Public Employee Press

New MetroPlus members go for their first contract

The union kicked off negotiations May 7 to win its first contract for DC 37’s newest members, who work for the MetroPlus HMO at the Health and Hospitals Corp.

Earlier this year, the MetroPlus workers voted to join Local 1549. Through bargaining, they aim to make the hoped-for benefits of unionism into real achievements.

Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez and DC 37 Director of Research and Negotiations Dennis Sullivan led the union’s team, which submitted demands that call for a fair and reasonable wage increase and workplace protections for the workers.

“We are going to work hard to bring home a contract that they will be proud of,” Rodriguez said.

At the bargaining session, Sullivan presented the union’s demands to management. Besides a wage hike, the demands include longevity money, recurring increment payments and due process rights.

As employees of an HMO, MetroPlus workers do not have competitive civil service titles and therefore don’t enjoy the same job security protections as most DC 37 members. “Job security and due process are top concerns,” said Vilma A. Ebanks, an assistant director of the Research and Negotiations Dept.

“We believe our new members should enjoy the same rights as other city employees,” said Ronnie Harris, director of DC 37’s Clerical-Administrative Division.

“The MetroPlus workers on the bargaining team were excited about the process because it was the first time they’d been involved in bargaining,” said Renee Gainer, assistant director of the Clerical Division, who attended the session with Harris. “There was a real sense that the union is really going to help them shape their workplace.”

All told, Local 1549 represents more than 300 Enrollment Sales Representatives and Assistant ESRs at MetroPlus. The local plans to establish a chapter for them.

The MetroPlus workers on the negotiating committee include Ayanna Gabriel, Melinda Padilla, Carina Diaz, Natasha Isma and Giselle Giroux.
“I liked the way the union represented us at the bargaining table,” Gabriel said. “This is not just about job security and the money, but the larger picture of eliminating injustice.”