Union contract heads to Council on election eve
BRIDGEPORT— Onthe night before Tuesday’s mayoral and City Council elections, the Council will vote on a newcontract for one of Bridgeport’s largest municipal unions.
The fouryear pact with the National Association of Government Employees provides 2 percent annual raises— one retroactive to Jan. 1, the other three effective on the first of the year in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Council President Aidee Nieves noted those amounts are in line with other contracts Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration has brokered and with raises themayor and his aides received this year. New NAGE members— hired on or after Nov. 15, 2011 — will also seewhat they contribute to their health insurance gradually increase from 31 to 33 percent.
Typically, labor deals are first sent to the council’s Contracts Committee. But NAGE’s, which affects around 700members, was added Friday afternoon to the full council’s Monday agenda for “immediate consideration,” meaning a final vote that evening.
“It’s not political,” Nieves said Friday when asked about the timing.
It is not unusual for city employees, union and nonunion, to be asked to not only vote for an incumbent administration— Ganim, Nieves and many other councilmembers are on Tuesday’s ballot— but to pitch in on Election Day aswell.
Nieves said that, under state law, the council has a window of time to act on contracts, otherwise they take effect immediately. She noted in the past, council memberswere angry when they missed opportunities to vote on labor agreements, which is why she agreed to Monday’s vote.
“I don’t make it a policy to do union contracts as ‘ immediate consideration,’ ” Nieves said.
According to a memorandum to the council from Director of Labor Relations Janene Hawkins, the pending NAGE deal was signed on Oct. 23 and “if the council does not accept or reject ( it) by Dec. 6” it will take effect.
The next mayor— be it Ganim or one of his opponents— and the next council will take office Dec. 1.
“It’s still part of our job,” Nieves said.
Four years ago, the just-elected Ganim and a new City Council complained about new contracts they inherited from justdeparted Mayor Bill Finch for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the supervisors.
In both cases, those pacts took effect without legislative action, and Ganim lost later efforts to undo them before the state Board of Labor Relations and in Superior Court.
Nieves said she wanted to give the current council members “the opportunity to voice their opinion on” the NAGE deal.
“Them ayor was like, ‘ What do youwant to do?’ I said, ‘ I don’t want to get into the ( same) position ( if) we held it. Let’s just take action now.”
NAGE in summer2016 agreed to give up a one year, 2.5 percent raise provided for in the union’s last contract to help Ganim close a budget gap. Themayor originally wanted other future raises canceled, and for union members to accept 10 unpaid furlough days.
Ultimately, Ganim dropped those demands and offered two years' worth of job security.