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Shop Steward News

What's New at CWA Local 1037

Not getting email updates? Email the Local at info@cwa1037.org with your current email so you can be kept up-to-date on important info!

August 25- IF YOUR LEGISLATORS DON’T HEAR FROM YOU… THEY MAY LEGISLATE YOUR RIGHTS ON THE JOB AWAY
Right now, the know-nothing politicians in Trenton are getting ready to gut Civil Service protections.  They want to:
- Allow management to get around seniority if layoffs occur
- Allow management to decide some employees are “more essential” and lay off other, more senior workers first if layoffs occur
- Eliminate your right to a Civil Service appeal for any discipline up to a 30 day suspension
- They even want to allow employers to get rid of Civil Service completely through a simple majority vote in the county or municipality where you work
All of these proposals are part of Governor Christie’s “Toolkit,” and he wants them passed by the end of September.  The Senate is having hearings on the bills this month, and will vote on them in September. The legislature is likely to make changes to Civil Service this fall, but whether that means gutting your rights or making Civil Service better, no one in Trenton is saying.
CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS on Wednesday, August 25 and tell them: "My name is [SAY YOUR NAME] and I live in [SAY THE NAME OF THE TOWN YOU LIVE IN].  I am a Civil Servant, and any changes to Civil Service need to protect my rights and make sure political bosses can’t fire me and hand out my job to their campaign donors.  I want you to work with my union to make Civil Service better, not destroy it.  I urge you to oppose S2039 and A2954. "
More info here.

August 20- Watch Shop Stewards fight back by attending legislative one on one meetings:

August 17- Call In August 18 and Make Your Voice Heard
You were probably at work on the 16th while the lobbyists are in Trenton trying to gut worker protections and let their buddies hand out public jobs to their political cronies. Want a seat at the table? Make your voice heard! Call your Legislators on Wednesday, August 18 and tell them! Find out more here: Jobs are Under Attack! Call In Day on Wednesday, August 18. Find out which legislative district you live in here.

August 6- Take part in our CWA “TOOLKIT” LETTER TO LEGISLATOR writing!
Right now, the State Assembly is considering various proposals in Governor Christie’s “Toolkit,” which is a thinly veiled assault on workers’ rights in New Jersey.  Speaker Oliver has asked members of the Assembly Democratic Leadership to study different elements of the “toolkit” and make recommendations to the entire Assembly for legislative proposals.
Let legislators know where we stand.  Hand-written letters are the single most effective way to grab the attention of legislators and make sure your voice is heard.  They have more impact than phone calls, e-mails, or petitions.
For a sample letter and more details, click below:
Send a letter to Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union/Middlesex/Somerset) about discipline reform and seasonal appointments
Send a letter to Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) about the Civil Service Opt-Out
Send a letter to Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex) about layoff rules

August 3- Jobs are Under Attack! Call In Day on Wednesday, August 4. See the flyer here, and find out which legislative district you live in here.

July 27- Members Decline State Worker Media Fund
The results of the referendum on the State Worker Strategic Media and Public Education Fund are in. Local 1037 members supported the fund with a “yes” vote by a 2-1 margin. However, statewide a majority of members voted “no”. With 20% of all eligible members voting, the results were 2,201 YES and 3,525 NO.
Thank you to all Local 1037 members who voted and let your voice be heard on this important issue.
To read CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton’s letter to members click here.

July 21- Our Jobs are Under Attack
The politicians in Trenton are at it again.  They are considering a bill, S2206, which would allow management in state and local government to furlough workers ANY TIME THEY WANT TO.
• With no input from your union.
• With no ability to bargain.
This would make bargaining over wages meaningless. Why bargain a wage if management can just furlough workers and pay them nothing whenever they feel like they need more money? What good is a salary if management can just pay you less through furloughs?
CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY and tell them:
"My name is [SAY YOUR NAME1 and I live in [SAY THE NAME OF THE TOWN YOU LIVE IN1. I am urging you to oppose S2206, which would allow local politicians to cut my wages any time they feel like it and destroy the ability of my union to negotiate a living wage. I expect you to work with my union to find ways to make New Jersey better, not govern with sound-byte politics that won’t solve the problem."
To Find Your Legislative District: http://www.lwvnj.org/guide/2002locator.shtml
Then, Find Your Legislator and his or her Telephone Number: http://www.lwvnj.org/guide/cglegislature.shtml

July 6- State Worker Referendum Instructions Have Been Mailed
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) has mailed the voting instructions on the rerun of the State Worker Strategic Media and Public Education Fund referendum. All members should be receiving this mailing in the next few days, so please watch your mail and speak to members at your worksite about voting YES. Find out more about the referendum.

June 30- State Budget Passes, Includes Raises and Increments
The NJ State budget passed both houses of the Legislature in early morning hours yesterday and was signed into law by Governor Christie later in the day.  The budget includes the 3.5% raise for State Workers due the first pay period in July and the 3.5% deferred raise due in January 2011, as well as the money for increments for anyone who is eligible. Overall, this is a bad budget that cuts services to New Jersey’s most needy. However, we’re once again proud that the No Layoff Agreement has held and the fact that the raises will be paid as agreed is further evidence that members made the correct decision in deciding to defer raises to protect jobs.

June 30- State Worker Media Fund Vote to Restart: Vote YES!!
AAA is set to rerun the vote! We have learned that the American Arbitration Association will be mailing voting instructions next Tuesday July 6. Members should receive voting instructions in the mail midweek. As announced previously, due to irregularities in the voting process in the initial running of the vote, AAA is rerunning the entire vote. Everyone must vote again. Please VOTE YES as soon as you receive the voting instructions from AAA, and talk to members at your worksite about voting YES too! If you have any questions, contact the Local at 973-623-1828.
Read more about the referendum to support a media fund for the fight to protect state workers:
District 1 President Chris Shelton's letter
letter sent out from the Local

June 30- State Attempts to Violate MOA Rules on Paid Leave Bank; CWA Will Enforce – In Court if Necessary
CWA has received reports that several departments have circulated guidelines for the seven (7) Paid Leave Bank days which violate our No Layoff Agreement. Specifically, they are attempting to limit the carry-over of PLB days. As you are aware, the MOA says specifically that “the PLB days will be maintained separate and apart from banks of other paid leave and there will be no limitations on the carry over of days in the PLBs.” (Section D-2)
CWA has contacted the Governor’s office regarding this matter and expects they will be taking steps to correct this situation. If this does not occur we will take any necessary legal action and are confident in the enforceability of our agreement. We will keep you posted.

June 30- MVC Workweek Change Update
Representatives from CWA Local 1037, 1038, 1033 have been meeting with the Motor Vehicle Commission and the Governor’s office regarding their proposal to change workers schedule to Tuesday through Saturday. The original proposal by management was completely disruptive to members’ family lives and CWA has been working to reach an agreement that limits the number of Saturdays which must be worked while increasing the flexibility of work schedules. While the details are still being finalized, we are pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached. All Motor Vehicle Shop Stewards and members will be receiving detailed information soon, but for the latest information, click here.

May 27- Listen to the new Memorial Day radio spot about State Workers

May 25- Check out the 35,000 people who rallied in Trenton May 22, at the Standing Up and Standing Together Rally. View all images and video here, including a video of Chris Shelton's speech at the rally.
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May 19- All out for a Rally for Public Services on May 22 in Trenton.

May 18- Information for Childcare Providers receiving revised New Jersey Cares for Kids (NJCK) Agreements for children in their care can be found here.

May 12- Find out about the 33 bills that Gov. Christie is proposing and how they will hurt state workers here. Then, if you haven't already, fill out an I'll Be There form for the Rally for Public Services on May 22.

May 3- Read the new President's Message.

April 14- Get the facts and call your Assemblymen about the Civil Service Opt-out bill.

April 14- Attend upcoming Legislative Meetings on April 17, April 26, April 28 and May 17. See more details here.

April 14- Picket Chris Christie on Saturday, April 17 in Newark. Details here.

March 24- Check out pictures from last week's State Workers Pickets.

March 17- State Workers, make plans to FIGHT BACK against the budget cuts. Want to help out? Fill out the form here.

March 17- YOUR Pension and Health Benefits Are Under Attack But YOU can do a very simple thing to stop them: CALL YOUR ASSEMBLY PERSON NOW! Not sure who your representatives are? Check the Politics section and read How to Contact Your Legislator.

March 9- Have a child heading for college? Union scholarships are available!

February 22- Get the facts on our pension costs and the budget. Review the information CWA is providing Legislators and the media here.

February 13- Read CWA District One President Chris Shelton's letter regarding Christie's proposed budget cuts, and check out the CWA 1037 response to the budget cuts as well.

February 8- Read the CWA Statement on Proposed Pension and Health Care Legislation: Don’t Rush Unfair Legislation and find out Why Senators Must Vote “No” on Sweeney Pension and Health Care Legislation

January 21- Chris Christie Suppresses Union Political Action: CWA and it's allies heading to court

January 21- State Workers can find new I'll Be There and other important forms on their page here.

December 30, 2009- Check out our healthcare page providing you with tons of helpful links and info about healthcare as well as CWA National’s Healthcare page!

December 30, 2009- Passaic County Board of Social Services workers vote to ratify their new contract! More information here.

December 7, 2009- CWA is putting together a Mobilization Plan to enforce our Agreement and protect services and jobs in the upcoming Budget.  One part of this Mobilization Plan will be Lobby Days in Trenton throughout May and June. Fill out the I'll Be There form and plan on using a furlough day in order to help lobby to enforce our Agreement in the coming months.

November 5, 2009- Support EZ Pass workers as they try to bargain for a contract! Check out their website at Not So Fast EZ Pass.

October 7, 2009- Watch the 2009 Budget Mobilization movie shown at the Shop Steward Conference.

October 7, 2009- Healthcare information from the Shop Steward conference is now available online – click here for the power point presentation (or view as a PDF) and here for the action leaflet.

September 14, 2009- Agreement Reached in Somerset County

August 21, 2009 – Local 1037 members who work for Somerset County in the County’s mental health facilities are still fighting to negotiate a fair contract.  Click here for more information and to find out how you can help.

July 1, 2009- AAA Certification of Results

June 30, 2009- The American Arbitration Association has released the results of the ratification. The Tentative Agreement has been ratified in all 4 bargaining units. The statewide vote count as released by AAA is as follows:

April 17, 2009- Check out the video of the April 7 State Worker Pickets. Thanks to all who took the time to stand up for their rights and the rights of all stateworkers!

March 30, 2009- Press Coverage of Toms River Picket can be found here and a photo gallery from the press can be found here.

January 11, 2009- Check out the new "Political Action" section on our website to get the scoop on who your representatives are!

CWA Local 1037 represents more than 10,000 workers at over 400 worksites in both the public and private sector in NJ. We represent public workers employed by the State in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties as well as the NJ Water Supply Authority, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Passaic County Board of Social Services, and Somerset County Mental Health.
We also represent in-home child care providers, community care residential providers and workers at direct care and other non-profit organizations across the state, such as Bergen’s Promise, Essex County ARC, Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP), and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

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