Mayor de Blasio and Teamsters Local 237 Announce Tentative Contract Agreement, Implementing New Work Rules and Providing a Fair Wage to More Than 5,000 NYCHA Employees

December 12, 2018

Work rule changes are first in approximately 50 years and expand work hours, including weekends, to provide more efficient and effective services to its residents

NEW YORK––Building on the Mayor’s commitment to continue improving the New York City Housing Authority and providing a fair contract to its employees, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Greg Floyd, President of Teamsters Local 237, today announced that the City of New York has reached a tentative contract agreement with Teamsters Local 237.

The 43-month agreement adds new work schedules for Caretakers and Supervisors for the first time in approximately 50 years. Since the 1960’s, the only schedule for these employees has been Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Under this agreement, there are now five possible schedules covering early mornings, beginning at 6:00 AM, and evenings until 7:00 PM, including Saturdays and Sundays. This will enable NYCHA to better maintain buildings and deliver faster service.

“This agreement will improve the lives of 400,000 New Yorkers who call NYCHA home. Our administration has secured the first changes to work hours in fifty years,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “That means residents will have faster service and staff working mornings, nights and weekends to better maintain buildings. These improvements are coupled with wage increases that are fair to workers and fair to New York City taxpayers.”

“We were able to successfully negotiate together with the union the first work schedule changes in fifty years while delivering an overall contract that is pattern conforming, fiscally responsible and addresses the needs of our NYCHA residents and employees. This was done while engaging in respectful labor management negotiations,” said Robert Linn, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations.

“This is a historic agreement for NYCHA,” said NYCHA Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff. “In partnership with Local 237, we will be able to better serve our residents with a seven day work week. We hope to see this deal ratified quickly so we can immediately start helping our residents and become the landlord they deserve.”

“Since starting at NYCHA 10 months ago, it has been my mission to improve on the delivery of services to our residents and for NYCHA to become a better landlord. Today’s announcement is a big step in that direction. One of many,” said NYCHA General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo. “This was a huge undertaking and through collaboration with Local 237, NYCHA’s HR team and the Office of Labor Relations, our residents will soon see much cleaner homes, and better service.”

The union represents more than 5,000 NYCHA employees in titles such as Caretakers, Housing Assistant and Heating Plant Technicians. The tentative agreement is retroactive, beginning on May 30, 2018 and expiring on December 29, 2021. It includes wage increases of 2.00 percent, 2.25 percent, and 3.00 percent and is pattern conforming with the recent agreements made by the District Council 37 and the United Federation of Teachers for the 2017-2021 round of bargaining.

The gross cost of this agreement is $82.7 million, some of which is offset by $24.4 million in healthcare savings for a net cost of $58.3 million. This agreement will not require any additional funds to be added to the financial plan.

As part of the agreement, current Supervisors and Caretakers moved to the new schedules will receive a one-time $1,500 payment, and all employees will receive a 20 percent differential for working weekend hours as part of their regular workweek. Implementing these extended hours would have cost tens of millions of dollars annually under the prior agreement, where all early morning, evening and weekend hours would have been paid via overtime. The City solved this issue with a one-time lump sum payment of approximately $5 million and less than $1.5 million annually thereafter.

The contract agreement also will form a series of labor-management committees to collaboratively discuss issues of mutual interest, including high pressure plant work, the RAD program, and the increased use of software and technology.

The agreement must be ratified by Teamsters Local 237 membership. This settlement continues the Administration’s promise to restore a productive relationship with the City’s workforce, all of whom were not under contract at the beginning of the Mayor’s first term.

Teamsters Local 237 employees will receive the following compounded wage increases:

• May 30, 2018 - 2.00 percent
• August 30, 2019 - 2.25 percent
• August 30, 2020 - 3.00 percent