Labor Lines

During the final years of the Bloomberg Administration the majority of union contracts in New York City were allowed to expire. Negotiations were virtually non-existent. Eventually most unions gave up any hope obtaining new contracts. Labor leaders held out hope of reaching a fair deal with the incoming administration. The hope was not misplaced. To date, DeBlasio’s administration has been amenable to contract negotiations. Key contracts, such as the Teachers and the Transport Workers have been resolved. This week we talk to principals of two unions that recently resolved their contract disputes, one in the public and one in the private sector. David Paskin, Associate Director of DC 37 AFSCME Research and Negotiations department, will discuss the challenges of negotiating under Bloomberg (or lack thereof) and how this recently negotiated contract will benefit DC 37 members and New York City as a whole. George Gresham, the President of 1199 SEIU, one of the largest unions in the state (over 430,000 membe