Mayor Adams, OLR Commissioner Campion Announce Tentative Contract Agreement With Teamsters Local 237 For Over 9,000 Municipal Employees

Mayor Eric L. Adams | City of New York Official website

By NYC Gazette Report

Jul 1, 2023

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Office of Labor Relations (OLR) Commissioner Renee Campion today announced a tentative five-plus-year contract agreement with Teamsters Local 237. This agreement will cover over 9,000 municipal employees, including school safety agents who work in New York City public schools as well as special officers who serve as hospital police at NYC Health + Hospitals, as homeless services police at New York City Department of Homeless Services shelters, and at other agencies. The agreement also covers other hospital employees, like radiographers, custodians, bridge operators, New York City Department of Education food service managers, custodians, supervising special officers, evidence and property control specialists, taxi limousine inspectors, and stock workers.

The tentative agreement is retroactive — beginning on April 26, 2022 — and expires on October 25, 2027. It conforms to the pattern established by the agreement with District Council (DC) 37 earlier this year and followed by the agreement with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). The agreement includes wage increases of 3 percent for each of the first four years of the contract and 3.25 percent in the fifth year. The agreement also includes a $3,000 lump sum ratification bonus for all Local 237 members, and, as of this October, eliminates two steps from the salary schedule for school safety agents and special officers — allowing them to reach top pay after only five years of service instead of the current seven years. With this agreement, the administration has reached agreements covering 78 percent of municipal employees.

“The men and women who protect our schools, our hospitals, and our shelters, and all of the members of Teamsters Local 237, work tirelessly to serve our city, and we are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement to provide them with the pay they deserve,” said Mayor Adams. “This agreement provides for fair wage increases and a quicker route to top pay to ensure we continue to recruit and retain the top talent for the best workforce in the best city in the world.”

“Thank you to Teamsters Local 237 President Greg Floyd for his partnership in reaching this agreement that provides fair compensation to more than 9,000 employees and takes important steps to improve the compensation of our school safety agents and special officers so we can better recruit and retain these valuable employees,” said OLR Commissioner Campion.

“Upon contract ratification by our members, I am delighted to announce that today, history was made. Thanks to a collaborative effort with Mayor Eric Adams and Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion, a groundbreaking tentative agreement with the city was negotiated and successfully reached that marks an extraordinary achievement in labor relations that includes a 16.21 percent increase in wages across the board and a $3,000 lump sum cash payment to our members upon ratification,” said Gregory Floyd, president, Teamsters Local 237, and vice president at-large, General Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “Our members, who work tirelessly to help keep the city up and running, now know that their efforts are recognized and rewarded. This contract victory also underscores the importance of solidarity as union members. We have the vision and voice of all working people who deserve and demand dignity and fairness in the workplace. Workers’ rights are human rights, and this accomplishment celebrates the fact that, today, the two have come together.”

The tentative agreement must be ratified by Local 237’s membership.

The total cost of the tentative agreement, through Fiscal Year 2027, will be $293 million, which is fully funded in the labor reserve in the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget.

In addition to wage increases planned over the next five-plus years, the tentative agreement includes:

Ratification Bonus: Upon contract ratification by Local 237 membership, members will receive a one-time bonus of $3,000.
Enhanced Salary Schedule for School Safety Agents and Special Officers: These employees will now reach top pay after five years of service instead of seven years.

Local 237 members will receive the following compounded wage increases: