CWA 1180 - Calendar

Fight Forward!

First meeting with city set for May
April 2004

As the second anniversary of the expiration of their contract approaches, Local 1180 members working for the City of New York are gearing up for their first formal bargaining session with management, which will be held in early May.

The bargaining demands that negotiators will present to the city in May (see below) are the result of a lengthy process that began last year with the Fight Forward action survey. Responses to questions on the survey that dealt with priorities for a new contract were compiled and discussed by stewards last fall. A bargaining committee was elected by the stewards and the executive board. The bargaining committee then further refined the demands, and presented them to the executive board on February 11, where they were officially adopted.

Thus far, Mayor Bloomberg has shown no inclination to take seriously city workers' needs. His agenda includes repealing needed tax increases while the city still faces a significant budget shortfall, and refusing to consider any raises that aren't paid by givebacks. Winning a good contract that treats city workers fairly is going to take a lot of work under these circumstances. Local 1180 members and others are going to have to mobilize, talk to members of their communities, and demonstrate their resolve and solidarity on the shop floor.

Local 1180 members, like most other city workers, have been working under an expired contract since July 1, 2002. Which also means, they've been working without a raise since then. Unlike our billionaire mayor, though, for city workers this is a hardship.

The members of the bargaining committee are: Hilary Bloomfield, Velma Dickson, Dorothy Harris, Ethel Havens, Carol Hendrick, Arthur Johnson, Nora Johnson, Delores Smith-Johnson and Doris Thorbourne.

LOCAL 1180 DEMANDS FOR CITY BARGAINING

1. A substantial across the board wage increase in each year of the contract.

2. Establish a 10-year Experience Differential.

3. Members of our bargaining unit shall exclusively perform duties belonging to titles in our bargaining unit.

4. Seniority shall be the sole factor for transfers and reassignments. Clearly defined hardships shall have super-seniority.

5. No disciplinary penalty shall be implemented until after Step 3 of the Grievance Procedure.

6. Remove the overtime cap.

7. Compensatory time accrued over 90 days shall be added to the annual leave bank.

8. Unused floating holidays shall be placed in the annual leave bank after one year.

9. There shall be paid holidays for Per Diems.

10. Sick leave and annual leave shall be combined into personal leave bank.

11. Upon separation there shall be an option to receive a single lump sum payment of all accrued leave.

12. Childcare leave shall be with pay and full benefits including pension service credit.

13. Members shall have the option of compressed or flex hours.

14. There shall be a clear timetable to resolve health and safety issues. Health and safety issues not resolved according to the timetable shall deem the workplace unsafe and workers shall be reassigned until all health and safety issues have been resolved.

15. Cleaning of offices shall be in accordance with standard commercial office rental practices.

Adopted by the Local 1180 executive board February 11, 2004.

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