November 30, 2023
Honorable Eric L. Adams
Mayor of New York City
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Adams,
My name is Darrell Sims and I am the President of the New York City Managerial Employees Association (MEA). The MEA advocates for New York City managers who are not included in New York State Taylor Law collective bargaining agreements with the City of New York. Recognized by the New York City Administration since our inception in 1968, we are the only organization who represents non-unionized municipal employees.
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 achieving individual Agency goals as well as satisfying Administration mandates. Within given parameters and sometimes with unforeseen limitations and challenges, these tasks are invariably achieved on an ongoing basis by our managers. Managers consistently fulfill the expectations of the Administration.
Managers accumulate knowledge and wisdom from training and everyday experience on the front line managing the activities required to provide unwavering public service to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. Their leadership ability and management skills provide the direction for the performance of non-managerial staff. With this said, mangers should be identified and acknowledged for the magnitude of their invaluable responsibilities. Although many times ignored, managers deserve the same level of respect and attention for their dedication and hard work as other municipal employees, and should be compensated equitably and reasonably for their performance.
During this unprecedented time in modern-day New York City history, it is essential for managers to provide extraordinary leadership to address the adverse effect of budget cuts on municipal government operations. With an abnormally high municipal employee vacancy rate and a hiring freeze, managers are taking on more responsibility with a reduced workforce. They are tasked with accomplishing more with fewer resources.
Managerial employees’ salaries are stagnant and significantly 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 since October of 2019 to offset high inflation and the cost of living. Managers are financially stressed under these circumstances.
Based on the work they perform and in consideration of exorbitant cost of living increases, the Managerial Employees Association respectfully request across-the-board pay raises for all New York City managers. It is recommended that manager pay raises be similar to the pattern established by the economic agreements established with the unions, in particular, District Council 37.
I sincerely appreciate your concern regarding this crucial matter as well as your commitment to fair and reasonable compensation for New York City managers.
Very truly yours,
Darrell L. Sims
President
cc: Sheena Wright, First Deputy Mayor
Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development
Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services
Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Operations
Phil Banks, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety
Ana Almanzar, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives
Fabien Levy, Deputy Mayor for Communications
David Banks, Chancellor, Department of Education
Nina Kubota, President/CEO, School Construction Authority
Dr. Mitchell Katz, Chief Executive Officer, Health and Hospital Corporation
Lisa Bova-Hiatt, Chief Executive Officer, NYC Housing Authority
Brad Lander, Comptroller, NYC Office of the Comptroller
Renee Campion, Commissioner, Office of Labor Relations