Week ending August 11, 2017
CSEA Members Ratify New Contract
CSEA members ratified a new five year contract with the state that provides annual 2 percent raises, improvements to the longevity payment structure, and double-time overtime pay for those working in the Office of Mental Health and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities to control the excessive mandated overtime rampant in that sector.
All of our four state bargaining units (Administrative, Institutional, Operational and Division of Military and Naval Affairs) individually approved the agreement.
“Our negotiating team worked tirelessly to secure a well-rounded agreement that provides hard-earned cost-of-living increases while keeping health insurance expenses reasonable for working families,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “This contract is the product of members negotiating as a team for what is fair, and it recognizes the exceptional value of your innumerable contributions across the state. You are the often-unrecognized backbone of our communities.”
The governor signed the legislation into law late Tuesday, along with a separate contract bill for CSEA’s agreement with the Office of Court Administration.
Click here for full details of the agreement. (CSEA ID # required)
Pension Fund Report
Comptroller DiNapoli announced this week that the Common Retirement Fund had an estimated value of $197.1 billion at the end of the first quarter of state fiscal year 2017-18. The Fund earned a return of 2.9 percent during the quarter.
The Common Retirement Fund is the third largest pension fund in the country, providing benefits to over one million workers and retirees. Under the leadership of Comptroller DiNapoli, it continues to be one of the best funded and best managed plans in the country.
Register to Vote!
The deadline to register in the September 12 Primary is August 18th (next Friday). Check with your local county Board of Elections to see which races will be on the ballot in your area.
You can find a printable voter registration form here, or you can register online at the DMV’s website.
Con Con Fact
Powerful special interests would pressure delegates to rewrite the constitution to benefit themselves, not working families.
