January 26th, 2022
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today signed a new collective bargaining agreement with the county’s Civil Service Employees Association that provides pay increases for some of the county’s lowest paid employees and enshrines the county minimum wage as $15 per hour.
“Although state law does not require Monroe County to observe New York’s minimum wage laws, the right and ethical thing to do is to start our entry-level workers at a pay scale that matches the state standards,” said County Executive Bello. “I recognize the value of the people behind the jobs that keep our community moving forward and know that low wages hurt all workers, but especially disadvantage workers of color who make up a disproportionate share of lower-wage employees in this county. Increased wages make a real difference for our families and our economy.”
CSEA has workers in almost every County department, where they help keep Monroe Open for business. Represented employees do everything from keeping the runaways open at Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport, to caring for residents at Monroe Community Hospital, or running the wastewater treatment plant to responding to a global pandemic with the County Department of Public Health. These employees also provide important services at Department of Motor Vehicles locations and do so much more.
“I’m pleased to have been involved in the negotiation and ratification of this labor agreement between CSEA Unit 7400 and Monroe County,” said Jim D’Amico, president of CSEA Monroe County Unit 7400. “The Bello administration has shown its respect and appreciation for our Monroe County workforce by negotiating a settlement that is fiscally responsible for our members and our community as a whole.”
“This new CSEA contract is an investment in our employees and an investment in our community because when we lift one person up, we lift up the entire community,” said Bello. “I thank each and every county employee for their hard work and dedication to the residents of Monroe County.”
