City's blue-collar union approves contract
One of Buffalo's largest unions has ratified a contract that would give raises averaging 20 percent to blue-collar workers who haven't seen pay hikes in over eight years.
Members of Local 264, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, today voted 375-20 in favor of a nine-year agreement that would give workers a series of raises, starting with a $1,350 boost in base pay retroactive to July 2007.
They would receive another $1,400 increase in salary, plus a 3.1 percent increase retroactive to last July. Next summer, salaries would go up by 4.1 percent, followed by a 4.15 percent increase in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
In return for the raises, the union agreed to concessions that would require newly hired workers to pay part of their health insurance premiums and make them wait longer before they reach the top pay scale. Newly hired workers also would be required to live in the city, said Mary Thomas Scott, the city's labor relations director. Currently, sanitation workers are exempt from residency provisions.
The union also would agree to drop a lawsuit over a wage freeze that was in effect for three years until mid-2007, a legal challenge that could have cost the city $4.7 million.
The budget office estimated that the agreement will save the city about $3.6 million when the costs of raises are offset by concessions and avoidance of potential legal liabilities.
Mayor Byron W. Brown said he's pleased the union overwhelmingly ratified the deal, calling it a win-win for all sides.
"It also provides us with some work-rule changes and flexibility that will allow us to better manage and control overtime," Brown said.
Union President William C. Travis said workers have been waiting a long time for a contract.
"Morale has been at an all-time low for a long period of time. This new contract couldn't come at a better time of year," said Travis.
The city employs more than 500 blue-collar workers who plow streets, collect garbage, maintain city buildings and perform other tasks. The average employee currently makes about $31,800. The agreement will raise the average salary to about $38,200 by the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
The agreement technically covers a nine-year period from 2002 through 2011. But there would be no retroactive raises in the first five years of the pact.
The Common Council could vote on the new agreement as early as Tuesday. Buffalo's control board, which must approve all labor pacts, is expected to consider the contract at a Dec. 17 meeting.
Earlier this year, the city also settled a lengthy labor dispute with the union representing white-collar employees.
Negotiators were mindful of the fact that if a contract wasn't finalized soon, economic conditions could worsen, Travis said.
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