Public Sector Unions To Review Rumored UFT Contract On Friday

The expected announcement of an contract agreement with the United Federation of Teachers will also have an immediate impact on the rest of New York City's municipal unions, sources tell City & State. 

While The New York Times reports that the contract with the teachers union is rumored to be for nine years, the exact amount of retroactive pay is unclear. However, multiple sources familiar with the UFT negotiations said that the agreement includes potential savings through increased employee contributions to healthcare.

Because of the healthcare aspect and the assumption that the UFT contract will set a pattern for negotiations with the city's other public unions, the agreement will be reviewed by the Steering Committee of the Municipal Labor Committee at a meeting on Friday. The MLC negotiates healthcare components during collective bargaining sessions on behalf of the municipal workforce. Sources add that the mayor has been reaching out to many of the public sector unions to notify them of the UFT agreement. 

"We’re supposed to have a meeting on Friday to review a proposal," said Arthur Cheliotes, a member of the MLC Steering Committee and president of the Communication Workers of America Local 1180. "I’m sworn to secrecy beyond that."

Crain's has previously reported that the mayor's office had postponed the unveiling of its affordable housing plan because of an "unrelated matter." Administration sources confirmed that tomorrow's housing announcement has been postponed as a result of the ongoing labor discussions.

Reached for comment on details of the expected contract announcement, a UFT spokesman would only say, "Stay tuned."