Member Ratification extended to Jan. 10th.

Local 237 has reached an agreement with NYCHA that provides annual raises of 2%, 2.25% and 3%.  Workers will receive 2 percent back pay from May 2018.  Additionally, 237 members will receive annual annuity increases of nearly $500 by the end of the three-year contract.   Payments to the Local 237 Health and Welfare funds will increase for both active and retired members.   The contract maintains current health and pension benefits.

The Union and City will work together to provide new NYS Paid Family Leave benefits to NYCHA workers by June 2019.  

Caretaker Premiums and Bonus
The agreement creates four new staggered work schedules in addition to the current Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. schedule for Caretaker and Supervisory titles.  Current employees may bid, by seniority, for the new 4-day, ten-hour schedules.  A one-time bonus of $1,500 will be given to all incumbent Caretakers and Supervisors working the new schedules.  Employees who work either of the two schedules that include weekend work will receive 20% premium pay for their regularly scheduled weekend work.  Incumbent employees working weekday schedules will be paid time and one-half and time and three-quarters for Saturday and Sunday overtime, respectively.  The tentative agreement includes the following schedules for Caretakers and Supervisors:

•    Traditional: Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
•    4-day, 10-hour shifts, including every other weekend.  Either an early shift (6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or a late shift (8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.)
•    4-day, 10-hour shifts, weekdays only from 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Either Mon.-Thurs. or Tues. – Fri.

Job and Safety Protections
Local 237 members know best how to improve conditions at NYCHA.  The agreement addresses management’s practice of contracting out our work and creates labor-management committees and programs to keep our jobs and bring our work back.  

The agreement will improve Local 237’s training for Heating Plant Technicians (HPTs) and creates a mentorship program to provide greater opportunities for member advancement.  A Labor–Management committee will seek ways to have 237 members perform HPT work and make the jobs more attractive to new and experienced workers.

While no 237 members have lost their jobs as a consequence of privatizing operations through the HUD RAD program, such as at Bayside, we must ensure that our work is safe as the RAD program is accelerated to include 62,000 apartments.  The contract creates a Labor-Management committee that will explore maintaining good paying 237 jobs in RAD developments.  Our goal is to make use of a public housing model similar to the one used at the Cambridge, Massachusetts Housing Authority, where Teamster members kept their jobs and union representation after public housing was converted to private management.

The Union, City and NYCHA will create an onsite worker health-screening program, for early diagnosis of illnesses that are caused by workplace hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and Hepatitis C.

During the Flex-Ops pilot program, the union raised serious safety issues concerning Caretakers working early and late shifts.  Safety issues brought up in the Flex-Ops agreement will be addressed before implementing the new shifts.  Additionally, a Labor-Management Committee will be formed to resolve any new or ongoing health and safety concerns.

Member Ratification
Ballots have been mailed to members’ homes.  Make sure your vote counts - mark and return your ballots right away.  Due to the holidays, contract ballots will be now be counted on January 10th.