With a 93 percent majority vote July 7, Local 237 Housing Division members ratified the contract agreement reached by the union and the Housing Authority June 9. Of the total 3,902 secret ballots mailed in by members and counted by the American Arbitration Association, 3,630 were marked in favor of the contract, while only 268 were not.

The new contract covers more than 6,000 Housing Division members for 40 months and six days from July 1, 2002, through Nov 6, 2005. Housing members have been working under an expired contract since June 30, 2002.

“We waited three years for this contract, but it was worth the wait for Local 237 to be able to negotiate its own contract, under its own terms,” said President Carl Haynes, adding that the union “prevailed on two key issues of utmost importance to us. We maintained our five-day work week, which was a critical piece in our negotiations. We also prevailed on protecting our unborn by avoiding a two-tiered wage system within our titles.”

The union managed to preserve weekend overtime pay and keep the regular work week as Monday through Friday, although HA had plans to include one weekend day in workers’ schedules while paying them regular wages.

Terms of the new housing contract include a $1,000 lump sum cash payment upon ratification and 3-percent wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2003. The deal also includes a 1.75 percent wage increase effective July 1, 2004, and a $75-a-year annuity fund increase per member, retroactive to July 1, 2004.

While the new housing contract, like the one approved by the Citywide Division in April, follows a basic pattern set by DC 37, the city’s largest union, Local 237’s contract negotiations succeeded in keeping to a minimum any harm to new hires. Effective July 1, 2005, starting salaries for all housing employees hired after July 1, 2005, will be 13 percent less in the first year (previously 7.15 percent less) and 12.45 percent less in the second year. By the third year, employees will go to the same pay level as their more senior colleagues. They will also continue to enjoy the same benefits and time off as employees hired under previous contracts.