CWA 1180 - Calendar

1% taken up by new labor coalition
Negotiations move forward on a one-year contract extension

Click here for a July 28 update

July 2006

After making a May 5 offer to Local 1180 members of a 0.6 percent productivity raise, a fraction of the 1 percent promised in the last city contract, the city has refused to increase its offer—despite being presented by union leaders with documentation of substantial productivity gains. “In the end, 0.6 percent is just not good enough,” says Local 1180 president Arthur Cheliotes. “So we decided to bring this issue to the coalition.”

At preliminary meetings of the new municipal bargaining coalition, whose creation was announced at a press conference on June 23, leaders agreed to make the lingering issue of the 1 percent raise a bargaining priority. The coalition, led by the United Federation of Teachers and comprising 20 unions representing 170,000 city workers, includes several unions that have been stonewalled by the city on the long overdue 1 percent: CWA Locals 1180, 1181, and 1183; the Organization of Staff Analysts; SEIU Local 300; ILA Local 333; and Teamsters Local 237.

The coalition is scheduled to meet next on Friday, July 28, where bargaining priorities, including the disputed 1 percent raise, will be the topic of discussion.

Meanwhile, talks between Local 1180 and the city regarding a one-year contract extension continue. The current proposal would give Local 1180 members a 3.15 percent raise in exchange for extending the contract approximately one year from its July 1, 2005 expiration date. Negotiations on the potential extension are not part of the coalition process, since many unions in the coalition already have contracts that expire in 2006. Local 1180’s newly elected bargaining committee will meet on Wednesday, August 2, to discuss the city’s offer and to determine the union’s priorities for coalition bargaining on the next multiyear contract.

Click here to download and sign a letter to the mayor asking him to deliver on the full 1 percent. Send your letter to Mayor Bloomberg – and then fax a copy to the union at 212-966-6831 so we know exactly how many letters the mayor received.

Updates will be posted on this website as negotiations move forward.

July 28 update: The municipal labor coalition met today at the offices of Teamster's Local 237. According to Local 1180 President Arthur Cheliotes, who attended the meeting, the coalition now comprises approximately 174,000 city workers, totaling 48 percent of the city workforce. Two new unions are expected to announce shortly that they will join the coalition, and leaders anticipate that the group will soon represent more than half of all city workers. This would allow the coalition to bargain for all city workers on such issues as health benefits.

At today's meeting, coalition representatives agreed to make the overdue 1 percent productivity raise a coalition priority. "The power of the coalition is to bring all unions together to challenge the design of the 1 percent productivity increase," Cheliotes says. "Even unaffected unions are joining in one voice to demand that it be resolved." In discussions of the recent DC 37 deal, coalition representatives generally viewed it as a minimum floor to work from. Contract demands are being developed and will be debated at the next coalition meeting on August 28.

Cheliotes was asked to chair a mobilization committee, whose mission will be to develop a variety of strategies for membership involvement as the coalition enters into negotiations. Local 1180 members are encouraged to share their ideas before the committee's first meeting on August 22.

So far, 922 members have sent letters to the mayor insisting that he fulfill his commitment on the 1 percent raise. Many include personal notes (you can read some samples here). Keep them coming!

August 23 update: We broke the 1,000 mark! A total of 1,041 Local 1180 members have already sent letters in to the mayor demanding the 1 percent raise—spread the word and keep up the pressure. You can download the letter here.

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