CWA 1180 - Calendar

Fight Forward!

1180 settles contract, accepts terms of DC37 pact
May 2004

On May 10, Local 1180 negotiators met with city officials in their first formal bargaining session, and walked away with an agreement for a new three-year contract. The deal, which must be ratified by 1180 members, includes the same economic terms won by DC37 in its contract three weeks ago: a $1,000 signing bonus, a 3% wage increase in the second year, and a 2% increase in the third (click here for more details on the DC37 agreement). During the 90-minute bargaining session negotiators also discussed the list of demands 1180 members had compiled (click here for the original list of demands). The city rejected several of them, and agreed to labor-management meetings to discuss others. Both sides also held caucuses. In the end, 1180 negotiators felt that it was unrealistic to think that the union might improve on the terms won by the DC37 agreement, which serves as a pattern for other municipal unions, and thus that it was in members' best interests to wrap these negotiations up as quickly as possible.

What's in the agreement

The new contract will run from July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2005. It includes a $1,000 signing bonus [payable to anyone on payroll at the time the contract is ratified], a 3% raise on July 1, 2003, and a 2% raise on July 1, 2004. The mayor had insisted for several years that the only raises he would allow would have to be paid for by so-called "productivity gains," a fancy term for givebacks by workers. In the end, the $1,000 bonus and second-year raise are not paid through givebacks, but the city says the third-year raise is.

The concessions that form the basis of that claim are a 15% cut in the pay of new hires for the first two years of their employment, and reductions in holidays, vacation days, sick days and night differentials for new hires. An additional 1% wage increase in the final year of the contract is possible if labor and management officials agree on further "productivity gains." [Local 1180 is less directly affected by the new hire concessions than other unions because the vast majority of 1180 members come into Local 1180 titles not as new hires but as career civil servants already serving in city government. Nonetheless, the the principle and precendent at stake in these concessions—sacrificing future generations of workers—is one with which 1180 negotiators were unhappy. While the 15% cut for new hires was a provision that the union reluctantly agreed to, the other concessions were matters regulated by the citywide agreement and therefore not within 1180 negotiators' purvey. Matters like time and leave policy (unlike wages) are set by one citywide contract, which is negotiated by the city's largest municipal union, DC37, on behalf of the entire city workforce. Thus 1180 had no say in agreeing to those concessions.]

The city agreed to have labor-management meetings on specific issues relating to two of 1180's demands, the demand for a clear timetable to resolve health and safety issues and the demand for standards for cleaning offices (#14 and 15 on the list). Management negotiators pointed out that several of 1180's demands were issues set by the citywide contract, which the city's biggest union, DC37, negotiates on behalf of the entire municipal workforce (#6-13 on the list). Local 1180 knew this, of course, but has always considered it important to raise citywide issues in every possible forum. On several items the city outright said no (#2-5 on the list).

Deciding to settle

While negotiators were disappointed on the rejection of these demands—and no one was enthusiastic about the terms of the DC37 deal—they took honest stock of the possibilities of doing better, and decided that it was in the best interests of the union and its members to settle at this point. Given how hard it is to break a pattern, and given the uncertain political and economic climate—it would take an extraordinary effort, including a long time during which 1180 members would continue to receive no raises—to do better.

The process of ratification

The proposed contract will be voted on by all affected 1180 members in a mail ballot. The ballots will be counted by the American Arbitration Association, as they have been in the past for 1180 contract votes. This ratification process will be completed sometime before the end of June, and the union anticipates an August payout date for the retroactive bonus and raises.

If you'd like to voice an opinion about the proposed contract, please visit the 1180 bulletin board by cliking here.

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