CONTRACTS

Union to CUNY: Do the Right Thing, Pay Workers Now!

May 8, 2019 // 0 Comments

By MIKE LEE Workers at City University of New York are outraged that, despite having reached a quick economic agreement with the city in November 2018 and voting overwhelmingly to ratify that contract the following month, they have yet to receive their pay increase and retroactive pay. Citing unforeseen technical problems in their accounting systems, the university system has failed to issue checks that reflect the new terms of the contract. The union is pushing the university hard to resolve this issue, and union activists joined local presidents to speak out before CUNY’s Board of Trustees at LaGuardia Community College on April 30. “Our members our loyal employees who work hard. Way back in December we ratified a contract with you,” Local 2627 President Laura Morand told the trustees. “You have failed to keep up your end of the contract. Why must we wait so long to get what [More...]

CUNY Workers! Send in Your Mail Ballot to Vote for Your Proposed Contract.

December 13, 2018 // 0 Comments

CUNY workers! Time is running out to vote on your proposed contract. Please vote YES to ratify this agreement and mail in your ballot today. DC 37 and the City University of New York agreed on Nov. 1 to a tentative 52-month contract that provides an 8.24 percent raise with no givebacks. The pact covers 10,000 CUNY employees represented by DC 37 in locals 375, 384, 983, 1407, 1597, 2054 and 2627. A few weeks ago, an informational packet and a ballot was mailed to DC 37 workers who work in the city’s public university system. Anyone who did not receive the mailing should call the independent American Arbitration Association at 800-529-5218 in order to be able to vote on the contract. Please mail in your ballot today! Your mail-in ballot must be received by 9 a.m. on Dec. 18. Walk-ins are not permitted. For more information, please contact your local president or union rep, or check [More...]

Union Holds Information Sessions about the Tentative CUNY Contract

November 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

District Council 37 will hold lunch-time meetings about the proposed 52-month contract for 10,000 CUNY workers around the city. “We want to make sure our members at the City University of New York are well-versed on the terms of the contract so they can make an informed vote on it,” DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said. The union expects to send out an informational packet on the contract that includes a mail-ballot, a summary of the deal and a letter from Garrido, who urges members to vote, “Yes,” by the end of the month. The independent American Arbitration Association will release the vote count on Dec. 18. Here are the scheduled meetings: Queeensborough Community College 222-05 56th Avenue, A-412, Bayside, Queens, New York Medical Arts Building Room 136 (Lecture Room) Tuesday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Baruch College 55 Lexington Ave., New York, New [More...]

DC 37 and City University of New York Announce Tentative Labor Pact

November 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

Nov 2, 2018 – District Council 37, the city’s largest union of municipal employees, and the City University of New York have agreed to a tentative 52-month contract that provides 8.24 percent in raises for the union’s 10,000 members who work in the public university system. The agreement, which is subject to approval by the CUNY Board of Trustees and ratification by the CUNY members of DC 37, preserves the premium-free health-care coverage of members, and will include back pay. It also protects the health benefits of CUNY retirees. The agreement also calls for CUNY to increase its annual contribution for education and professional development, and provides extra funds to boost benefits and address pay inequities. DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said: “We promised members that we would work to reach an agreement that was fair and negotiated expeditiously. Both sides wanted [More...]

The Contract Vote’s Message

September 6, 2018 // 0 Comments

By HENRY GARRIDO Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO I was happy, to say the least, that our new economic agreement was overwhelmingly approved. A lot of work went into this contract. Many union locals encouraged members to share their ideas about negotiations. We reported on our progress in the union newspaper and blog. DC 37 carried out an on-line survey. Our bargaining team stuck together. And our staffers provided important background to back up our case. The contract provides for a decent wage increase; protects our prescription drug and other benefits; maintains our premium-free health-care plan; significantly boosts funding for our education program — which helps members advance their skills and enrich their lives — and includes our new employer-provided paid family leave benefit — something only about 15 percent of the U.S. workers enjoy. [More...]

Grievance Victories for Local 768 Members at NYC H+H

September 5, 2018 // 0 Comments

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS The union settled three separate grievances in favor of Local 768 members employed at New York City Health +Hospitals facilities, in an ongoing fight to protect unionized hospital workers from managers who would violate the contract. Kings County Hospital failed to pay Social Worker Level 2 Adam Turkel for the overtime hours he was assigned to work so Hospitals and Healthcare Professionals Division Council Rep Joel Viera-Vera filed a grievance for the Local 768 member. The case went to Step 2 when H+H finally agreed to compensate Mr. Turkel for two hours of overtime. “These members are relied on to make up for staff shortages,” said Local 768 President Fitz Reid. “So while it may seem small, on principle we stood up for Mr. Turkel and in doing so protected the right of every member to be fairly compensation for any overtime hours worked.” Woodhull Hospital [More...]

Vote “Yes” on the Contract

July 10, 2018 // 0 Comments

By HENRY GARRIDO Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO After a marathon negotiating session in late June, we concluded talks with the city on a new economic agreement, which provides for fair wage increases worth more than 7 percent and a new paid parental leave benefit. The contract provides for a retroactive 2 percent raise on Sept. 26, 2017, a 2.25 percent increase on Sept. 26, 2018, and an additional 3 percent on Oct. 26, 2019. The contract’s term is from Sept. 26, 2017, to May 26, 2021. I want to let you know how we approached this round of negotiations differently from previous contract talks. We managed to negotiate the contract in less than a year, faster than in earlier negotiations. We won decent and fair salary increases, and yes, we believe the increases will keep up with the cost of living. But the key accomplishments are not merely these raises. We [More...]

New Contracts at Queens Library and Brooklyn Academy of Music

July 9, 2018 // 0 Comments

By GREGORY N. HEIRES Two DC 37 locals recently concluded negotiations, resulting in significant improvements in their contracts. These include gains in compensation and workplace protections. Brooklyn Academy of Music Local 1502 members approved a seven-year contract that provides security guards with a $2,000 yearly salary increase. The contract boosts the differential — extra pay — of guards who get their fire safety director certification from $3,000 to $4,000. Workers certified after the contract ratification will receive a one-time cash bonus of $2,000. The term of the contract is from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2020 and includes a new $500 longevity payment when workers reach their fifth anniversary date. At 10 years, workers will receive a one-time $1,000 payment. Upon retirement, members will receive the cash value of one-third of their accumulated sick time, in addition to [More...]

DC 37 and city reach tentative contract agreement

June 28, 2018 // 0 Comments

The union reached a tentative agreement with the City of New York on a new, 44-month wage pact that provides a total of 7.42 percent in pay hikes; back pay; plus additional resources to boost employee education and training and to address issues of worker recruitment and retention. Approximately 100,000 city employees are covered by the agreement. “This agreement is a clear example of the importance of collective bargaining and what can be achieved when the employer and employees negotiate in good faith,” said District Council 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “This administration has shown that, at a time when forces across the country are trying to degrade the value of the collective bargaining process, you can tackle big problems when you approach workers with respect.” “I’m thankful to DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido for his continued partnership and to my [More...]

Statement by DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido on the Janus v. AFSCME Decision

June 27, 2018 // 1 Comment

Today’s 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision smashes precedent and overturns the Court’s unanimous 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, which upheld the maintaining of a union shop in a public workplace. Make no mistake: Janus v. AFSCME was always a politically-motivated case designed to rig the rules of the economy even more in favor of the privileged and powerful by weakening unions. What our country’s highest court did today was to, in effect, make so-called “right-to-work” the law of the land for public employees. Let’s remember what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said nearly 60 years ago about so-called “right-to-work” laws: “We must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by [More...]

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