Nassau CSEA contract deal -- talk of the county for two days -- finally announced (UPDATED)

Talk around Nassau County for the past two days has been that Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman had struck a new labor agreement, signed Monday, with the county's largest union, the Nassau Civil Service Employees Association.

The CSEA, which include most non-law enforcement county employees, has been working without a contract since the end of 2017. As of June, there were 3,359 fulltime CSEA members.

An announcement went out late today but it didn't say much:

A spokesman for Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman did not respond to an email today asking when the CSEA deal would be announced.

Everyone is looking at the CSEA because exempt employees -- county workers who are hired and fired at will -- traditionally are given the same benefits as the union members.

But the exempts are not happy with some of the rumors about the agreement: one is that the CSEA will take a lesser health insurance plan in return for an upfront payment, perhaps of $1,500, for each member. Don't know if that rumor is true. County employees now have platinum health insurance that carries over into retirement.

Also, there is talk that the CSEA will have 15 minutes added onto their work day. Seemingly forever, union workers have had work days of 7 hours and 45 minutes, instead of the standard eight hours. Again, that's just a rumor. We'll see if that's true.

Holding up the deal has been the settlement of a particularly sticky issue: how will the county handle the covid compensatory time accrued by workers during the pandemic.

As reported by this blog two years ago, "Thousands of Nassau County public employees -- including top political appointees--accumulated nearly $150 million in total covid-related compensatory time in the 13 months after Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all but essential workers to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic."

The rumor is that the issue has not been settled; that the county and the CSEA will continue to argue over Covid comp time.

UPDATE:  Here is the full email. Besides the health insurance change, there is consternation over a proposed changed in vesting.

Nassau County Contract Agreement Dear Members,   I am excited to announce that CSEA Local 830 has finally reached a contract agreement with County Executive Bruce Blakeman that appropriately compensates our hardworking membership for the sacrifices you have all made over the past six years.   I would first like to thank all CSEA Local 830 members for your unwavering grit and determination during this time. Your commitment to our union’s cause has been truly commendable and I couldn’t be prouder of the professionalism and patience you have shown throughout these negotiations.   I would also like to thank our own negotiating team, led by CSEA Local 830 Executive Vice President Robert Arciello and Labor Relations Specialist Patrick Naglieri, for their tireless efforts throughout this process.    Finally, I’d like to thank County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Deputy County Executive Tatum Fox, and the rest of their negotiating team.    Before going any further, I want you all to know that this agreement was reached independently from the COVID-19 Compensatory Time arbitration. That case is still with Arbitrator Elena Cacavas, as we anticipate a favorable outcome for all our affected members. A separate update regarding that matter will certainly follow as soon as there is a decision to be announced.   This agreement protects our members long standing benefits, unifies our membership, and delivers the proper support necessary to help our membership continue to provide the highest levels of service to the residents of Nassau County. The term of the contract runs through December 2030, and provides for retroactive pay, significant cost of living increases, and allows us to remain in a NYSHIP health plan while continuing to enjoy a non-contributory healthcare benefit, with virtually no reduction in benefits, guaranteed through December 2030.   Below you will find links to PDFs that correspond to your current salary schedule (County Plan C, County Plan D, NCC Plan C & NCC Plan D).  Within each PDF you'll find: (1) the Fact Sheet; (2) the Memorandum of Agreement between CSEA Local 830 and Nassau County; (3) an informational letter concerning health benefits under the new NYSHIP plan; (4) estimated retro pay chart; (5) a brief guide to understanding the financial benefits all members will receive under the terms of the agreement; and (6) the graded salary plans.   In the coming weeks, we will provide additional notification and details for an initial virtual membership meeting on Zoom (8/14/23 from 6 PM – 8PM) and a second in-person membership meeting at the Marriott in Uniondale (8/16/23 from 7 PM – 9 PM). At these meetings, we will present the new contract agreement, explain the details of the agreement, outline the ratification process, and answer any member questions regarding the above. The ratification vote will be on 8/21/23 with more details to follow.   I am incredibly proud to present the terms of this agreement to you. Let’s join together and cast our votes for a brighter future. Thank you,

Ron Gurrieri  CSEA Local 830 President "We Are Nassau Strong" County Salary Plan C County Salary Plan D - (Hired on or after 4/1/2014) NCC Salary Plan C NCC Salary Plan D - (Hired on or after 4/1/2014)

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