Encouraged by UFT Deal
Coalition Members Weigh Next Move

By HOWARD MEGDAL

Leaders of unions within the municipal bargaining coalition lavished praise on last week's agreement between the city and the United Federation of Teachers and expressed optimism that similarly early contract deals could be reached for their members. The UFT's current agreement expires Oct. 12, 2007, giving the Teachers a new contract nearly a year ahead of schedule.

BARBARA BOWEN: Hopes long stalls are over.

No More Waiting?

"I hope that the practice of settling the new contract before the old contract expires informs the negotiations moving forward," Professional Staff Congress President Barbara Bowen, who represents City University of New York faculty and staff, said in a Nov. 9 interview. "Our members are entitled to and want a contract in a timely fashion." Ms. Bowen's union worked under an expired contract for more than three years before receiving a new deal this spring.

Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, echoed Ms. Bowen's sentiments. "My members had to wait 3-1/2 years for our last contract," Mr. Nespoli said. "I didn't want to go into bargaining with my contract already ended March 2, 2007. I want to have a contract in place."

HARRY NESPOLI: Ready to get serious.

Both leaders said that while an identical deal may not be possible or desirable, the UFT's push forward, which was decided upon by the coalition as a whole, will only help their own negotiations.

Ms. Bowen, must deal with many masters, with both the city and state needing to approve any deal bargained with CUNY. Mr. Nespoli, as the leader of a uniformed union, can negotiate straightforwardly with the Bloomberg administration.

The USA leader also met with city negotiators last week, but he said "we weren't close to a deal."

"I have to cost out my needs, and still stay within the realm of what's there," Mr. Nespoli said, referring to the financial parameters of the UFT deal. "That's what I'm in the process of doing, to determine what does it mean for our members."

"I'm in favor of turning around and trying to structure a contract for the members of the coalition," Mr. Nespoli said. "During the course of all this, it might be possible to let two unions go in there and structure a contract for all the members. I'm sure other members of the coalition will go in now."

Ms. Bowen said the next step for coalition members would be to work collectively on shared legislative and political goals. Overall, Ms. Bowen believes that the UFT leaving the group to gain a deal shows the complications, not the impossibility, of a municipal labor coalition.

"I think it is a possibility," she said. "I don't think that it's simple. Our union alone is in the most complex situation, and there are many ways to make it less complex."

Meanwhile, Mr. Nespoli's bottom line is simple. "I got into the union in 1980, and we've never gotten a contract on time," he said. "My goal is to give my members the first contract on time that I can remember."