ALE would be one of first legislative unions in the country with a contract

City Hall, NY – Today, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced that the Council has reached a tentative agreement with the Association of Legislative Employees (ALE) staff union for its first-ever contract. The historic contract would cover approximately 382 Council employees, including all Council Member Aides within Members’ offices and Legislative Financial Analysts and Senior Legislative Financial Analysts within the Council Finance Division.

The tentative agreement is retroactive, beginning on January 4, 2021, for the Legislative Financial Analysts and Senior Legislative Financial Analysts, and on August 13, 2021, for Council Member Aides. It expires on January 17, 2027. The contract, which conforms to the pattern established by the DC37 contract, 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 lump sum ratification bonus of $3,000 for all ALE members in active employment, as of the date of ratification. The pattern increases and ratification bonus were already budgeted in the City’s labor reserve, thus are cost neutral.

“Our Council staff are dedicated, hardworking public servants who help make our city better for all New Yorkers,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “I’m proud to reach this historic contract agreement with the Association of Legislative Employees, which establishes meaningful workplace protections for Council Member Aides and analyst positions within the Finance Division. Since the start of this bargaining process, we sought to come to a meaningful and thoughtful agreement for a first contract to support these workers within a legislative body. This achievement honors the generations of public service provided by Council staff for decades. I thank ALE and the Office of Labor Relations for their commitment towards reaching this milestone.”

“The agreement we have reached with Speaker Adrienne Adams is historic,” said Daniel Kroop, ALE President and Finance Division Staff Member. “We are overjoyed to deliver to our members a first contract with wins on wages, benefits, and job protections. We thank the Speaker and the whole body for working with us to start this new chapter. ALE members overcame enormous obstacles and achieved an industry-leading contract following almost a decade of organizing. Incredibly, we did it as a new, independent union, led and powered by volunteers. This contract asserts the dignity and value of every employee and recognizes the enormous contribution we make to this body.”

“The Office of Labor Relations is proud to have assisted the Council and ALE in negotiating their first historic collective bargaining agreement, covering the largest legislative staff union in the country,” said New York City Office of Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion. “It is an agreement that is fair to both the ALE members as well as the taxpayers of the City of New York.”

In addition to wage increases, the tentative agreement also includes salary floor raises for all covered titles, a new compensatory time policy, and grievance and disciplinary processes.

Raising of the Minimum Salary Floor for Full-Time Represented Employees

  • The salary floor for Council Member Aides has been raised to $55,000.
  • The salary floor for Legislative Financial Analysts has been raised to $60,420.
  • The salary floor for Senior Legislative Financial Analysts has been raised to $76,320.

New Workplace Procedures and Protections

  • Establishes a compensatory time policy that would be applicable to most represented staff, with hours worked in-excess of an employee’s normal work week earned at the hourly equivalent for weekdays and at one-and-a-half times for weekends and Council holidays. The time must be used within the calendar year or it will roll over to sick time hours.
  • Establishes a grievance procedure for covered staff.
  • Establishes disciplinary procedures and protections for the large majority of represented staff, while also taking into account the particular needs of a legislative body such as the Council.

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