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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Unions Demand Better Pay Raise

By Sean Olson
Journal Staff Writer
      About 200 city and water employees poured into Civic Plaza on Monday afternoon to protest contract negotiations with city of Albuquerque and city-county Water Utility Authority administration.
    The workers, all with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, are asking for a larger pay raise than what has been offered in negotiations thus far, AFSCME Council 18 President Andrew Padilla said at the protest.
    Eight AFSCME unions — including city dispatchers, transit employees, blue collar workers and water utility employees, to name a few — are all in negotiations for new contracts for the coming fiscal year.
    The protest was timed to coincide with the end of this fiscal year, when the workers' old contracts expired. The new fiscal year begins today.
    The City Council appropriated enough funding for a 3.5 percent raise to all city employees in the 2008-2009 budget, but unions have only been offered a 3 percent raise as the city's best offer, Padilla said.
    “I think everyone and their brother in Albuquerque knows this money is available,” he said.
    City Labor Department director Lawrence Torres said he was unable to comment on any negotiations before completing talks for five separate contracts, all involving AFSCME unions. Three other AFSCME unions are in negotiations with the water authority.
    The protesters wore green T-shirts and lined the streets around Civic Plaza with signs criticizing Mayor Martin Chávez and his administration. Union leaders spoke to employees and led chants from a stage in the plaza.
    Torres said he was meeting for further negotiations all week and hoped to agree on contracts as soon as possible. He said the union workers would receive the same pay and benefits as detailed in their last contract until a new agreement is reached.
   

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