A local chapter of the Civil Service Employees Association Inc., held two rallies in front of the Westchester County government’s Edwin G. Michaelian Office Building, located at 148 Martine Ave. in White Plains, on June 7. The union, which represents more than 3,000 employees across multiple county departments, was protesting the lack of a new labor contract for more than five years, the longest the union has ever gone without a new agreement in place.
The last time the union and the county met to negotiate toward a new contract was in 2014, when CSEA 9200 walked away from the bargaining table following a fact-finder’s recommendations that, if accepted, would lead union members to contribute to their health care, along with accepting a two-year wage freeze.
“We walked away from the last contract because if we had taken it, it means we’d be taking money out of the pockets of our members,” said Kwabena Manu, president of the CSEA 9200.
Currently, the union continues to operate under the parameters of the previous contract, which expired on Dec. 31, 2011.
The first rally took place from noon to 2 p.m., and another took place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. At the noon gathering, Manu spoke to around 200 union members gathering with custom t-shirts and placards.
“We are not here to insult anyone in the county [government],” Manu said. “We are just demanding what we deserve…. Just come to the table with a fair and equitable contract.”
However, Manu told members present at the rally that the time has come for the union to pay into their health benefits. “The county is not going to give us any raises if we don’t pay into [them],” he said. “But I can promise you that by the end of this year, we will have a contract. If we don’t, vote me out.”
Tracey Gamble, a Connecticut resident that has worked in the county Department of Environmental Facilities for 30 years, said the cost of living is always going up, and that five years without a contract is too long.
“I have three kids in college…. We’re not getting nothing,” he said. “When we speak on it, they [the county government] get mad. It’s crazy.”
