To the Editor: With the settlement of more than 90% of City labor union contracts, the New York City Managerial Employees Association (NYC MEA) has called on the City to grant similar retroactive across-the-board pay raises and one-time bonuses for City managers. Subject to the New York State Taylor Law, managerial employees cannot unionize and are not bound by collective bargaining contracts.

New York City managers play a critical role in running New York City. Managers are responsible for the day-to-day and year-to-year public service operations of City government. They are responsible for fulfilling and achieving individual Agency goals as well as satisfying Administration expectations and mandates. They provide extraordinary leadership ability and management skills on the front lines of every component of City services.

Increasingly, managers are tasked with accomplishing more with fewer resources and a reduced workforce. This occurs in an environment of challenges and limitations due to budget cuts on municipal services and operations, an abnormally high employee vacancy rate and a hiring freeze. 

Managerial employees’ salaries have remained stagnant since October 2019. Current salaries are inadequate to address the sky-rocketing cost of living with the highest inflation in over forty years. The lack of timely pay raises has adversely impacted manager morale because they have not received salary increases. Managers are financially stressed under these circumstances.

We urge the City Administration to act expeditiously in approving across-the-board retroactive pay raises and one-time bonuses for all New York City managers.

Darrell L. Sims

President

NYC Managerial Employees Association

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