Two unions of workers at the city’s sewage treatment plants have ratified contracts negotiated with the city last month, ending long-running disputes that included legal challenges and as long as 15 years without a cost-of-living raise. þþThe deals will increase pay by 43 percent to 63 percent for most workers in the plants. Senior plant managers, who had gone the longest without a raise and earned less than some people they supervised, will receive a raise of 83 percent. Workers gave up sick days and made other minor concessions. þþ“It was a long, hard struggle with a lot of sacrifice by members and their families,” said James J. Tucciarelli, the president of Local 1320 of District Council 37, the union that represents sewage treatment workers. “Hopefully they can start living some kind of normal life now.” þþThat union’s last contract expired in 2002. Union members voted 700-32 to ratify the new contract, Mr. Tucciarelli said on Friday. þþPlant managers, represented by Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, had not had a contract since 1995. They ratified their contract late last month in a 176-1 vote, said Sean Fitzpatrick, business representative for the union. þþThe two unions represent about 1,100 workers at the city’s 14 sewage treatment plants, which process more than a billion gallons of raw sewage a day. þþ“They are the backbone of a system every New Yorker relies on every day, and now they can focus on their critical work, instead of worrying about a protracted contract dispute,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. þþPending approval by the city comptroller’s office, the workers will receive retroactive pay, with graduated increases taking effect across the years covered by each contract. The contract for the workers’ union runs through June 2008; and for the managers’ union through October 2007. Both unions hope to negotiate additional agreements to bring them up to the current year and beyond. þþThe wage paid to sewage treatment workers will increase from an average of $21.44 an hour to $34.97. The highest ranked plant managers received the largest increase, from $31.04 an hour to $53.99. þþCas Holloway, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, said the deal would not affect water rates. þþThe long spell without a wage increase began after workers had pursued a legal ruling that they were not being paid the prevailing wage for similar work in the private sector, an avenue available to public employee unions under state law. Once the lengthy review process began, the unions, forbidden by state law from striking, could do little beyond wait. þþAfter an administrative law judge last year found that a category of worker for Con Edison was a good match, the workers thought they would finally see a pay increase. But in December the city filed an appeal to the decision. þþWorkers said their spirits had plummeted. Some had fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments. Marriages were stressed. The city reopened negotiations in March, and a deal was struck with each union after a single day of negotiating. þþ“The God’s honest truth is, we got starved into this,” said Martin McGuire, a sewage treatment worker at the city’s plant in the Hunts Points section of the Bronx. þ
Source: NY Times
