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New Contract for CUNY Members Secure Wage Increases, Retro Pay Photo above: CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido shake hands upon reaching a tentative agreement. Photo: CUNY / Marcus Beasley By JUSTINA RAMLAKHAN The start of 2024 brings good news to the members of eight locals whose members are employed by the City University of New York (CUNY). The District Council 37 Bargaining Committee secured a strong five-plus-year contract for Locals 375, 384, 983, 1407, 1597, 1797, 2054, and 2627, whose members voted to ratify by 98.4% on Feb. 12, 2024. The agreement was presented before the CUNY Board of Trustees and approved on Feb. 20, 2024. The new agreement is from June 1, 2021, to Jan. 9, 2027, for a total contract term of 67 months and nine days. The contract secures long-overdue wage increases, retroactive pay, and a ratification bonus while continuing members’ premium-free health benefits. “Our members in the CUNY system demonstrated their unwavering resilience during the pandemic and deserve a contract that reflects their efforts,” said Henry Garrido, DC 37 Executive Director. “We answered that call through a difficult series of negotiations with CUNY in the face of funding challenges from both the city and state. We thank Gov. [...] — Mar 27
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Your Union Leadership at Work: Trustees Achieve Enhanced Member Benefits Story and photo by ACACIA RODRIGUEZ With the start of the new year, DC 37’s Health & Security team is rolling out new benefits to eligible members, thanks to union leaders who serve as trustees for the Health & Security Plan, Cultural Trust Institutions, and New York Public Library (NYPL) funds. Members covered by both the Cultural Institutions and Health & Security Plan trusts are now eligible to receive $300 per week for short-term disability benefits and a $250 optical benefit through a voucher or reimbursement. As of Jan. 1, members at DC 37’s Cultural Institutions, including the American Museum of Natural History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, Wave Hill, Brooklyn, Queens and NY Botanical Gardens, New York Aquarium, also regained access to the DC 37 Dental Center at 115 Chambers St. NYPL members will be eligible for the $300 short-term disability benefit on April 1 and the $250 optical benefit on May 1. “As trustees, we have two important duties. One is to protect existing benefits for members and the second is to make sure they have benefits in the years to come,” said Local 154 President Juan Fernandez, who serves as [...] — Mar 27
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Union, City Agree on Alternative Work Schedules By MIKE LEE When the union fights for what is right, determination and perseverance always wins. After nearly a year of negotiations, the Adams administration and a committee of union representatives agreed to implement alternative work schedules for tens of thousands of DC 37 members with job titles that do not allow them to work remotely. The pilot program agreed to in late January culminated a process that began with negotiating last year’s citywide economic agreement. At the start of negotiations, Mayor Eric Adams repeatedly stated that he was against alternative work schedules for City workers. However, as talks continued, the union convinced the mayor of the importance of having the opportunity for remote work and other scheduling alternatives. In the end, the union won these benefits for city workers, and as a result, more than 20,000 DC 37 members now work remotely under the pilot. With the new program, City workers who cannot work remotely may be offered a compressed schedule for four days a week. Daily hours will be adjusted so workers are on the job for the same weekly hours. “We have said all along that the world of work has changed,” said Henry Garrido, DC 37 [...] — Mar 27
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Union Power Comes From You When this union meets with management on behalf of our members, we are there to win.After intense negotiations in the past several months with the mayoral administration and state leaders, your union made unprecedented contractual agreements in our demands to provide alternative schedules, retention bonuses, and fair pay for most essential public workers. These successes in our negotiations are historic and expectations are that other vital agreements are on the way. Executive DirectorHenry Garrido We began the year by settling a contract on behalf of more than 10,000 members at the City University of New York, a significant victory at a time when concerns loom over both the City and State budgets. This five-year deal for our members at CUNY kicked off a string of victories for the union. We forcefully pushed back against Mayor Adams' effort to end funding late last year for 3,000 Job Training Participants (JTPs) in the Program to Eliminate the Gap. Workers entering this program take advantage of it as a gateway for careers in civil service. JTPs are an integral part of the workforce in the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Sanitation, and Human Resources Administration (HRA). After we called out [...] — Mar 27
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DC 37 NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE in MARCH 2024 DC 37 NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE in MARCH 2024: The DC 37 Women’s Committee invites you to celebrate Women’s History Month with your union! Please save the date for our annual celebration on Friday, Mar. 22, 2024. — Feb 26