5-10% pay cuts at Newsday unions

Newsday’s unionized workers voted to accept a Cablevision offer that will slice pay for most workers by 5 percent over three years, while truckers get a 10 percent whack.

The final vote was 310-141 approving the deal, according to Michael O’Connor, president of Local 406. “There is nobody who voted ‘yes’ who is happy about this contract,” he said. The union did hang onto the 35-hour work week, after the company initially tried to impose a hike to 40 hours.

Longtime employees will also keep a fifth week of paid vacation.

The union had earlier voted down a 10 percent pay pact in January by a 40-to-1 margin and last month voted down by more than 2-to-1 margin a second offer that was essentially the same as the one approved on Sunday.

The contract approved on Sunday included a small sweetener, a one-time payment of 1 percent of salary in the final year of the contract to be paid into employees’ retirement accounts at the conclusion of the current agreement in 2013.