The Long Contract Process Has Begun
On May 16, we had our first meeting with the City Office of Labor Relations (OLR), which presented its numbers to our Bargaining Committee and we presented them with our list of demands. Thanks to the 4,000 active members who took the time to complete the surveys we sent out multiple times, our Shop Stewards knew what you consider the most important demands.
Since DC 37 has already settled its contract, the pattern for bargaining general wage increases (GWI) for other unions has been set. We are NOT, however, part of DC 37 and they do NOT negotiate demands on our behalf. Now that we have the City’s numbers and they know what we are asking for, we must crunch the numbers and figure out how and where to spend the available dollars in order to get you the most we can.
Some items are no-brainers, while others need extensive research and calculations. Some items we can pay for and others we cannot. We must figure out our title reclassifications, additions to gross, contributions to our welfare funds, job security, transfer policies, bonus ratification, and additions to gross, just to name a few. The Officers and Executive Board do not do all this work alone. Almost 100 of our Shop Stewards met for two entire Saturdays to sort through and categorize the results of the 4,000 member surveys. Then the Stewards nominated and voted on which six of them would best represent members on the Bargaining Council.
These Stewards are in on all major negotiations. There will be technical meetings between Officers, the statistician, OMB, and OLR that will take place to go through the numbers for demands and cost for the Additional Compensation Fund. We work with both CWA District 1’s legal team and our own statistician to make sure all the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted before we come close to finalizing a deal. We put together a very detailed chart of the negotiation process that we published in our last newsletter and uploaded to our website. The process is long and even stressful, but everything we do is in the best interests of our members.
We have a second bargaining session scheduled for June 14, so by the time you are reading this, we will have finished that as well. We receive many phone calls regarding teleworking and how soon we will be “getting our money”. Remember, it is important that we work diligently and efficiently to obtain the best contract possible that is beneficial for all our members.
We are cognizant of the high cost of living in New York City, and know that everyone needs fair raises as soon as possible. We ask for your patience and understanding while we go through this very detailed process to eventually get the money into your hands. After each bargaining meeting, we push for another date to keep the process moving. The Bargaining Committee is dedicated to making sure we receive the best contract possible.
We will be requesting a separate bargaining meeting for our DOE contract. DOE was supposed to give us an updated contract since 2019 that would include School Business Managers. It’s important to have an updated contract, including the title, so this title would get additions to gross and everything allocated in our current contract.
My heartfelt thanks to the 4,000 members who responded to the electronic surveys. Thanks again to the Shop Stewards who gave up two Saturdays to make sure their members; voices were heard and recorded. Thanks to the Executive Board and staff for their non-stop work and deep commitment to moving CWA Local 1180 forward. We will keep you informed on the progress of negotiations. Check the website and social media for our progress, but please remember that this does not happen overnight!
Union Settles Assistant Directors Salary Minimums and Maximums
When we accreted Assistant Directors in July 2022, there was a large salary range difference for workers in this title. We thought it was important to have minimums and maximums in place before we go into collective bargaining with the City. We finally obtained the bargaining unit and started negotiating salaries. After months of negotiations, we noticed some Assistant Directors were earning less money than Assistant Coordinating Managers. Yet, Assistant Director was supposed to be a promotional title from Coordinating Manager (CM). After months of bargaining with H+H, we finally settled on minimums and maximums for levels 1, 2, and 3. We also became aware that there are some ADs who supervise titles not in CWA Local 1180, but because of union contracts, the subordinate salaries are higher. In our current bargaining, we are discussing these issues as we must correct these inequities.
In this collective bargaining series, we are looking to get additions to gross and annuity fund contributions so ADs can be made whole. This MOA for ADs is for minimum and maximum salaries only. Those who have been grossly underpaid will receive retroactive money. With current negotiations, ADs will be entitled to raises and additions to gross we negotiate on top of their new salary. Our other public sector units, NYCHA, NYCTA, and SCA, all have separate contracts. When we complete and ratify the PAA et al contract that includes H+H and DOE, we will start negotiations for these units.