

Which begs the question: will there ever be a point in time when District Council 37 can negotiate a contract that will put its membership on par with, at the very least, the cost-of-living index in New York City for the negotiated contract period? There are many objectively intelligent people who say and feel that the time is now to have that question answered by not accepting this proposed contract, and going back to the negotiating table.

That course of action will soon be put into the hands of the general membership of District Council 37, when members receive the ratification ballot for this proposed contract.

As a DC 37 delegate, I urge members to vote No, and write directly on your ballot, the salary increases are too low.

Let's send a message to this Mayor that we deserve a fair deal, not just a clever deal.

ALONSO L. MYERS, DC 37 Delegate, Local 154