Arbitration Board Awards Rye PBA 2009-10 Contract with City

City of Rye Press Release

The State of New York Public Employment Relations Board has released an award in the Compulsory Interest Arbitration filed by the Rye Police Association on 11/18/10.

The award covers the terms of the collective bargaining agreement for the period of 1/1/09 – 12/31/10 between the PBA and the City.

The scope of this award includes changes in health insurance contributions for active members, a partial wage freeze on salary for 2009 and 2010, and extended salary steps for new members. These outcomes are significant milestones in the effort to contain benefit costs which include the impact of health care premium growth. The City has been consistent in focusing on the total cost of employment when we are bargaining with our unions in an effort to provide a fair compensation package while respecting taxpayer concerns. This contract also respects the impact of the NYS tax cap on local property taxes.

Additional work remains for the City and the PBA to complete a multi-year agreement which will build on these principles and secure a financially viable framework for sustaining active employee and retirement health insurance and pension benefits.

Mayor Douglas French commented, “Now that the arbitration is settled, I encourage our Public Safety Unions to join us at the table and restart negotiations as soon as possible. We greatly value the contribution of our employees, and want to find a path to an agreement which also recognizes the City’s obligation to manage the long-term impact of benefit costs.

The last contract was settled in 2003, so now is the time to come together and find common ground. Our goal is to negotiate a multi-year contract that is fair to our employees and fiscally responsible within the framework of our current economic environment.”