Archives: SUNY Contract Talks
CONTRACT '07-08: 1104/GSEU
NEGOTIATIONS WITH NYS UPDATE
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
6:23 PM
Today we heard utilization information from the State's Health Insurance sub-committee regarding the Student Employee Health plan. The State provided an overview of their starting position for Health Insurance. Next Wednesday, we will hear the State's position on the prescription drug component of the plan.
Just as we witness the overwhelming ratification of our Professors' contract, we have learned that Governor Paterson has put a full stop on all settlement authority! The Union is still assessing whether the level of disruption in Albany's Capital Buildings over the past two weeks will permanently shelve meaningful negotiations this semester. We wish we had better news. Know that we will keep you informed as to the next steps we need to take together.
Although, the Governor's negotiators have lost their approval to complete a deal; nevertheless, we are still scheduled to finish the last of the Union's part of formal negotiations ceremonies, justifications for least complicated proposals next week.
State negotiators report that they are working diligently to secure the nods they need. Tomorrow's negotiating session is off and we are assessing how quickly we can delve into meaningful negotiations.
Meanwhile, we wait and work.
Wait and work.
That's what's happening.
We have immediately communicated to the highest levels of our Union and our State government the very clear message that we are ready to negotiate. Make no mistake, the Union stands ready to our part to see if a contract settlement is possible for workers on payroll this semester.
Solidarity!
Kathleen Sims
Chief Negotiator GSEU,
CWA Local 1104 Education Division
CONTRACT '07-08: 1104/GSEU
NEGOTIATIONS WITH NYS UPDATE
Thursday, March 6, 2008
6:34 PM
The Union gave detailed justifications and analysis of the Union's most complicated
bargaining proposals to the State Thursday afternoon. Such justification is typically
done in early bargaining to make sure the employer understands the more nuanced
aspects of work place problems and how the Union seeks to create contractual
solutions which will set policies across very different work areas throughout
our SUNY institutions.
After both sides agreed to shuffle future negotiating dates, next week's meeting
on Wednesday, March 12th stands. Now attention will turn to preparing for the
first health insurance sub-committee negotiations of this round of talks.
Typically, both sides exchange an initial set of proposals about changes they
are seeking. This meeting will provide the Union a picture of the State's
priorities regarding the Student Employee's Health Plan (SEHP).
Next week, we expect to receive answers to much, if not all, of our information
request on utilization data. This data, the State's Health Insurance posture,
and the information at the main table should provide us with better chance to
understand the bigger picture of where the State intends to go in this round of
negotiations.
In Solidarity,
Kathleen Sims
Executive Vice President Education Division
CWA Local 1104/GSEU
CONTRACT '07-08: 1104/GSEU NEGOTIATIONS WITH NYS
WEEKEND UPDATE
Friday, February 29, 2008
7:52 PM
Yesterday, the Negotiating Team of CWA Local 1104/GSEU met with New York State's
negotiators all day to put forward our clarifying proposals. The Union has detailed
its position; we offered actual contract language, which our Team, comprised of
the Business Agents representing all corners of the State, has developed
and perfected over the course of several months.
The State has expressed a willingness to fashion creative solutions to our problems
while they simultaneously couched their comments in concerns about the State's
fiscal picture. Meanwhile, we have watched and worked while settlements of our
Professors' contract (UUP) and the State's professional, scientific, and technical
state employees (PEF) have rolled out, and while the largest state union CSEA
and DC-37 have overwhelming ratified.
It is a big task to see if we can find a suitable agreement. Suffice it to say, we
are working hard to see if we can have fresh infusions of Professional Development
Funds, Fee Mitigation money, raises, location offsets and the like this year –
it will be a huge lift!
The Union has put a finer point on our information and data request. We have worked
almost around the clock to provide the employer with further clarifying documents in
support of our positions.
We have set a timeline for four (4) future meetings with the employer. We will
offer presentations next week, illustrating our members' needs. The Union understands
these next meetings as a crucial step to understand what is really possible.
Kathleen Sims
Executive Vice President Education Division
CWA Local 1104/GSEU
THIS ARCHIVE IS BEING UPDATED WITH OTHER UPDATES....PLEASE BE PATIENT
CONTRACT '07 - NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE # 5
CSEA Settlement and You 
As word begins to spread that the largest Union in the State, the Civil Service
Employees Association CSEA Local 1000 has negotiated a tentative agreement, our
Local 1104 negotiating team has already set some aggressive goals for contract
research on member’s top survey priorities during our team’s conferencing last week.
We will need your help in the coming days to let us know some details of practice
in your work area or department regarding tuition and funding.
Collective bargaining, also called “pattern bargaining,” is based on negotiating
with the largest Union who uses its influence to receive the best possible wage
and Health Insurance settlement. Today’s tentative agreement announcement is
of particular interest to our Union because of its impact on the shape of our next
contract. While not the case in all State/Labor contracts across the country,
NY State contracts set a pattern for percentage wage-based raises. In what would be
our fifth contract, today’s announcement points to some of the concerns we will
likely face at the table.
We typically know CSEA workers as department Secretaries and University support
staff. While CSEA represents employees across all state agencies, our Union has some
specific concerns and issues relating to our single state agency. Vacancies in
the SUNY system, such as open positions on the SUNY Board of Trustees and in
University or College Presidentcies, do not help us. Nevertheless, we will
wrestle with these and other issues. Together, we will win a good contract!
CSEA gives the following overview of their new tentative agreement:
CSEA - New York State Tentative Contract Highlights
The agreement includes enhancements in nearly all major contract areas.
Across the board salary increases in each year of the agreement
- 3 percent retroactive to April 2007
- 3 percent in April 2008
- 3 percent in April 2009
- 4 percent in April 2010
- Significant improvements in downstate and mid-Hudson salary adjustments to reflect cost-of-living; (Downstate adjustment is currently $1,302 annually and will increase to $1,850 on April 1, 2008 and to $3,026 on October 1 2008. Mid-Hudson adjustment is currently $651 and will increase to $1,000 on April 1, 2008 and to $1,513 on October 1, 2008.)
- Some increases in health insurance co-payments balanced by a wide range of benefit enhancements
- Agreement for Labor-Management discussion on five specific safety and health issues: workplace temperatures, imminent danger situations, minimizing/eliminating hazards, ergonomics and workplace security;
- Funding improvements for the joint safety and health program
- Improvements in funding for Employee Development and Training
- Improvements in the Compensatory time for Overtime Worked Program including a new pilot program;
- Enhancements to the Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAAs) to pay costs of child and elder care with pre-tax dollars;
- Additional funding in each year of the agreement for the Family Benefit programs including pre-retirement seminars, Lifeworks, Wellness programs and safety grants for on-site daycare centers.
- Enhanced funding in each year of the agreement for the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund to cover dental, prescription eyeglass and other benefits;
- Improvement in benefits for seasonal employees
As always, do not hesitate to call with questions, concerns & comments.
Kathleen Sims
Executive Vice President Education Division
CWA Local 1104/GSEU
CONTRACT '07 - NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE # 4
| TOP MEMBER ITEMS |
Pay & Downstate Location
Pay: Minimum/Cost of Living
Pay: Colleges
Pay: Downstate Location |
| Multiple Years of Funding |
| Professional Development Fund |
| Dental Coverage |
| Parity |
| Health Insurance |
| Fee Mitigation |
| Tuition Waiver |
| Optical Coverage |
| DCAA/Child Care |
CONTRACT '07 - NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE # 3
Thursday, August 30, 2007 5:30PM
Contract Now!
While the rest of the public sector awaits directives from the Division of the
Budget in order to negotiate substantively, we are concentrating our work in
two areas - union fundamentals and contract research outside the box.
First, building our contract mobilization structure is the bedrock of trade
unionism and we thank every steward and rank-and-file member who has helped
deliver our 2004 internal organizing drive this semester! Every year our task
is monumental and every year we rise to the challenge with increasing success.
Secondly, we are researching and targeting specific areas of contractual improvement.
Our partnerships throughout the labor movement are suggesting some interesting new
alternatives which will be discussed at membership meetings throughout the state in September.
Kathleen Sims
Executive Vice President Education Division
CWA Local 1104/GSEU
CONTRACT '07 - NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE # 2
Monday, June 25, 2007 6:15PM
Openning Session: Initial Proposals
Today, we met with the NYS Negotiating team. While this first negotiating session
was brief, as expected, both sides are demonstrating clear readiness to bargain
substantively after the Fall '07 semester begins.
This opening session for our fifth contract began with a round of
introductions in which all 14 employer representatives stated their name and agencies
ranging from the Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER) to the Division of
Budget and from Department of Civil Service to the State University of New York.
We introduced our Union's negotiating team; that is, our five Business Agents and myself
along with a volunteer-member assisting in note taking, and our consulting attorney.
The Union provided the employer with a set of ground rules for our negotiations,
which Jeannine Morrell, GOER's new Chief Negotiator, accepted and signed.
After which, both sides provided the other initial, conceptual proposals. And
the Union will follow-up by scheduling meeting dates.
As we read and review State's positions, all negotiating team members will be
hard at work conducting additional research to prepare for our future negotiations.
For further information about the State's positions and to get involved in ongoing
conversations regarding our contract at your campus, feel free to contact us.
Kathleen Sims
Executive Vice President Education Division
CWA Local 1104/GSEU
CONTRACT '07 - NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE #1
Thursday, May 24, 2007 6:30PM
CONTRACT BATTLEFRONT BRIEFING
We have formally requested the opening of negotiations for our fifth Collective Bargaining Agreement with the State of New York for SUNY teachers and researchers. We are thankful for everyone's help in completing the bargaining surveys to set our negotiating priorities and initial, conceptual demands!!
Our negotiating team has an aggressive schedule for meetings and research. We will again need your help as we have a few more questions to ask you to make sure that we can best leverage the details of our working lives to State negotiators who, in the past, have frankly no clue how much of SUNY's work we do for how little money. It will take small and large contributions by all of us to deliver the scope of change we most want to achieve. Great contracts are built - we have many of the right building blocks. We will prevail.
At the time we go to print with this newsletter, we remain embroiled in struggles with the State and SUNY to deploy the final contract moneys to which we are entitled. Sadly, the employer must always be led by the nose and even then their capacity to use bureaucracy to ensure mediocrity is stunning. We will need your help to straighten them out!
This summer is sure to check for the regularly posted updates and reports from the negotiating table at: www.gseu.org
Kathleen Sims
Executive Vice President Education Division
CWA Local 1104/GSEU
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