DC 37 Accepts Deal With 4% Hikes Plus .1 in Additional Pay; Some Hard Feelings That Extra Money is Dwarfed By 1.59% PBA Got

District Council 37 and the Bloomberg administration Oct. 30 agreed to a new wage contract that provides two 4-percent raises and an extra tenth of a percent in special compensation under a two-year deal.

FAYE MOORE: 'Not what members need.'

The accord is similar to the Teamsters Local 237 pact agreed on in September. It offers slightly less than the quarter-point in special compensation that union received, because the city refused to extend the DC 37 deal for 13 days as it did with the Teamsters.

Hard Feelings Despite Sign-Off?

Although negotiations with the city were not outwardly acrimonious, with no public push being made to get that extension, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts was said to be unhappy with the city's treatment of her union, believing her members deserved at least as big an increase as was given to the smaller union. DC 37 has 125,000 members, while Local 237 represents 24,000, only about 9,000 of whom are employed in city agencies.

There is a more significant disparity with uniformed unions, which received 1.59 percent in additional compensation beyond their 4-percent annual raises during a similar time-frame.

MARK ROSENTHAL: 'City didn't treat us fairly.'

During the Nov. 3 press conference announcing the deal, a question to Ms. Roberts about the disparity was deflected by Mayor Bloomberg, who said, "Lillian Roberts always wants to get more for her membership."

The contract was nonetheless passed with broad support in a vote by the union's executive board, with only Local 371 President Faye Moore, who represents social service employees, and Local 436 President Judith Arroyo, who represents Public Health Nurses and Epidemiologists, dissenting.

'371': Still Playing Catch-Up

"I don't think that the contract is what the members need; we're really still playing catch-up," said Ms. Moore in a phone interview. "The other contracts that have been negotiated come closer." She noted the disparity between the DC 37 accord and contracts for uniformed unions, which she felt was unfair considering the economic climate.

"We represent people [who] are professionals as well, and people have to pay for the same things in the same soaring economy, and this contract doesn't do enough to address that," Ms. Moore said. "We are the largest group of workers doing public services, and I can't wrap my head around why we would be affected negatively by that."

Motor Vehicle Operators Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal, who voted in favor of the contract, seemed equally unhappy about the pact. "I'm disappointed that we didn't get treated fairly at the bargaining table," he said in a phone interview.

"I felt the members were entitled to the pattern. The pattern was set by the Police Department," he explained, referring to the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association deal providing 1.49 percent more in special compensation. Mr. Rosenthal said the deal's saving grace was that the DC 37 raises matched the base-pay hikes under the PBA deal.

"To their credit, at least Bloomberg gave us four," he said. "He could have used the financial emergency and given us less. I'm grateful he gave us four."

Other local leaders were more reticent about the deal when contacted. "I think my members deserve a raise, and that's all I'm going to say," said Local 420 President Carmen Charles, who represents hospital employees.

In the end, Mr. Rosenthal said he voted in favor of the contract because his members had been clamoring for a raise, as the last DC 37 contract had expired on March 1. "I had to do what I had to do as president, and put money in my members' pocket ... I'm hopeful [they] get the raise before Christmas," he said.

Members Feeling the Pinch

Ms. Moore agreed that members' long wait for a raise was why local presidents signed on to the deal. "Our members haven't had a raise since February 2007. Even though the contract ended March 2008, the last raise was 20 months ago ... unlike other years, you really felt it this time. Prices got jacked up so far," she said.

She also said that because several other civilian contracts had been negotiated, DC 37 members were working alongside people who had already gotten their raises. "The pressure is on the negotiating committee, because people want to deliver," she said.

While unhappy with the new deal, Ms. Moore seemed somewhat optimistic about the union's future contracts. "That's the only thing that got me through yesterday was that there will come a day ... eventually, people will start to notice that we were treated differently in this round of bargaining, and I hope I'm part of that sea change," she said.

Ms. Arroyo declined to comment on the contract until it was ratified.