NY Launches Flex Work Pilot Program for Public Sector Employees

The city of NY launched a flexible work pilot program that will allow employers to Public employees they can work two days a week from home if they wish, after an agreement reached with the union that represents them, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday.

As part of this pact with District Council 37 (DC 37), the largest union of public sector employees in the city, a Labor Flexibility Committee to discuss remote work -as occurred during the health crisis created by the covid- and other measures to improve worker morale as well as the recruitment and retention of staff, the mayor said in a statement.

The program does not cover all public employees

Adams also indicated that the city and the union will work closely to implement the program, but made it clear that will not apply to all employees. In this sense, the Mayor’s Office and the union agreed to discuss Alternative labor flexibility measures for those employees who, due to their job functions, cannot adapt to remote work.

“I have always said that any flexible work program that the city offers must recognize the reality that there are some roles that cannot be performed remotely,” said the mayor, who until now has been reticent about telecommuting.

According to Adams, this pilot program will protect the basic services New Yorkers depend on while giving workers additional flexibility in their work schedules.

At least 1,000 employees have asked to work remotely

Henry Garrido, leader of DC 37, remarked that at least a thousand civil servants expressly requested teleworkingand with the new measure he said he was convinced that there will be many more in a city that, added to the mayor’s office and all the municipal agencies, happens to be one of the employers with the largest number of workers in the city.

According to the portal www.gothamist.com, the agreement seeks to solve the problem of unfilled vacancies in municipal institutions, which add up to more than 20,000 positions to be filled.

The program will run until May 31, 2025 and will be renewed for one year thereafter if both parties agree.

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