The City University of New York has set pay dates for its new contract with the union, for 2 percent increases effective Feb. 1, 2017, Feb. 1, 2018 and Feb. 1, 2019.

The tentative pay date for full-time and part-time employees at CUNY’s senior colleges is Aug. 1.

Full- and part-time employees working in CUNY’s community colleges will receive their pay rate increases and retroactive pay on Aug. 23.

College Assistants represented by Local 2054 in Community Colleges will be paid on Aug. 23.

The pay dates for College Assistants in senior colleges had not been finalized as PEPtalk went to press.

CUNY’s recent announcement of the pay dates for the 2017-21 economic agreement came after the union pressed the city’s university system to implement the increases.

DC 37 and CUNY settled the new contract in November 2018. Members overwhelmingly approved the agreement the following month. But the CUNY Board of Trustees didn’t approve the accord until April 30.

As the administration failed to implement the contract, members grew angry and the union stepped up its pressure on CUNY.

“Members were quite understandably upset about the delay on the implementation of the contract,” DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said. “On our end, we kept the pressure on CUNY to straighten out the glitches that the administration claimed were preventing our members’ paychecks from reflecting the pay increases.”

CUNY blamed technical problems in its accounting systems for its inability to implement the pay increases promptly.

Members at the City University of New York voted by more than 98 percent in favor of the 52-month new contract, which provides a total raise of more than 8 percent, with no givebacks.

In an era when the private-sector are shifting an increasing share of their health-care costs to their employees, the agreement preserves members’ premium-free health-care coverage. It also protects the health benefits of CUNY retirees.

In addition, the deal calls for CUNY to increase its annual contribution for union’s extensive package of welfare benefits. The contract also includes a new paid family leave benefit, which is expected to go into effect in this coming October. This new benefit will be paid for by payroll deduction.

The contract covers 10,000 workers represented by DC 37 locals 375, 384, 983, 1407, 1597, 1797, 2054, and 2627 at CUNY’s 24 campuses.