File #: Res 0857-2007    Version: * Name: Department of Youth and Community Development to ensure that funding provided to youth programs.
Type: Resolution Status: Filed
Committee: Committee on Youth Services
On agenda: 5/30/2007
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: Resolution calling upon the Department of Youth and Community Development to ensure that funding provided to youth programs pursuant to all Request for Proposals is at a level that ensures that youth workers receive a cost of living adjustment and are adequately compensated for the services they provide the City of New York.
Sponsors: Lewis A. Fidler, Gale A. Brewer, James F. Gennaro, Vincent J. Gentile, Sara M. Gonzalez, Letitia James, G. Oliver Koppell, Darlene Mealy, Diana Reyna, Kendall Stewart, David I. Weprin, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Alan J. Gerson
Council Member Sponsors: 13

Res. No. 857

 

Resolution calling upon the Department of Youth and Community Development to ensure that funding provided to youth programs pursuant to all Request for Proposals is at a level that ensures that youth workers receive a cost of living adjustment and are adequately compensated for the services they provide the City of New York.   

 

By Council Members Fidler, Brewer, Gennaro, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Mealy, Reyna, Stewart, Weprin, Mark-Viverito and Gerson

 

Whereas, Not-for-profit youth services employees provide critical guidance in the lives of New York City’s youth through various programs under the auspices of the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), including Out-of-School Time, Beacons, Summer Youth Employment, and Runaway and Homeless Youth programs; and

Whereas, In order to provide such services, not-for-profit youth services providers must be awarded a contract through a competitive bidding process pursuant to a Request for Proposals (RFP); and 

Whereas, Not-for-profit youth services providers whose employers receive funding through City contracts did not benefit from the cost of living adjustment (COLA) salary increases that were received by other social services providers in 2005; and

 Whereas, COLAs are small salary increases which reflect the decrease in the value of money over time, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI); and

Whereas, When COLAs are not received, the value of a worker’s salary is lowered; and

Whereas, According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPI for the New York Metropolitan Area has increased by 29% over the past ten years; and

                     Whereas, Not-for-profit employees serving youth have not received a salary adjustment close to this amount, effectively lowering the value of their salaries over this same period of time, and leaving such employees with significantly less disposable income; and 

Whereas, Testimony from the Human Services Council of New York City indicates that the inability of not-for-profits to offer competitive salaries has led to a higher turnover rate for direct care workers; and

Whereas, High turnover rates can result in unnecessary direct and indirect costs, which include expenditures on overtime pay, job advertisements, reduced supervision, employee burnout and time to train new employees; and

Whereas, Such costs can affect a not-for-profits ability to provide youth with the highest quality of care; and

Whereas, A COLA should be provided for not-for-profit employees serving youth based on current City tax levy funding and mirror adjustments of 3.15%, 2%, and 4%, provided over a three year period, which unionized municipal workers have received in recent years; and

Whereas, The adoption of regular COLAs would compensate providers for annual inflationary increases and demonstrate the value of the services provided to the City’s youth; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Department of Youth and Community Development to ensure that funding provided to youth programs pursuant to all Request for Proposals is at a level that ensures that youth workers receive a cost of living adjustment and are adequately compensated for the services they provide the City of New York.   

JC

LS# 3213

5/243/2007, 10:30am