Working from home has been a topic of conversation since the pandemic when a vast majority of City workers shifted to a remote work plan to keep everyone apart while still keeping New York City operating. However, we knew that when the City reopened, municipal employees would be expected to return to the office.
Once the pandemic was over and life started to return to normal, the question of allowing City workers to continue working from home remained. If we kept the City running effectively during one of the worst times in modern history, we should be able to continue this post-pandemic.
One of the negotiated terms of our 2021-2027 Memorandum of Agreement includes a pilot telework program that allows eligible employees to work from home for UP to two days per week. Let me pause for a minute and emphasize the word “pilot,” meaning that this program is a trial agreement between the City and unions and can be canceled at any time. As with any pilot program, this is a short-term experiment to help the City evaluate its potential effectiveness. Under these current negotiations, the ability to telework is not permanent. The program runs until May 31, 2025, and has the option of being renewed based on effectiveness and worker participation.
Not everyone is eligible to telework as some jobs do not allow for this type of arrangement and a few agencies are not participating in the program. Each individual agency decides whether to participate; the decision is NOT up to the union. How our members and the City’s overall workforce perform during this trial period is a strong determinant in evaluating the permanency of teleworking. The political landscape also may play a part in the program’s future. While Mayor Adams gave the green light to this experiment, next year is a mayoral election year.
Keeping all this in mind, we want this program to work. I believe our members who are participating in the pilot telework program are extremely grateful for the ability to work from the convenience of their homes when they can. Not having to ride a subway or bus, drive a car and pay for gas and parking, and spend hours getting to and from work are life-changing.
However, a few agencies have approached the Union with concerns about our members and our subordinates who sometimes don’t always do the right thing when it comes to teleworking. Citywide, both management and labor want this program to work as it’s a benefit for all involved. That’s why, I strongly encourage our members to comply with the rules and encourage your subordinates to do the same.
While most of this information seems self-explanatory, it’s worth reiterating as a means of making sure the pilot program continues.
- On your designated telework days, be sure you are working from home and not a vacation spot, a coffee shop, or your car while running errands
- Report to the office on the days you must work in person
- On the days you work from home, start your day at the designated time and work through until your designated stop time
- Be at your computer for the entire workday except for your lunch period
- Do not take breaks other than the ones you are entitled to take
- Keep an open line of communication with your boss/supervisor at all times
- If you experience any power or internet outages, report them immediately
- On telework days, work as if you are working in an office; work responsibly, effectively, and efficiently.
- Doctor’s appointments, personal days, and vacation time should be given in advance per your workplace policy. The days you are supposed to be in the office, remember that management is expecting you and only if a dire emergency happens, you should be at work
We want this program to work, but it’s up to you and your co-workers to make sure that happens. Every time you touch a key or not touch a key on your computer, you are being monitored. Don’t be reckless enough to think that your productivity is not being watched by management. It is. The agencies know when you are working and when you are not. Let’s not give them any ammunition to cancel the pilot program.
If you have any questions about teleworking, please contact your Shop Steward at your location or your Staff Rep at staffrepservices@cwa1180.org. Most important of all, remember that a telework day is NOT a day off. Whether this plan succeeds or fails lies solely in the hands of the City’s municipal workers, including Local 1180. I do not want Local 1180 members to be the reason for failure. Let’s all work together to make sure this pilot program becomes a permanent program.