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PEP May 2014
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Public Employee Press

Rank-and-file negotiators

By GREGORY N. HEIRES



Many think collective bargaining is shrouded in secrecy, with top union and management representatives making deals behind closed doors.

In fact, District Council 37 negotiations involve a lot of members, and often involves rich participatory democracy.

For members, one of the key benefits of joining the union is to be able to get involved in collective bargaining and vote on their contracts.

"The right to vote on your contract is one of the most important benefits you have as a union member," said DC 37 Associate Director Henry Garrido. "By exercising that right, you are telling the union how you want it to work on your behalf. You're exerting power over your livelihood and your working conditions."

All municipal workers are entitled to standard union welfare benefits, such as prescription drug coverage and tuition reimbursement. But by law, non-members must pay their fair share - known as an agency fee - to cover the cost of such union services as work-related legal aid, grievance representation, on-the-job safety protection and the collective bargaining that sets pay levels and the provides funds for the fringe benefits.

Key input for bargaining

"If you don't actually sign the green card and join the union, you are not taking advantage of all the benefits that come with being a member," said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. "If you don't sign up with the union, you're giving up your right to vote on your contract, as well as your leaders."

Research and Negotiations Director Evelyn Seinfeld says the input of rank-and-file members in bargaining is essential.

"The bottom line is that we want to do the best we can to reach agreements with the city that address members' needs by winning decent pay increases, defending the benefits and fighting for workplace protections," Seinfeld said. "What we hear from members shapes our approach to bargaining."

Contract demands generally come from the workplace.

After gathering input from work sites, the DC 37 Negotiating Committee - which includes the union's 53 local presidents and four officers - votes on the demands for the union's economic agreement, which establishes the wages of about 100,000 members.

Rank-and-file members get involved directly with negotiations carried out by unit bargaining committees, which deal with working conditions and some economic issues.

In interviews, rank-and-file negotiators described how they enjoy playing a direct role in shaping the collective bargaining process. They recounted how they come up with demands through informal talks and meetings with co-workers, enjoy facing down managers at the bargaining table and take pride in winning new benefits.

Supporting co-workers

Local 1549 member John Armstrong, chair of the Police Communications Technicians chapter, looks forward to the upcoming negotiations at the New York Police Dept.

This will be his first experience at the bargaining table. He is working with his co-worker James O'Connor, the bargaining committee chair, to take the pulse of the membership and to put together a list of demands for workplace improvements.

Last year, Local 1549 members at NYPD put in excessive overtime and faced great pressure as the department rolled out a new 911 communications system. When breakdowns and glitches hit the newly launched system, they were unfairly blamed.

"We have seen many changes here. The system is much more complex, so the workers deserve a pay increase," Armstrong said.

Local 154 Vice President Egbert Isaacs, a Library Assistant and the chapter chair at New York Law School, has served on his bargaining committee since the workers there voted to join DC 37 nearly two decades ago.

Isaacs has enjoyed negotiating four contracts that have steadily improved wages, vacations and benefits. His first included a decent pay raise, a few holidays and improved health-care coverage. Today, members enjoy 12 paid holidays, but the latest contract included no raises and new health-care contributions for some members, reflecting today's challenging bargaining climate.

Collective bargaining, Isaacs said, "lets us face our employer without fear and be treated fairly. It's about dignity."

"We try to do the best we can for our members," said Isaacs. "With the union behind you, you feel you're on a level playing field."

Juliet White works as a Claims Specialist 3 at the Comptroller's Office, where she serves as Local 154's chapter chair. She is a rank-and-file negotiator on a bargaining committee that represents workers in a number of DC 37 locals. The bargaining process can be complex, with competing demands within the diverse group, so White takes particular care to be vocal about the concerns of her co-workers.

A tough business

"You go through each item carefully," White said, describing how the committee thoroughly evaluates the demands. "People listen to what everyone has to say about a particular item. I like the open process. It gives people like me a chance to voice their opinion."

Local 371 member Omogo Wheeler, a Supervising Social Worker at the Administration for Children's Services, has served on her unit bargaining committee for years.

One of her proudest achievements has been refusing to cave in to the city's persistent demand that the union give up a contract provision that protects members from involuntary transfers.

"Negotiating is a tough business," Wheeler said. "But when there is enough push-back by the union, you can have a very positive impact."

On the bargaining unit, Wheeler has had a say in the use of equity funds that supplement straight pay increases.

"My philosophy is you better know about your money and how to keep it," Wheeler said, reflecting the view that the essence of bargaining is protecting your pocketbook.

Alan Mendelson, Local 154's chair at New York City Transit, said a key achievement of his unit was getting management to agree to let members donate sick leave days to a pool to cover members who used up their sick leave because of a long-term illness.

"I have had some legal training," said Mendelson, explaining why he is particularly keen about fighting to protect workers' rights. Without the teeth of a contract or the law, workplace protections are ultimately not enforceable, Mendelson noted.

Mike Gomez recently served on the bargaining committee for workers at the Grand Central Partnership, a business improvement district. In September, the sanitation workers there voted to quit an allegedly mobbed-up union and join DC 37.

In the group's first contract negotiations, they won a modest pay increase and a new health-care plan.

Gomez pushed for the wage hike to be a dollar amount rather than a percentage. With about 25 years on the job and a relatively high salary, Gomez probably would have benefitted personally more from a percentage increase. But he felt that distributing the available funds equally would help the lower-paid workers more than a percentage increase.

Like other rank-and-file bargainers, Gomez said he enjoys playing a direct role in determining his livelihood - and he strongly believes all workers should have that right.

Union democracy

"Everyone should have a say," Gomez said. "That's the democratic way. The vote of the majority wins."

Local 375 member Joshua Barnett said he enjoys the lively give-and-take among negotiators on the multi-local bargaining committee in the New York City Housing Authority. The process is challenging because the committee usually starts out with a huge laundry list of demands that must be pared down, Barnett said.

"There is a lot of jockeying," Barnett said. "There might be issues that affect my members but not members in other locals. In the end, we have to stick together."

Barnett believes the union's bargaining strength could be enhanced by more rallies and job actions.



Important benefits of union membership include the right to participate in collective bargaining and vote on contracts
 
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