Town, CSEA reach new contract agreement through 2026

After months of somewhat contentious and often public disagreements, the Civil Service Employees Association and Southold Town have settled on a new contract. The Southold Town Board unanimously voted to approve the new deal at its meeting last Tuesday. 

“The terms were very fair from the town,” said Joe O’Leary, president of CSEA Unit 8785.

In late March, members of CSEA, which represents over 150 non-elected and non-appointed Southold Town employees who hold positions across various departments, voted 112-5 to ratify a contract that will run from Jan. 2023 through Dec. 2026.

Upon entering negotiations, the union strove for higher percentage raises than the 1% and 1.5% annual salary increases they received under their previous contract, as well as one-time bonuses for its members. The resulting contract calls for annual salary raises of 2.5% in 2023 and 2% in 2024, 2025 and 2026, as well as one-time $1000 bonus.

“It’s a four-year contract with no health insurance [premium] increase for four years,” Mr O’Leary added. “The membership apparently was very, very happy.”

The agreement follows four negotiations held last year and two recent mediated negotiations between the town and the union. The town filed for impasse last November, which kicked off the mediated sessions, a move that ruffled some CSEA members and union leaders who believed this would drag out negotiations.

In a public meeting on Jan. 31, Jerry Laricchiuta, the union’s region president, joined Mr. O’Leary and members of the local to oppose the town’s decision. In a particularly heated exchange with Town Supervisor Scott Russell, Mr. Laricchiuta called the decision to file for impasse “a cowardly act.”

“After five [negotiating] sessions it was clear that we were so far apart that we were never going to reach acceptable terms for both sides,” Mr. Russell said. “We declared impasse early, got the mediator, they did what they were supposed to and reached agreement quickly. I think they were very fair. Both sides negotiated in good faith.”

The two parties reached agreeable terms with a mediator on March 16.

“The second mediation session went very well and the town was very receptive to our offers and it was a fair and balanced decision for a nice contract,” Mr. O’Leary said. “Mediation does slow things down, but at this second mediation session that we had was amicable with both sides.”

With the negotiations in the rearview mirror, Mr. Laricchiuta called the matter’s resolution “good labor relations.”

“The CSEA region got involved, but that being said, the supervisor and the board paid attention and gave out a fair contract and the members are happy,” he said. “I thank him for being fair. At the end of the day they proved to be fair like they said they were going to be.”