Mayor Brown Praises City Employees’ Contract Agreement

Mayor Byron W. Brown today praised the overwhelming ratification of a new contract between the City of Buffalo and the members of AFSCME Local 650, the city’s white-collar employee union.  The rank and file approved the contract yesterday, June 9th.

“This new contract presents a good model for where my Administration has said we need to be for all city employee union contracts,” said Mayor Brown. “It provides for much-deserved raises for the members of AFSCME Local 650, as well as no change in the delivery of health care benefits, but it also contains important work-rule changes that will reduce overtime costs and restore management rights. After a lengthy negotiation process that was always conducted in good faith by both sides, I look forward to the same process with our city’s other bargaining units.”

This seven-year contract provides affected city employees with 3% salary increases beginning July 1, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 with a $2,000 increase in base pay effective July 1, 2008.  Covered employees will also receive health care in lieu payments when applicable, increases in auto allowance, and effective July 1, 2008, a seven-step schedule will be implemented for new hires.  In addition, domestic partner medical benefits will be extended to those employees who meet the domestic partner qualifications of the carrier. 

This contract is expected to yield $6,385,089 in total savings to the City of Buffalo through 2011.  These savings are realized as a result of all covered employees being placed into Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Traditional Blue POS 204/204 Plus Plan, new employees contributing 15-25% towards health care, elimination of wage freeze litigation, and various work rule and shift changes saving the City with respect to overtime, compensatory time, personal leave time, as well as other savings measures contained within the contract.

Additionally, this contract provides management with additional rights with respect to employee drug testing, employee handbook, dress code, probation period, lunch/break scheduling, vesting of retirement health care, Article 75/Resignation, and creation of new steps from 5 to 7.  Moreover, all covered employees shall now maintain their residence and domicile in the City of Buffalo effectively addressing any actual or perceived ambiguities in this respect.

In submitting the contract to the Common Council, which must approve it before sending it along to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority for its required approval, Mayor Brown stated,” I urge your Honorable Body to approve this contract at your earliest opportunity, as I believe it is in the best interest of the City of Buffalo.”

The Mayor added, “This contract meets all the tests of prudent fiscal management: it is affordable, it reduces the city’s long-term benefit costs, it restores the city’s management rights, and it restructures our workforce.”