Correction Officers approve new contract

                                                                             




Nassau's 712-member Correction Officers Benevolent Assocation approved a new contract by a wide margin, COBA president Brian Sullivan announced last night, after the close of a three-day voting period.

As he says, 97 percent of the membership voted, 82 percent voted to ratify the new deal.

If the county legislature approves the contract followed by the county's financial control board, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, this means for the first time since the end of 2017, Nassau's five largest unions will have working contracts.

Details about the deal were kept quiet, so that few people in the county even knew there was a new agreement. There had been no public announcement by Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman or COBA leaders, though COBA held informational sessions on Sept. 25.. 

But this is a big win for Sullivan and for Blakeman. With all five contracts in hand, it is speculated that Blakeman may now seek to end the NIFA control period. NIFA, a state-appointed board of majority Democrats and Democratic donors, have refused to relinquish contol of spending in the elected-Republican run county despite four years of budget surpluses.

Some pundits thought Blakeman would not fight NIFA's control until he was able to get new contracts based on NIFA financial guidelines.

The new deal sounds very much like last year's proposal, which was voted down by the membership.

It includes salary increases of two to three percent and requires health care contributions, for the first time.

Here are the contract fact sheets:(minus a page about overtime rates because it was too difficult to copy)





















                                                                             

 

 

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