Bargaining Update #2

The Staff Union Bargaining Committee met with the CWA (Jody Calemine, CWA Chief of Staff and Marilyn Klinger, Director of HR) for two full days on June 29th and June 30th. 
 
The Staff Union presented non-economic and minor economic proposals as well as a number of proposals connected to eliminating the two-tier system in the contract.   The primary focus of the two-day session was on eliminating the two tiers in the contract and creating a path to permanency in the Campaign job titles. The discussions were difficult at times but overall productive. Management has indicated they are committed to work with the Staff Union to resolve the two-tier issues. 

The proposals presented by the Staff Union are as follows:

Article	Proposal
Full CBA	Remove gendered language from the contract and replace with neutral gender. (TA: Tentative Agreement)
Recognition, Tuition Aid, Job Preference, Life Insurance and MOA on Temporary Growth Fund and or SIF Positions	Proposals to delete the MOA for Temporary Growth Fund and/or SIF Positions and fully incorporate the titles into all articles of the contract.  Relevant provisions modified to include in all provisions.
Layoff	The Union proposed no layoff for all employees.
Union Shop	Proposal for Staff Union Orientation of two hours.  Overall discussion on having a formal orientation for all staff union members upon hire.
Employee Information	Minor changes to article to update information provided to the Staff Union.
Sick Leave & Parental Leave	- Proposal for 4 sick days on the first day of hire - Improvements to paid Parental Leave.
Vacation	Proposals to increase vacation time for employees with less than 15 years of service.
Leave of Absence	New language proposed for a paid sabbatical.
Work from Home	- Incorporate Work from Home Trial language into CBA as a permanent article.  Work from home continues to be voluntary. - Stipend for employees who primarily work from home.
Training and Career Development Committee	Committee to meet within 60 days of ratification to discuss Training, Mentorship, and Career Development.
Transition Pay	Eliminate the two weeks of pay give back at the end of employment for employees hired before 6/1/18. (For background, in 2018 CWA change how employees were paid effective 6/1/18 and this change only affects employees hired before this date).

• Based on responses from the bargaining surveys our top bargaining priorities include a fair general wage increase, equity between SIF/Growth and General Fund titles, protecting and improving health benefits, and job security.

• In future bargaining sessions we will make proposals on wages, benefits, and other economic items.

• Our next bargaining dates are 7/12 & 7/13. We are also scheduling some shorter zoom meetings in between to continue dialogue.

• If you have additional questions, please reach out to your Executive Board member or email cwastaffunion@gmail.com.

• Please save the date for a general membership meeting on 7/14 at 7:30pm ET/6:30 CT/5:30 MT/4:30 PT.

Keep in mind these are our first set of proposals. Bargaining is a give and take process and we will not get everything we have proposed. With that said, your bargaining team is willing to do what it takes to secure a fair contract for our members that keeps up with the cost of living, gets rid of the two-tier system and protects all of our jobs. We can’t do that alone, good contracts are not won at the bargaining table, they are won in the field. Please stay in touch with your mobilizer for next steps.

Bargaining Mobilization

CWA Staff Union Family,

The bargaining process of our Staff Union Contract begins tomorrow and Thursday. WE all know how important this contract is to us. We will begin with our mobilization activities tomorrow by doing the following:

• Add “Proud Member of the CWA Staff Union” to your email signature, showing solidarity and unity.

• Use our linked logos for a zoom background or profile picture. 

In Unity,
CWA Staff Union Mobilizing Team

*Special shout out to everyone on the mobilizing team who has been participating in our conference calls and generating ideas!

Bargaining Update #1

Please see the following comprehensive update of a few of things we're doing to prepare for contract negotiations as well as where we stand with bargaining dates.

• The Staff Union bargaining team consists of Amber Brooks, Garry Jordan,  Jessica Ramirez, Mike Schulte, and Erin Spaulding.  The management bargaining team consists of Jody Calemine and Marilyn Klinger.  

• We've done a deep dive into all the bargaining survey responses and are currently in the process of preparing proposals.

• We're in the process of finalizing our bargaining RFI (Request For Information) with assistance from our colleagues in the Guild (Researchers) Union.

• Our mobilizing team has started meeting monthly.  Our next mobilizing meeting is Tuesday, May 17th. 

• The Mobilizers and CWASU Executive Board have been working together to have District/Division meetings.  A few meetings have already taken place and the rest will be scheduled within the next few weeks.  

• We've confirmed the following bargaining dates with CWA:  6/29 & 6/30,  7/12& 7/13, and 7/19 & 7/20.    We plan to initially meet in person in Washington D.C.

• We have had an initial meeting with CWA to discuss bargaining preliminaries. Our early meetings with CWA have been positive and productive.

The Staff Union will be providing regular updates throughout bargaining.  If you have feedback or questions, please reach out to your mobilizer, executive board or bargaining committee member.

2021 Constitution Referendum Results

All of the proposed constitutional changes passed, with 106 members casting ballots. Thank you to everyone who voted! The official results are below.

2021 John Scally Scholarship

Please see the attached 2021 John Scally Scholarship notification letter along with the application for academic year 2021-2022. We are accepting applications via U.S. postal as well as Email again this year due to COVID-19. 10 scholarships will be awarded via lottery draw that will be conducted on July 23rd, 2021. To download application, click here.