New York City District Council 37 and Mayor Michael Bloomberg reached a two-year agreement with the largest municipal union in the city, covering more than 100,000 employees. The union was able to achieve a 4% per year pay increase, following the general standard set by recent contract negotiations with other unions. Some union officials voted against the agreement claiming other unions had received even more, but most considered the deal a victory ? particularly in times of such economic distress. If passed by the district council's delegate body and a union vote, the contract will be effective (retroactively) from March 3, 2008.
See "City and Municipal Union Reach 2-Year Deal", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, November 3, 2008