Orange County and CSEA Reach Agreement on New 5-Year Contract

Social services department employee Elenita Dalton spoke for better wages and benefits during a county legislature meeting in Goshen, N.Y., on Feb. 1, 2024. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) on Feb. 7 reached an agreement on a new five-year contract running until the end of 2028.

As the county’s largest union, the CSEA local chapter has about 1,350 rank-and-file county employee members, who account for more than half of the county’s workforce.

This is the first CSEA contract negotiation since the COVID-19 pandemic ended—the previous five-year agreement expired in December 2023—and comes at a time of rising cost of living and a public sector plagued by a recruiting crisis, according to CSEA southern region spokesperson Jessica Ladlee.

It also comes after the county government received a handsome pandemic stimulus payment from the federal government, with about a fifth of it, or $16 million, earmarked for personnel costs.

The agreement calls for 4–4.5 percent annual wage increases and provides retention pay between $1,500 and $5,000 for county employees who worked during the pandemic.

Last Thursday, a dozen county employees, most of whom are from the probation and social services department, spoke at a legislative meeting for better wage and benefit terms.

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“We are drowning in work and drowning in our bills,” said Lucie Greco, a longtime social services department employee currently working in adult protection.

The CSEA wage increase terms reached in Orange County are more favorable than those of several nearby counties and the state, which feature annual raises between 2 percent and 3 percent.

However, the agreement also calls for increased employee contributions to the New York State Health Insurance Program, all while adding an option of an alternative low-cost health insurance program.

“On a daily basis, I have the privilege to work with the dedicated men and women that keep Orange County government running,” Mr. Neuhaus said in a Feb. 7 press release. “I am very pleased to announce that the County administration and the CSEA have reached an agreement.”

“We are excited to be signing this Memorandum of Agreement today, which we will take back to the CSEA membership for a vote,” said CSEA Orange County Unit 7900/02 President Denise Fuchs.

“Our priority in negotiations has been to secure a living wage for county CSEA members that recognizes their tireless work, especially during the pandemic.”

County legislature chairwoman Katie Bonelli said: “This agreement ensures our employees are paid appropriately and serves as an important retention and attraction tool for County government. I look forward to the CSEA membership’s vote on the proposed contract and the legislature’s full approval.”