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News
CWA Local 4502 Contract Negotiations Update for May 11, 2011
A special Thank you goes out to all of you who have patiently been waiting for an update on the current contract negotiations. The Local continues to grow in strength, representation success and member benefit. Because we are now being noticed and respected in the Political and Union arena - the expectations placed upon us have only increased! We have never been more in need of volunteers to help make a difference and be a part of something bigger than ourselves. The progress we are making is raising a few eyebrows, as it should!
Local 4502 is mobilizing within the City to garner signatures for the SB5 referendum vote; actively bargaining with the City on our new contract; attending an increased amount of representation issues on behalf of our members and spearheading a major push to move most of the chronic, improper disciplinary decisions given at the 2nd step to arbitration. In that arena - I am happy to tell you that it is starting to produce positive results for our bargaining unit. Without compare, we have brought more "issues" to arbitration and been awarded more decisions than at ANY OTHER time in our history! Our legal staff have produced a 70% "win" rate and is far above average. This is a testament to their skill and belief in Labor...but it also indicates a very imbalanced City process. One that needs attention.
In regards to the current negotiations, we have worked 5 days a week on this critical task since March 30th. 3 days each week are spent at the table, and two days in team retreat. The retreats focus on analyzing data, creating cost saving ideas for Columbus leaders( that also benefit our members) and drafting counter proposals when "good" ideas are not embraced. Many hours have been spent formulating positive and progressive strategies that make sense, and have solid basis in fact.
Local 4502 negotiating team members felt we were very close to agreement on the major pieces of our contract last week - but learned last Friday that there is still work to do. The challenges facing us in bargaining can be credited to Ohio's current environment of political and legislative upheaval. Many public employers find themselves between public misinformation/perception created by media and other sources... and the knowledge of how important a role collective bargaining plays in the overall efficiency and financial stability of local and state government. The issues gathered from you either by survey or at town hall meetings have been a top priority for the Local and we have pursued them in a professional and credible manner.
We meet with the City again on May 18th. Local 4502 was told last Friday (MAY 6th) that the City team would not be able to meet with our bargaining unit the entire week of May 9-13, 2011. Your committee has been diligent and has never cancelled a day during this process. We will continue to be proactive and secure a timely agreement. When we reconvene on the 18th, we will move this process forward.
I promised all of you....prior to this negotiation - that a repeat of last contracts lengthy debacle would never happen again. To that end, your team stands resolute in determining what our next steps will be.
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