AFSCME Local 952

The new 2010-2011 contract books are available.  If you haven’t received one yet please see a Steward or Union Officer.  2010-2011 Contract (PDF File) .

Information about the ratified contracts has been posted.  Click Here

The members of AFSCME Local 952 voted today along with the members of AFSCME District Council 48 to ratify the 2007-2009 and 2010-2011 tentative agreements with the City.  The final vote was 1024 yes, 638 no.

Tonight, the Joint Bargaining Committee of AFSCME D.C. 48 voted to recommend the new contract offer to the membership for ratification.  There are some corrections that need to be addressed in what we believe we will be getting with this offer.

The offers for 2007-2009 and 2010-2011 are separate contracts, however they are both being ratified in a single vote.  Acceptance of this offer effectively will close further negotiations for the 2010-2011 contract.  The primary goal of D.C. 48 and the Joint Bargaining Team has been job preservation.

The offer and voting information was mailed out from D.C. 48 today and should arrive in your mail boxes by as early as tomorrow.  The offer you are receiving in the mail is the offer that was posted here on September 6th, 2009.

Accepting the offer gives these three most important guarantees.

1. No layoffs
2. Health care premiums at $20 single, $40 family starting the first full month after contract execution
3. No more than 4 furlough days

Rejection of this newest contract offer will not result in a last ditch effort to strike a new deal and bring it to the members for a new vote, the arbitrators decision will be revealed.  Going this route we will get a worse contract offer.  Some of this information has been updated from the previous postings and is more complete or corrected.

1. Layoffs, 150 jobs lost in 2010, likely the same number in 2011
2. Paying 7.5% of health care premiums in 2010, 15% of premiums in 2011, costs in 2010 will increase 20% over the 2009 rates, about $1870 family for the United Health Care HMO, also we owe back premiums to 1/1/2009 at $20 single / $40 family.
3. The maximum allowed number of furlough days, the City believes it can furlough for 20 days.  This is actually closer to an 8% pay cut.

Financial comparison for the 2010-2011 contracts show that by accepting the City’s offer for 2007-2009 / 2010-2011 at the end of 2011 D.C. 48 members who continue to take the HMO health care plan will do far better than by rejecting the offer and going with the arbitrators decision.

Accepting the City offer an employee earning $50000 annually will receive approximately $3700 in back pay after taxes.  Assuming that this employee is enrolled in the United Health Care HMO family plan they are coming out AHEAD about $1250 by the end of 2011.

For an employee earning $50000 annually rejecting the City offer and asking for binding arbitration will guarantee at least a 7.5% and possibly as much as a 9.25% pay increase.  After taxes that employee would be expecting approximately $5000 in back pay for the City offer and $6200 for the Union offer.  Assuming the Union offer prevails in arbitration and that this employee is enrolled in the United Health Care HMO family plan they are losing twice their back payment for taking the deal, coming out BEHIND about $6700 by the end of 2011.

There will be three public information sessions next week.  You are encouraged to attend these meetings to get more information before ratification of the contract.

Our members will vote on contract ratification at their respective water treatment plants.  The ballot boxes will be staffed an open at the following locations.

The City has offered us both the 2007-2009 contract and 2010-2011 contract.  The 2010-2011 contract spelled out below will only be offered if we accept the 2007-2009 offer.  Should we vote the new 2007-2009 offer down the City will make another, much worse offer for 2010-2011 which I will post as soon as I get my own copy.  At the bottom is a comparison chart of the major differences between the 2010-2011 offers.

Three Year Agreement: January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2009

Base Salary:
Pay Period 1, 2007 – 2%
Pay Period 1, 2008 – 1%, Pay Period 14, 2008 – 1%
Pay Period 1, 2009 – 1%, Pay Period 14, 2009 – 1%

Health Insurance:
-Effective the first full month following execution of the Agreement all Health Insurance changes shall take effect.
-There shall be no retroactive Employee Monthly Premium Share Payments between 1/1/09 and the first full month following execution of the Agreement

Layoffs:
-The City agrees that there will be no layoffs of DC 48 employees from September 3, 2009 through December 31, 2009 with the exception of seasonal layoffs and loss of grant funding.

Union Furlough Grievance:
-The Union agrees to withdraw its current 2009 grievance regarding the July 2, 2009 Furlough day without precedent or prejudice, and the Union agrees it will not file a second grievance, prohibited practice complaint, or any other legal action regarding the September 8, 2009 Furlough day.

City June 3, 2009 Letter:
-The City agrees to withdraw its June 3, 2009 letter regarding ceasing of the practice of providing pay step advancement during a contract hiatus.

2007-2009 Tentative Agreements:
-All 2007-2009 Tentative Agreements signed on 9/25/2008 shall be included in th3 2007-2009 Agreement.  The parties understand that some of the Tentative Agreements will need to be changed based on the modified wage agreements.  Other Tentative Agreements will need to be changed because they conflict with the above agreements (i.e., health insurance).

Should we accept the above contract offer the City will make the following offer for the 2010-2011 contract:

Two Year Agreement: January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2011

Base Salary:
-During the term of the Agreement, the biweekly base salary paid to employees shall be those that became effective Pay Period 14, 2009.
-Effective Pay Period 1, 2010 through Pay Period 26, 2011 there shall be no pay step advancement.
-This provision shall sunset at the end of Pay Period 26, 2011

Health Insurance:
-Employees who retire from active service on a normal service retirement and elect to use the bonus year to meet the minimum age requirements for retiree health insurance shall be entitled to benefits under Article 42.2.e or f and costs under Article 42.3.c.(2) or (3).
-This provision shall sunset at the end of Pay Period 26, 2010

Layoffs:
-The City agrees that there will be no layoffs of DC 48 employees from Pay Period 1, 2010 through Pay Period 26, 2011 with the exception of seasonal layoffs, loss of grant funding, or loss of reimbursement for specific positions or programs.
-This provision shall sunset at the end of Pay Period 26, 2011.

Furloughs:
-There shall be no more than four furlough days during fiscal year 2010 and no more than four furlough days during fiscal year 2011
-The policies set in place in fiscal year 2009 regarding benefits shall apply in fiscal years 2010 and 2011.
-The agreement on furloughs shall not be used by either party in future litigation.
-These provisions shall sunset at the end of Pay Period 26, 2011.

Pension:
Item 1:
-Effective 1/1/2010 through 12/31/2011 employees who retire from active service on a normal service retirement or early retirement during the term of Agreement shall receive a 2% COLA increase after twelve months of retirement.
-This provision shall sunset 12/31/2011
Item 2:
-Employees who retire from active service between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2010 on a normal service retirement or early service retirement shall be eligible for a bonus year.  That your may be, at the discretion of the employee, added to either age, for eligibility qualifications, or years of service.  If the bonus year is used as an additional year of service credit the total years of service cannot exceed 35, and will not be used to break the 70% cap.
-The provision shall sunset 12/31/2010
Item3:
-Employees hired on or after 1/1/2010 shall be required to pay no more than the member contribution specified in 36-08-7-1 of the Charter Ordinance (5.5%)

Memorandum of Understanding:
-The City shall have the right to change employees’ work assignments to meet the operational needs of the City.
-The City shall seek volunteers from a job classification and select the most senior employees for the new assignment.  If there are not enough volunteers, assignments shall be made in reverse seniority order.
-In no case shall an employee’s salary be reduced as a result of the change.
-If the new assignment is in a higher pay range, the employee’s salary shall be treated as if were a promotion.
-The MOU shall sunset on 12/31/2011

Miscellaneous:
-Maintain Present Language, except for housekeeping changes such as dates, divisions, departments and titles.

There have been a lot of rumors about new contract offers from the city recently.  Here is the truth to the rumors.  The city has a huge budget problem, and they are looking at the unsettled and long overdue contract with their unions as a way to shore up some problems.  They have offered a three year 2%, 2%, 0% contract with lay off protection.  Local 952 has decided that we want to wait for the decision of the arbitrator.  The feeling is that the city is trying to lump the contract, lay offs, furloughs and pension contributions into a giant pile and let the unions solve the problem for them.  For our members the loss of wage increases over the last three years is the important issue.  The erosion of wages will effect us down the road with lower pay, effect our pensions when calculations are made of our highest three years and contribute to a loss for members that can never be made up.