NYC strikes labor deal, settles equal pay suit
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration agreed to a new labor contract with the union that represents school safety agents on Tuesday — and settled a discrimination lawsuit brought against the city by female members of the union.
The lawsuit charged that more than 5,000 school safety agents, the vast majority of whom are women, make about $7,000 less annually than their male counterparts, many of whom had similar responsibilities but had the job title of special officer.
De Blasio, a Democrat, centered his mayoral campaign a year ago on a vow to fight income inequality and had pledged to settle the suit.
“We want to make sure all people are treated equally,” said de Blasio, who announced the agreement in front of a school in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn on Women’s Equality Day. “It is the morally right thing to do.”