70% of DC Union Workers Getting Raises

Thousands of D.C. government workers are getting their first raises in as many as seven years.

The new union contracts could boost Mayor Vincent Gray should he run for reelection.

Gray announced new union contracts to give 70 percent of the city’s union workers 3 percent raises.

“These dedicated public servants have not had raises in years, and some of them have not had a raise in as long as seven years,” Gray said.

That's in part because of politics and the once bad economy.

Gray's move could win him reelection points.

“I don't look at it as a political issue,” he said. “I look at it as a way of supporting employees who deserve a raise.”

Longtime D.C. labor leader Geo Johnson, a veteran of labor conflicts, was more direct, saying he would support the mayor for reelection.

The new labor agreements do not include firefighters and police officers, who are locked in sometimes bitter negotiations. School teachers also are still negotiating.