The Citywide and Housing members of Local 237’s negotiating committees gave the thumbs up Sept. 19 to the proposed contract demands crafted by the Municipal Bargaining Coalition, which represents more than 175,000 city workers, including Local 237 Citywide and Housing members.


UFT President Randi Weingarten is at the podium as coalition members look on. From right are: Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association President Harry Nespoli; Local 237 Vice President Richard Hendershot; Business Agent Charles Mussa; and Citywide Assistant Director Randy Klein.

“The vote, which was unanimous, gave the coalition the green light to fast track the collective bargaining process,” said Local 237 President Carl Haynes, who is also co-chair of the Municipal Labor Bargaining Coalition. The municipal coalition, Haynes added, expects to begin negotiations with the city administration early this month “because we are determined to get a new contract as soon as possible.”

The coalition is made up of the leaders of over 16 municipal unions, and is co-chaired byHaynes, UFT President Randi Weingarten and Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, Local 831.

Local 237’s negotiating committees jointly endorsed the coalition demands as currently written. The demands start with the basic provisions of the recently ratified District Council 37 contract and build on it, said Allen Brawer of Policy Research Group. If agreed to by the city and the Housing Authority, the coalition contract proposal would provide a richer package than the DC 37 pact.

During the meeting, Haynes told the members of the negotiating committees that pressure on the union’s health care and retirement benefits will continue to mount over the next few years, adding, “These hard-won benefits must be defended against erosion.”

Secretary-Treasurer Gregory Floyd added that “flexibility in our tactics and thinking is critical not only to the survival of our existing health and pension benefits, but also to the enhancement of what we have. The years ahead will be difficult, but we will triumph.”

Concerns that recent efforts by the city to establish a pattern agreement negotiated by an individual union would undermine unity within municipal labor unions led to the creation of the group last June. The coalition represents uniformed and civilian members, including the city’s teachers, sanitation workers, nurses, college professors, city staff analysts, hospital technicians, licensed practical nurses and auto service workers.

The coalition agreed to jointly bargain on economic issues — including, but not limited to wages and health benefits — for six months. Any proposed settlement must be approved by at least three of the group’s five co-chairs and a two-thirds majority of the unions in the coalition. Each union would then hold separate ratification votes.