December 11, 2014
By Stephanie West
New York, NY – Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that the City has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Uniformed Superior Officers Coalition, marking the administration’s first contracts with uniformed unions.
The USOC represents eight unions: the Detectives Endowment Association, Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Lieutenants Benevolent Association, Sanitation Officers Association, Correction Captains Association, Captains Endowment Association, Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Warden Association and Uniformed Sanitation Chiefs Association. The approximately 11,900 employees they represent have worked without a contract since either 2011 or 2012. The terms of the agreements must be approved by the unions’ full in-service membership.
The pattern of the tentative agreement takes the established pattern of the administration’s prior contracts and adds a 1 percent raise in Year One. The agreement also cements the unprecedented health care savings agreed upon with the Municipal Labor Committee, ensuring that these raises are affordable and responsible for the City and its taxpayers.
The proposed seven-year contract would begin, retroactively, on dates ranging from March 2011 for the UFOA to July 2012 for the SOA, and expire seven years thereafter, respectively.
“These uniformed officers serve and protect us every day. They watch over our families and our neighborhoods—and they deserve a contract that delivers fair wages while protecting the City’s long-term fiscal health,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We set out earlier this year to restore a productive and respectful dynamic between the City and its employees. And today, 71 percent of our workforce is working under contract agreements, including the unprecedented and guaranteed health care savings. Above all, this is an agreement that respects the difficult and often dangerous work our uniformed officers perform.”
After the guaranteed health care savings and funds from the labor reserve and stabilization fund, the net cost of the tentative settlement will be $413.7 million through FY2018.
“I would like to thank Mayor de Blasio for his willingness to listen to the concerns of the members of my organization and our desire to enter in an agreement that is both fair and respects the special contribution we make to the vibrancy of New York City,” said Roy T. Richter, President of the Captains Endowment Association.
