SPRING VALLEY — With litigation over contract negotiations ongoing as this edition went to press, Village of Spring Valley Unit members are getting some much-needed financial relief thanks to action by the new village mayor.
Mayor Schenley Vital included funding in the village budget for the fiscal year that began June 1 to allow for an across-the-board 20% wage increase for Spring Valley’s CSEA-represented workforce. Our union has been in regular contact with Vital since he took office last December to advocate for members.
Vital noted that because of protracted contract negotiations stretching across prior village administrations, CSEA members had not received a raise since June 2017. Litigation related to the negotiations is pending before a state appellate court. With funding included in the approved village budget and CSEA’s support for the measure, Vital was able to direct the village treasurer to adjust wages accordingly.
Unit leadership said the wage increase has provided immediate relief to CSEA families and will allow members to cut back on or even leave second jobs they had taken to make ends meet. CSEA members in Spring Valley have had an ongoing contract campaign that has garnered support from our union family across the state.
— Jessica Ladlee