Binghamton City employee committee raises procedural concerns about CSEA contract attached to Resolution 24267

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Members of the Binghamton City Employee Committee discussed Introductory Resolution 24267 on Dec. 23, 2024, which would authorize the mayor to enter a collective bargaining agreement with the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), but they did not vote on the resolution.

The committee’s discussion centered on whether union members had seen the complete, final contract text attached to the resolution. A committee member said it “seems like the leadership did not get to see the finished product,” noting the final contract had been distributed only by email “last week.” Speaker 3 replied that the tentative agreement — the summary that members vote on — contains the items ratified by the union and those items were incorporated into the final contract, but acknowledged the distribution and timing created confusion.

The group also flagged an apparent administrative discrepancy in the contract’s term language. One participant pointed to language stating the agreement “shall be effective for a period commenced at January 1, 2022 and terminating December of 31st,” and noted conflicting references elsewhere in the documents (participants referenced differing year ranges). Speaker 3 described the inconsistency as an administrative error and said the tentative agreement clearly indicated the intended years.

Committee members said the matter would likely need further consideration on the city council floor and should be handled pending legal advice from corporation counsel. Members asked that the final contract be re-sent by email so leadership and council members could review it before any council vote.

The committee did not take formal action on Resolution 24267 during the meeting. The only formal motion recorded in the employee committee was a motion to adjourn, which was moved and then the meeting ended.

Next steps: committee members agreed to request that staff re-send the finalized contract to union leadership and council members and to place the item on the city council calendar for further discussion and potential action pending corporation counsel advice.