Statement from Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez on ratification of labor agreements

(MIAMI, September 26, 2014) – "I am pleased that the Board of County Commissioners approved our agreements with five of our labor unions. This follows an overwhelming approval from our labor union partners whose members voted to ratify these new agreements with our administration.  

“Just yesterday, 99 percent of AFSCME AFL-CIO Aviation Department Local 1542 members and 100 percent of AFSCME Solid Waste Employees Local 3292 union members ratified their agreements with my administration.  They join AFSCME General Employees Local 199, GSAF Local 100 and Professional unions whose members also ratified the agreements.  In addition to tying cost of living adjustments (COLAs) to County financial performance, approximately 15,000 Miami-Dade County employees will now have the option to choose the SELECT Health Plan, saving the County and taxpayers approximately $26 million in healthcare costs.  

“The Board also voted to return the 5 percent healthcare contribution to employees that are under my purview and not part of a bargaining unit.  This expense is funded from one-time revenues, and I was clear with Commissioners that while we are able to use one-time revenue for this purpose this year, unless economic conditions continue to improve and we find a way to fund this recurring expense, my administration will have to reconsider this action.

“Again, I want to thank the leadership of our labor partners for coming to the table and negotiating these agreements with us.  This signals a new chapter in our relations with labor, and a new level of cooperation on the issues that affect us all.  I want labor and management to work together, this has always been my style, and today we took a great step toward this goal.

“I want to thank the Board of Commissioners for approving these agreements with our labor partners and for working with us to place Miami-Dade County on a path toward fiscal sustainability."