ManagerTheNewYorkCity

www.nycmea.org Spring 2015 info@nycmea.com

I t’s been a long time in coming, but NewYork City managers are finally gettingraises.

“I’m happy that as many people are gettingraises,” says Maria Delus, Deputy AgencyChief Contracting Officer for the Office ofthe Mayor's Fiscal Operations, one of theattendees at a packed meeting of thegeneral membership of the New York CityManagerial Employees Association (MEA),held March 5, 2015.Managers are getting the same salaryincreases as the raises won by unionizedemployees in a contract ratified by DistrictCouncil 37 last August, including both alump-sum payment to employees andsalary increases totaling 10.47 percentfrom September 2011 to July 2017. Thewage increase reaches all the way back toSeptember 2011 – that means theseworkers will receive substantial back pay.

NOT LAST IN LINE

CWA Local 1180 has ratified an agreementwith the same percentage increases asMEA and DC 37. The Organization of StaffAnalysts is still in negotiations with theCity. “Our members will be receiving theirraises before many of their subordinates”,said MEA President Stu Eber. “We are notlast in line this time. The de BlasioAdministration deserves praise forrecognizing the importance of managers.”So far, while no managers have been leftout, some managers are waiting for anofficial announcement.“We are awaiting confirmation from allagencies regarding their payroll actions,”says Stu Eber. “We will continue to updateall our members when we have definiteinformation.”The first wave of raises for city managerscame in two personnel orders signed byMayor de Blasio and announced Jan. 30by i i i iMEA. i i i iThe i i i i i iorders i i i i i icover i i i i i i10, i400

managerial and Original Jurisdiction (OJ)employees working in the Mayoralagencies.The raises include salary increases of 1percent a year effective September 2011,2012 and 2013; 1.5 percent in 2014; 2.5percent in 2015; 3.0 percent in 2016 and0.47 percent for the partial year ending inJuly 2017.The managers will also receive a lump sumpayment of $1,000. The retroactive raisesmean the City owes these managers backpay. The money, including the lump sumpayment, should begin appearing in themanagers’ March 27 paychecks.

NON-MAYORAL AGENCIESON BOARD

Comptroller Scott Stringer’s managerialemployees will also begin receiving thethree payments on March 27.“We applaud Comptroller Stringer forissuing across the board raises, unlikeComptroller Thompson in 2009, when herefused to give raises to managers earningover $90,000,” said President Eber.“Those managers had to wait until June of2010, when Comptroller Liu corrected theinequity after meeting with Linda Barnesand me.”Managers and confidential employees atthe School Construction Authority receivedthe same deal. They already received the$1,000 bonus on February 27 and will getthe retroactive pay on March 27, accordingto a memo from Lorraine Grillo, Presidentand CEO of SCA.The Department of Education plans tobegin issuing the same three payments inApril. The Health and HospitalsCorporation is also making thesepayments this Spring.

GOOD NEWS FOR NYCHA

Managers at the New York City HousingAuthority (NYCHA) are getting the raises

– including retroactive raises and a lumpsum payment, according to a March 11memo sent by Kenya Salaudeen,NYCHA’s Director of Human Resources.That’s especially good news. In 2009,NYCHA gave its managers zero percent ayear for 2008 and 2009. After PresidentEber and Executive Director Linda Barnesmet with the new NYCHA Chairman, JohnRhea, in 2010, the NYCHA managersreceived raises of two percent a year overthose two years. That’s still less than thetwo raises of four percent a year that themanagers at mayoral agencies received in2009.“The NYCHA managers will be receivingtheir raises sometime in April 2015,” saysMr. Eber. “What a difference from thezeroes of 2008 and 2009. CEO SholaOlatoye really came through for hermanagers!”

Raises for City Managers By Bendix Anderson

City Managers react to the good news atthe MEA March meeting.

By Linda A. Barnes, NYC MEA Executive Director

Fishelson and I completed a total of143 activities in City agency offices.This includes the 61 on-siterecru i tmenteef for tsement ionedpreviously,eplusethreeeGeneralMembership meetings held formembers, 42 meet and greet sessionswith city or agency officials, 20employee motivational events, plusother activities. We have been askedby agency executive leadership toreturn and continue our collaborativediscussions. Members are nowcontacting the MEA office andrequesting our presence for Lunch andLearn sessions or other specialevents. This is an incredibleachievement that has not occurred inprior years.

CONCLUSION

We are very proud of ouraccomplishments for the MEA duringCalendar Year 2014. My sincereappreciation is extended to PresidentStu Eber for his on-going leadership,Executive Vice President ShellyShulman, Treasurer Warren Lewis,Recording Secretary MichelleCenteno, Director–At-Large JoelFishelson, Former Director-At-LargeCynthia Vail, Executive BoardMembers/Chapter Directors and mostof all my staff. It would be impossibleto accomplish any goals for theorganization without our total teameffort With the ongoing support of theMEA Officers, staff and the members,we are confident that we will achievesignificant goals in 2015.

record-breaking achievement of 530new members. In 2013, we enrolled343 new members. The 550 newmembers’ applications are reflected ina 38% increase in member enrollmentsince December 2009.

Executive Vice President ShellyShulman, in accordance with ourbylaws, conducted Chapter Electionsfor all 24 MEA chapters. Weconducted a total 61 visits to chapterlocations and other City agenciesduring 2014.

MEMBER SERVICES

In 2014, we responded to 426 memberservices requests. This represents a48% increase over the 2013 totals(203 requests). Members reached outto us for help regarding EEO hearings,agency internal operational conflicts,Management Benefits Fund questions,and pension or legal services referrals.Director-at-Large Joel Fishelson andhis Organization Committee continueto find ways to improve our memberbenefits, both as City managers andas MEA members

“I NEVER HEARD OF THE MEA BEFORE”

“I never heard of the MEA before”.This is a statement we hear less oftenas we travel throughout the city tovarious locations. This is a clearindicator that our interaction with ourmembers is yielding a positive effect.President Stu Eber, Executive VicePresident Shelly Shulman, TreasurerWarren Lewis, Director-at-Large Joel

ADVOCACY:SHOW ME THE MONEY

Finally, raises were approved formanagerial employees! On January20, 2015, Mayor de Blasio signed offon Mayor’s Personnel Orders 2015/1and 2015/2 approving salary increasesof 10.42% from September 2011 –July 1, 2017 for approximately 10,400City managers in the Mayoralagencies. These are across-the-board raises for all managers andOriginal Jurisdiction employees onpayroll. Additionally, the approvalalso included an unprecedented$1,000 lump sum payment.President Stu Eber advocated forthese provisions and theadministration listened! These aresignificant achievements for all non-union employees.We cannot forget how NYCHAmanagers received no raises 2009and only 2% and 2% after ouradvocacy in 2010. DOE and SCAmanagers did not receive 4% and 4%either. They received reduced raisesin 2010. Comptroller Bill Thompson didnot give his managers earning$90,000 or more raises in 2009.Comptroller John Liu did so after ouradvocacy in 2010. HHC waited fivemonths before processing the raisesin 2009. What a difference forthousands of managers!RECRUITMENT: COMMITTING TO

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS SIN

For Calendar Year 2014, we ended theyear by enrolling 550 new members.This is better than our Year 2010

2014: IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAREach year, we take steps within the New York City Managerial Employees Association (NYC MEA) to focusupon achieving goals within our strategic plan and improving the core areas of our business. In 2014, theMEA developed the slogan “We’ve Got Your Back”. This means ensuring that our members understood oursupport and advocacy tactics related to their concerns; seeking organizational strength through newmembers and retention of our current members; continuing our efforts toward improving visibility; andcontinuing to enhance and improve our ability to communicate with our members. We are proud to cite thefollowing achievements for 2014.

Pieces&Bits

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New Director-At-Large for MEABy Bendix Anderson

Carol David may soon visit your agencyas part of her new role as MEA Director-At-Large.“My goals are to really promote thebenefits of MEA – and to meet themembers where they are,” says Ms.David.In February, Carol David was electedunanimously by the Executive Board asone of MEA’s two Directors-At-Large.She and Joel Fishelson, MEA’s otherDirector-At-Large, help MEA membersmake connections across city agenciesand help solve problems that affect MEAmembers in multiple agencies.“Being Director-At-Large is like being anombudsman,” says Ms. David. “We helpmembers with issues with benefits, orpersonal situations or with otherproblems that filter across the bordersbetween agencies.”She has already served for years as theDepartment of Homeless ServicesChapter Director, representing her

agency and working together with theofficers and staff to help colleaguesaccess the benefits of MEAmembership and handle the challengesof working in City government. She hasbeen an MEA member since 1999.

Ms. David is taking over her new rolefrom the outgoing Director-At-LargeCynthia Vail, another long-time MEAmember. Ms. Vail has acted as anadvocate for diversity at all manageriallevels and for the civil service meritsystem. She also organized a series ofevents that brought MEA memberstogether, including the recent HolidayScholarship Party.

Ms. David serves as the AssistantCommissioner in the Office of ClientAccountability and Compliance of the

New York City Department ofHomeless Services.

“We ensure that clients have what theyneed,” says Carol David.

MEA Director-At-Large Carol David willhelp members make connections andsolve problems across agencies.

Iris Rodriguez has a good memory.

After years as a case manager at theDepartment of Homeless Services, shestill remembers names and faces fromher first days on the job.

“I remember starting off as a fraudinvestigator. There was this one woman

in the case who had some seriousissues.”

Recently someone mentioned a nameand Ms. Rodriguez instantly recognizedthe same woman she had helped --over eighteen years ago.

Ms. Rodriguez has been an MEAmember for many years andappreciates the support that MEAprovides. “It’s good to know there’ssomeone out there looking out for us asmanagers,” she said.

Currently promoted to the position ofAssociate Commissioner for ShelterOperations, Ms. Rodriguez nowmanages over a hundred cases, asharp increase from the smallerportfolio of 20 cases in her last jobwhere she dealt with adult families andveterans in 25 facilities.

“It’s interesting going from 20 to 100.But I’m a fast-paced person, so I tendto like it.”But there are tradeoffs, according to

Rodriguez. For example, before,workingoff a smaller portfolio, she was able todeal with clients more directly. “I don’twant to lose that personal touch, “shesaid.Ms. Rodriguez still keeps in touch withsome of the people she helped in herfirst years at DHS. “I have three clientsthat have moved out of the system andtoday they still call me.” One suchperson had been out of the system forover five years and recently had issueswith her rent until she stepped in. “I helped her with that, “said Ms.Rodriguez, “I’m like their long-extendedaftercare worker. “Under the de Blasio Administration DHShas new resources to help its clients gethousing. That includes a link to the NYCHousing Authority, which now provideshousing vouchers that help families paytheir rent. “Mayor de Blasio is looking at solutionsfor how to deal with our crisis and iswilling to work with us, “she said.

Iris Rodriguez

Associate Commissioner Iris Rodriguez

MEMBER PROFILE:

By Vanessa DeSantis

New York City Managerial Employees Association42 Broadway • Suite 1945New York, NY 10004

Steven Banks, pinch hitting for DeputyMayor Lilliam Barrios Paoli as MEA’sguest speaker, started with the goodnews when he addressed a meeting ofthe New York City ManagerialEmployees Association March 5.Commissioner of the City’s HumanResources Administration, Mr. Bankshad the latest information on when themanagers at the NYC Health andHospitals Corporation would receivetheir retroactive raises.“HHC plans to pay covered employeeson March 27,” said Mr. Banks to cheersfrom the managers.He said the de Blasio Administrationwants to, “Allow people that havededicated their lives to public service toserve the public.”Commissioner Banks also gave themanagers an update of some of theaccomplishments, from the Mayor’shousing plan to the creation of IDNYC.

Cooperation between city agencies ishelping the city’s programs work moreeffectively – and help more people, hesaid.“For the first time in four years we hada month of the number of people inshelter system going down,” said Banks.“That is because of a lot of teamworkbetween DHS, HRA, NYCHA, HPD andACS… Everybody is working together.”Mr. Banks sees his role as being toempower city managers.“I see a major part of my role ascommissioner as undoing all of thelimitations that have been put upon thevery creative people who havededicated their lives to the agency,” hesaid. “We have people who have knownall along how to make it work right.”For example, HRA rules used to requirea supervisor to review every applicationfor Food Stamps.“Isn’t it predictable that there is going to

be a bottleneck?” said CommissionerBanks. “Why not have a waiver and havesomething called selective case review?We implemented that this month…There are hundreds of things like thatthat we are doing.”He ended by stating that the De BlasioAdministration is pro-opportunityfor organizations such as MEA.

Good News for Managersand the City from Steve Banks

By Bendix Anderson

Human Resources CommissionerSteven Banks addresses the Marchmeeting of the MEA with goodnews from the Mayor’s Office.