By MIKE LEE

Workers at City University of New York are outraged that, despite having reached a quick economic agreement with the city in November 2018 and voting overwhelmingly to ratify that contract the following month, they have yet to receive their pay increase and retroactive pay.

Citing unforeseen technical problems in their accounting systems, the university system has failed to issue checks that reflect the new terms of the contract.

The union is pushing the university hard to resolve this issue, and union activists joined local presidents to speak out before CUNY’s Board of Trustees at LaGuardia Community College on April 30.

“Our members our loyal employees who work hard. Way back in December we ratified a contract with you,” Local 2627 President Laura Morand told the trustees. “You have failed to keep up your end of the contract. Why must we wait so long to get what is agreed upon? Our members are suffering. One of my members is on the verge of being evicted. She works very hard and has kept  up her part of the bargain.”

Local 2054 President Dishunta Meredith reminded the trustees that members of local “are part-timers who work an average of 20 hours a week and make 15 dollars an hour.”

“I do not understand why you cannot pay my members 312 dollars a year,” she said.

“This is an unacceptable situation,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “There is no reason our members, who ratified this contract in December, should not receive their fair and just raises. It is past time for CUNY to hold up to its end of the bargain.”

The current contract covers more than 10,000 workers, represented by DC 37 in locals 375, 384, 983, 1407, 1597, 2054 and 2627.