The chancellor of the City University of New York and the executive director of District Council 37, AFSCME and AFL-CIO announced a tentative contract settlement after seven years of collective bargaining.
The proposed contract covers the period from Nov. 1, 2006, through Jan. 31, 2017, and includes a more than 10 percent increase in compounded wages, a $1,000 bonus upon the contract’s ratification and a $200 increase to the welfare fund for all active and retired employees.
“We thank Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Heastie and Chancellor Milliken for the hard work and leadership that helped secure this agreement, and we thank the members of DC 37, who provide the vital support services that help make CUNY one of the finest public institutions of higher learning in the country,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “Today, their patience and commitment bore fruit with an agreement that truly helps provide them with the economic certainty that had been elusive for too long.”
The agreement is subject to approval by CUNY’s Board of Trustees and ratification by the CUNY members of DC 37. According to CUNY officials, the raises for CUNY’s staff are consistent with the union’s contract with the city that covers more than 100,000 members who are in city agencies, libraries and NYC Health + Hospitals.
“Our dedicated CUNY employees represented by District Council 37 provide invaluable service to the entire university community,” said CUNY Chancellor James Milliken in a statement. “Through the negotiating process, we successfully reached an equitable settlement that delivers increased compensation and benefits for our outstanding workforce. We join Henry Garrido in commending our state and city funding partners, and we recognize Henry’s leadership and resolve in his vigorous representation that led to this fair and balanced economic agreement. We look forward to reaching an agreement with PSC and the other unions that represent additional CUNY faculty and staff soon.”