Under Urging From Other Court Unions, ‘1070’ Pact Rejected By MARK TOOR | Posted: Monday, December 1, 2014 5:15 pm Members of a court union that negotiated contract terms opposed by a coalition of 10 other unions as inadequate rejected the deal last week by 10 votes. The website of District Council 37’s Local 1070 posted on Nov. 26, the day after the vote: “Members voted down the tentative contract agreement today by a razor-thin margin of 10 votes. 390 members voted for the agreement, 400 against.” Key Items Missing Local 1170 President Fausto Sabatino told THE CHIEF-LEADER that “the bargaining committee will get together and analyze the results.” He said the committee would probably need to “restructure” the contract and go back to the bargaining table with the state. A posting on the local’s website conceded that negotiators had been unable to win improvements in salary hikes and increases in location pay, which are key issues for the other unions. The coalition known as the Core Issues Alliance worked hard to persuade 1070’s members to reject the contract offer, passing out fliers, rallying at courthouses and gathering twice in front of DC 37’s lower Manhattan headquarters—once on the day of the vote—with an inflatable rat. The rat, a symbol of union discontent, is usually used in protests against employers. Dennis Quirk, president of the New York State Court Officers Association, one of the unions in the alliance, said it was the first time in the New York area that a rat had been used against another union. “They should be pretty embarrassed,” he said of Local 1070 leaders. The coalition also bused members from outlying courthouses to DC 37 headquarters so they could vote. Mr. Quirk said the requirement that voting be done in person at headquarters was designed to reduce turnout. He said 300 members took advantage of the buses. ‘Join Us in Fight’ He said Local 1070 had declined to join the Core Issues Alliance but would be welcome if its leaders changed their minds. “They should stick together with us and fight as a group,” he said. He had not heard from Mr. Sabatino as of Nov. 26. The Civil Service Employees Association court chapter agreed on a contract in June that included a three-year pay freeze and other provisions to which the coalition objects. The alliance said they were unable to rally in time to oppose the contract at upstate courthouses. Mr. Quirk said the coalition feared that ratification of the Local 1070 contract would set an unacceptable pattern for downstate unions. He speculated that DC 37, which like the CSEA is an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, did not want to get a better contract than the CSEA did. A number of Local 1070 members have expressed dissatisfaction with the local, he said. “We will look into whether to challenge them for representation,” he said.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 22:44:24 +0000
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