FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2019
Contact: John Lyon 845-638-5645

County Executive Ed Day Announces RAM Contract Ratification

New City, NY - County Executive Ed Day is pleased to announce that the Rockland Association of Management (RAM) Union has ratified a tentative contract with the County.

"Thank you to the union and the bargaining team from the Department of Personnel for their hard work over the last year developing this contract that is both fair to our employees and fiscally responsible," said County Executive Day. "We look forward to reaching fair, responsible contracts with our other union employees."

Day said that he will sign the agreement, which also requires the approval of the Rockland County Legislature. The multi-year agreement with RAM covers August 2016, to December 31, 2021.

Contract highlights:

• Incremental wage increases and lump sum payments covering 2017-2021.
• 2017: $800 lump sum, no money on base salary
• 2018: $1,500 lump sum, no money on base salary
• 2019: 2% on base salary
• 2020: 3% on base salary effective 8/1/20
• 2021: 3% on base salary effective 8/1/21

Multiple operational changes including:

• Reduction for promotional increment payment(s)
• Reduction in vacation accruals and associated payments for new hires
• Process changes regarding the grievance procedure
• Expansion of the Rockland County Drug and Alcohol Policy to include 10-panel screening

The RAM Union last received a percentage raise (2%) to their base salary in 2010. The cost of this contract through the end of 2019 is slightly less than $1 million and future increases in 2020 and 2021 will be appropriately budgeted for those years.

There are approximately 190 members of RAM. It is one of the largest County employee unions.

County Executive Day is committed to settling all of Rockland's outstanding contracts, "our dedicated employees have been critical to the modernization of County government and to our efforts to improve Rockland's fiscal situation. I want to do right by our employees, but there must be a balance between their needs and the need to safeguard taxpayer dollars."

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