For More Information:
William R. Steinhaus
Dutchess County Executive
(845) 486-2000
countyexec@co.dutchess.ny.us
For Immediate Release
July 31, 2002
County and CSEA Negotiators Reach Agreement
on Four Year Pact
Poughkeepsie. . . Dutchess
County Executive William R. Steinhaus and CSEA President Liz Piraino today
announced that negotiators for the county and its largest union reached
agreement on a new labor pact covering more than twelve hundred county
employees. The four-year agreement will run retroactively from January 1, 2001
through December 31, 2004.
If ratified by the union
membership and approved by the County Legislature, the new agreement will
provide 3% annual wage increases for each of the four years. The settlement
also includes improved mileage reimbursement and longevity pay and eligibility
for the state’s early retirement program. In addition, the settlement includes
adjustments to the employees’ health plans designed to maintain affordable
health care coverage for county employees while still providing fiscal control
over escalating health care costs for both the employer and employee.
County Executive Steinhaus
commented, “The agreement is fair to our highly valued county employees—the
people who serve our residents and who make this government function, and to the
taxpayers who must shoulder its costs.” CSEA President Piraino added, “These
were tough negotiations, but the results do represent fair compromise and we
look forward to speedy ratification by our members.”
The CSEA is one of three bargaining units which represent county employees. The County’s Deputy Sheriffs are currently in the third year of a four-year agreement. The County and the union representing corrections officers and civilian employees of the Sheriff’s office are scheduled to begin a fact-finding phase next week on a contract which when settled will run retroactively from January 1, 2001.
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