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Employees committee debates process for RL 2517, CSEA contract approval
Summary
Binghamton City employees committee members discussed procedural confusion over the order of union ratification and city approval for a proposed collective bargaining agreement tied to Resolution RL 2517; no final vote on RL 2517 appears in the transcript.
Binghamton City employees committee members on Jan. 15, 2025 discussed the process for approving a proposed collective bargaining agreement with the Civil Service Employees Association tied to Resolution RL 2517, including whether the union or the city should be the final signatory before implementation.
Committee members said the agreement before the committee reflects a tentative agreement that the union membership already voted on; a committee member said the union membership’s vote on the tentative agreement was 26 to 1. Members debated customary local practice and said the city’s sequence — council approval for the mayor to sign a draft that then returns to the union for final ratification — differs from how some union negotiators and other municipalities handle approvals.
The discussion centered on distinguishing a tentative agreement (a membership-level vote) from the final collective bargaining agreement (CBA) the municipality must approve. Committee members said the city typically reviews the draft to ensure fiscal resources and legality before the mayor signs and returns the final document to the union for ratification. Several members described that sequence as common practice in the city, though not uniform across jurisdictions, and noted the city charter does not explicitly prescribe the order of operations.
Members pressed that union leadership provide clear communication to rank-and-file members so employees understand whether the membership’s vote was on a tentative agreement or on a final CBA. Speakers also said the city will consult corporation counsel to confirm the draft contains no illegal provisions and that the city has the fiscal resources to support the contract. Personnel Director Tracy was present for the discussion.
Transcript remarks indicate the committee planned a special business meeting to complete any remaining municipal steps so CSEA members can receive agreed raises, but the transcript contains no recorded committee vote on Resolution RL 2517 itself. The meeting closed with a routine motion to adjourn that the transcript records as carried by voice vote.
