Mayor Adams Expands Remote Work Pilot for New York City Employees

October 23, 2023

Following Successful Pilot with Unionized Employees, Adams Administration Expanding Benefit to City’s Non-Represented Workforce

Remote Work Is Critical Tool for Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent and Providing High-Quality Services for New Yorkers

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced a new benefit for thousands of city employees as the administration continues its efforts to support and retain top-level talent providing services to New Yorkers. Following the successful implementation of a remote work pilot with District Council 37 (DC 37), Mayor Adams will now extend the benefit to city workers not represented by unions. “New Yorkers deserve the best services government can offer, and our secret weapon is the most talented, hardest-working workforce in the world,” said Mayor Adams. “Public servants deliver for New Yorkers through the city’s most urgent crises, and now it’s time for us to support them as they have supported us. With the success of our initial remote work pilots for tens of thousands of union-represented employees, we are proud to expand this benefit to the thousands of non-represented public servants who work tirelessly for our city day in and day out.”

“Our municipal workforce keeps this city running, working nonstop to serve New Yorkers day in and day out,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “Retaining top talent continues to be a priority for the administration and is foundational to our ability to deliver services. I am proud of our commitment to providing competitive benefits through expanding remote work to even more of our employees.”

“We’re proud to bring remote work to the nation’s largest municipal workforce as we adapt to a post-COVID world, and we will continue to innovate so we can attract and retain talented, passionate New Yorkers who want to serve our city,” said Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “New York City would be nowhere without the thousands of dedicated public servants who keep this city running, and just like they have our backs every day, we will always have theirs.”

“New York City is the most important city in the world; thus, the members of our city’s workforce are the most important municipal employees in the world,” said Chief Advisor Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin. “We’re committed to creating a workplace where our team members will continue to thrive and deliver a quality work product through the use of technology, while allowing them to continue to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers.”

“Our city’s workforce is in a season of evolution and revolution, and it is guided by the work we are doing now to position the City of New York as an employer of choice,” said New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “By expanding telework policies to include non-unionized city employees, we are putting a focus on retention. Since March, we’ve been working tirelessly to increase equity and access to employment for all New Yorkers and adopting a holistic, human approach to city government. Our efforts have yielded a citywide reduction in vacancies and have improved many of the pathways into public service.”

The pilot expansion will be offered to approximately 16,500 employees not represented by a union — allowing those eligible to work up to two days a week remotely, depending on their job performance and specific duties. The two-year pilot will adhere to the same terms of the administration’s remote work agreements with various unions as part of recent contract settlements. Determinations on days and eligibility will be made at an agency level and reviewed by the Flexible Work Committee, which includes representatives from city oversight agencies.

The Adams administration has made significant progress in reaching contract settlements with its unionized workforce. In less than two years, and less than nine months after its first agreement with DC 37, the Adams administration has successfully negotiated contracts with unions representing approximately 88 percent of the city’s workforce, including DC 37, the Police Benevolent Association, United Federation of Teachers, the Uniformed Officers Coalition, Teamsters Local 237, Communications Workers of America Local 1180, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. The administration is currently in collective bargaining discussions with unions representing the city’s remaining unionized workforce.

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