Category Archives: contract

CWA Members Overwhelmingly Vote to Ratify NJ State Worker Contract

Posted on by

After more than a year of preparation, mobilization, and tough bargaining with the State of New Jersey, our 35,000 members voted to ratify our 2023-2027 Executive Branch contract by 94.01% to 5.99%.

Administrative-Clerical Unit

Yes – 96.21%
No – 3.79%

Professional Unit

Yes – 93.97%
No – 6.03%

Primary Level Supervisors Unit

Yes – 92.77%
No – 7.23%

Higher Level Supervisors

Yes – 92.60%
No – 7.4%

Total

Yes – 94.01%
No – 5.99%

This was an unprecedented effort by our bargaining committee, Local and District leaderships, shop stewards, mobilizers, and most of all, our membership. Workers up and down the state came together to fight for a fair contract that recognizes our members’ hard work keeping New Jersey going strong. The result is a historic contract with significant gains that delivered on our goals and sets a foundation for continued work in several areas.

When we fight together, we win!

In Solidarity,

Dennis Trainor, District 1 Vice President
William Gallagher, District 1 Assistant to the VP
Fran Ehret, NJ Area Director
John Rose, Local 1031
Migdalia Santiago, Local 1032
Gaye Palmer, Local 1033
Adam Liebtag, Local 1036
Ken McNamara, Local 1037
Shawn Ludwig, Local 1038
Michele Long-Vickers, Local 1040

We could not achieve this success without the support of all of our members. If you aren’t a member and want to become one, please see your branch president or shop steward for a membership card, or download one at www.cwa1031.org/join

 

State Worker Contract Elections – VOTE NOW!

Posted on by

State Worker Contract Voting Continues Until Monday at Noon!

  • Be sure to check your SPAM Folder or Junk Mail Folder for your ballot, search for “Election Buddy”
  • Email contains a unique link for you to vote, do not share it with anyone else
  • Check here for details of the contract proposal, including four 3.5% COLA increases and an 11th Step for all CWA state workers

CWA-State of NJ 2023-2027 Tentative Contract Information

Posted on by

As we announced on September 28th, CWA has come to a tentative agreement with the State of New Jersey on a new contract, running from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2027.

Attached are some more documents that will help you to understand the terms of this proposed agreement.

All dues-paying CWA members will be given the opportunity to vote on this contract in the coming weeks. To make sure you don’t miss out on any information and get the opportunity to vote on this agreement, become a member today by speaking with your worksite branch president, shop steward, or by filling out a membership card online at https://www.cwa1031.org/join

CWA and State of New Jersey Reach Tentative Contract

Posted on by

CWA is extremely proud to announce that it has reached a tentative agreement with the State of New Jersey for a new contract covering our 35,000 members in the executive branch. We are finalizing the terms in writing and will provide details directly to our membership in the coming days.

To be clear, any success and power CWA has at the bargaining table is based on membership solidarity, patience, and strength. When we fight, we win. Together, we fought for a pattern-breaking contract and this tentative agreement has significant gains for members in every part of CWA’s membership.

Since February, our membership has been unified in its goal of winning significant salary growth, protecting healthcare, and recognizing telework as a new reality in many of our worksites. This tentative agreement delivers strongly on those goals and sets a foundation for continued work in several areas.

Compensation Package

  • Wins the largest across-the-board package over the life of the contract since our 2007-2011 contract, with members receiving raises averaging between 19% and 35%
  • Provides across-the-boards of 14%, exclusive of annual step increases which average an additional 3.7% per year. The first ATB is retroactive to July 1, 2023.
  • Adds Step 11 to top of all pay ranges, effective July 2025
  • Adjusts all titles below range 9 to at least Range 9-step 2, establishing a new minimum salary for all CWA-represented positions, effective July 2024
  • Secures Clothing Maintenance Allowance payments for the life of the contract, retroactive for 2023

Health Benefits

  • Secures our current plan design and contribution increases – secured our current contribution rates for CWA Unity Direct
  • Continues negotiations on plan design issues such as copays through the State Plan Design Committee, and all affected unions

Telework

  • Establishes process for continued negotiations on telework program to start October 15, 2023 and end by March 15, 2024 before the Civil Service Commission considers a permanent rule
  • Provides a process to address exclusions of members in the departments of Children and Families and Law and Public Safety

Our tentative agreement also secures improved health and safety procedures, agreements to reduce and convert temporary positions into full-time bargaining unit positions, changes to Civil Service issues like out-of-title work appeals and supervisory position requirements, and continued negotiations to place Rowan SOM members in the state ranges and steps.

We look forward to sharing full details by early next week once the parties have signed off on the final documents, which is in progress.

Your Local leadership will distribute the Tentative Agreement materials and schedule membership meetings to explain the agreement and ratification procedures.

 

IN SOLIDARITY

Dennis Trainor, District 1 Vice President
William Gallagher, District 1 Assistant to the VP

Fran Ehret, NJ Area Director

John Rose, Local 1031
Migdalia Santiago, Local 1032
Gaye Palmer, Local 1033
Adam Liebtag, Local 1036
Ken McNamara, Local 1037
Shawn Ludwig, Local 1038
Michele Long-Vickers, Local 1040

 

State Workers Contract Bargaining Update – 6/27/2023

Posted on by

NJ STATE EXECUTIVE BRANCH BARGAINING UPDATE

June 26, 2023

One day longer, One day stronger

Our CWA Bargaining Team has continued to meet with the State to try to reach a tentative agreement before our current contract expiration of June 30th. CWA has met with the State for 20 sessions, including several sessions throughout late May and early June.

As we know, our current contract remains in full force if we do not have a new ratified agreement before that date, but our goal has been to reach settlement by that date if possible.

We are writing to say we will need more time to get to a complete package that our Bargaining Team would recommend to members. From day one, CWA committed that we are not done with bargaining until we address every issue which members indicated is a priority in the best way possible. We are not there yet. We know that we can do better than what the State is offering, and we will continue negotiating until we have a contract that adequately addresses the needs of our members.

CWA made large and comprehensive demands over wages, telework, and other important issues. We took strong positions, and we are sticking to them. Our members set clear priorities for this contract: significant wage growth that breaks away from the patterns of the past eight years, protect the telework program and ensure that the program is equitable and enforceable, and protect against unaffordable and rapid healthcare increases. We are also trying to improve on prior contract language in areas like layoffs and privatization that protect us in the future.  In addition, we are looking to ensure that promotional opportunities are available to our members and are not handed out to political appointees, bypassing civil service procedures.

Here is the status of the highest priority issues:

  • Salary and Wages: We have made progress on modernizing the step system and creating growth, but we are looking to make more progress. Across the board increases are also still a sticking point. CWA made strong demands in these areas, and we have more work to do to reach a final salary package.
  • Healthcare: We have made progress to protect the Unity PPO plan and contain costs. Our current contract contains a process to reopen negotiations if future premiums increase by a certain amount. This type of reopener clause remains under discussion for our next contract. Again, healthcare is part of a final package, so our work isn’t finished on these issues.
  • Telework and Civil Service Issues: We must secure a process to deal with telework during the period that civil service regulations are created for a permanent program. We also must secure a quick and fair process to deal with disputes that arise on an ongoing basis. The State wants to retain as much control over telework as possible, so we are in intense discussions over how to resolve our issues as part of a final contract.

CWA Strong! Member mobilization has strengthened negotiations this far. We still have more work to do. 

As a recap, here is the timeline of negotiations so far:

  • Fall 2022 – Commenced bargaining preparation, which included surveying members on your priorities for these negotiations.
  • February 16 – First bargaining session.
  • March through April – Solidarity Days every Thursday to support negotiations.
  • April 26 – “Fair Contract” Petition with 10,000 signatures delivered to Governor’s Office by over 300 CWA members.
  • May – Solidarity Days continue.
  • May 31 – Worksite Picketing at over a dozen locations with thousands of CWA members.
  • 20 sessions with the State so far… and counting.

CWA members know that contract negotiations go as long as it takes to reach a quality final package. We know our members are eager to know more details, so please stay in touch with your Local for membership meeting dates and communications.

The CWA Bargaining Team cannot win the contract we need without your support. If we are unable to make sufficient progress at the bargaining table, we will be asking for your help in demonstrating to the State that we are united behind our demands for a fair contract.

IN SOLIDARITY!
CWA Bargaining Committee

Bargaining Update (PDF)