A new Citywide Division contract valued at 9.87 percent, that provides for long-sought pay increases, job security and improved pension, health and welfare benefits, was overwhelmingly approved by a vote of almost 100 to 1 at the end of December.

The contract, which was hammered out early last month with city negotiators, will cover the 27-month period from Jan. 1, 2000, to March 31 of this year.

Negotiators for the members in the Housing Division, whose old contract expired March 31, 2000, gave tentative approval to terms similar to those accepted by the Citywide Division at a bargaining session held Dec. 20 at Local 237 headquarters in Manhattan. The new contract would cover the period from April 1, 2000, to June 30, 2002.

Letters explaining the new contract were mailed out by the union only days after tentative agreement was reached; secret ballots were sent out to the membership by an independent firm, American Arbitration Services.

A tally of Citywide ballots which were counted publicly by the AAS Dec. 28 at Local 237 headquarters came to 4,494 in favor to 49 opposed. Of the 8,201 ballots sent out, 4,598 were returned. Four ballots were returned unmarked.

The Citywide agreement calls for 4 percent increases for years 2000 and 2001 and an additional 1 percent — due March 31 of this year — that will be utilized to improve benefits to be determined by the union for its members.

City Labor Relations Commissioner James Hanley said the city would try to include the new Citywide Division pay rate in checks to be received Jan. 18. He added that they would also try to have checks for the retroactive money owed members by the first pay period in February.

Secret ballots and explanations of the proposals in the new contract, which will run until June 30 of this year, were sent out to Housing Division members Jan. 2. The ballots must be returned by noon Jan. 18 and will be counted at 2 p.m. that day.

If the Housing Division members approve the new pact, they can expect to receive their retroactive pay in April.

“This is a good contract,” President Carl Haynes insisted. “It not only provides long-sought decent pay increases and improved pension, health and welfare benefits, but also provides job security for all members. We’ve proven that when we stand together for what is right, we win.”

Haynes noted that the contract calls for the elimination of employee contributions to their pension in Tiers 3 and 4 after 10 years of service. “This will boost take home pay by 3 percent, retroactive to Oct. 1, 2000,” he pointed out.

It also calls for up to two years extra pension credit for members in Tiers 1 and 2, and greater equity among different pension tiers.

“As we’ve stated over these many months, job security is of the utmost importance and we maintain language for that in this contract,” Haynes noted in letters sent to the membership seeking approval of the agreement.

“We also recognize that the city, as a result of the World Trade Center attack, is facing financial uncertainties in the coming months, so it is in our interest to conclude this contract process as soon as possible, receive our retroactive money, and prepare for bargaining for a new contract commencing April 1.”

Nick Mancuso, Local 237 Secretary Treasurer and chief negotiator for the union, said that the new Housing contract includes a major change in the HA’s disciplinary procedure. “Under the new agreement, local hearings conducted by the HA will be adjudicated by a neutral third party hearing officer agreed to by both parties,” Mancuso said.

In the past, union members argued, hearing officers selected by the HA were rarely objective and almost always found for the Authority.

The agreement also calls for job security, pension improvements and increases to the union’s health and welfare funds.

“We worked hard to finalize acceptable contracts before the end of the year,” Haynes said, “but it was difficult because of the city administration’s demand that the hospital police be abandoned. It was not until last month that we attained the breakthrough that assured job security for all our members.”

Following settlement of both the Citywide Division and Housing Division contracts, Haynes said: “Now we can concentrate our efforts on concluding our skilled trades ‘220’ determinations as soon as possible.”