UCATS and NYU Reach Tentative Agreement

Late last night, the UCATS bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with NYU. It is important to note that there are still details to iron out before the proposed agreement is presented to the UCATS Executive Council.

Under the by-laws governing the Local, the Executive Council must review, evaluate and finally vote on whether or not to present the proposal to the membership for ratification. If the Council decides to present the proposal to the membership, the proposed contract will be distributed during a General Membership Meeting early in January. The purpose of the meeting will be to review the proposed contract and answer questions about it.

Following the General Membership Meeting, a ratification vote will take place by mail, supervised and conducted by the American Arbitration Association. We believe this will take place later in January.

Bargaining update

We went back to the bargaining table with NYU last night, and have scheduled an additional bargaining meeting for next Thursday, December 8.

We are hosting a town hall meeting for all UCATS members on Wednesday, December 7 at 5:30 PM in Vanderbilt Hall, Room 210. One of the purposes of the meeting is to update everyone on the status of contract negotiations.

We are up to 420 hard-copy signatures on our petition for a fair contract, and the online version is doing even better, with over 700 signatures as of this morning.

Have you signed the petition yet? If not, please do it now.


http://signon.org/sign/support-union-workers?source=c.em.mt&r_by=1550400

Please feel free to share the petition on your Facebook page or other social media outlet of choice!

Back to Bargaining

We are returning to the bargaining table with NYU on Thursday, December 1.

There will be a membership meeting on Wednesday, December 7, at 5:30 p.m., in Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, Room 210.

In addition to discussing the status of contract bargaining at the meeting, we will also be electing our delegates to the 2012 NYSUT Representative Assembly (RA). This event is where elected delegates from affiliated union locals set the agenda of our state federation. This year the NYSUT RA will be held in Buffalo, NY from April 26-28, 2012. All UCATS members are entitled to run for a delegate position and/or to nominate other UCATS members to be delegates. UCATS is allotted 14 delegates. The election will be conducted by secret ballot at the meeting. If you have specific questions about being a delegate contact Stephen Rechner at ucatspres3882@hotmail.com.


UCATS TOWN HALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Wednesday, December 7
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
40 Washington Square South
Vanderbilt Hall, Room 210

UCATS online petition

The Union of Clerical, Administrative and Technical Staff (UCATS) represents 1,400 employees at New York University. We have been in contract negotiations with NYU since September 14, 2011. After nine bargaining sessions, NYU put just one proposal on the table - to restrict UCATS members to the greivance and arbitration procedures in cases of discrimination - thus denying us access to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Then, on October 26, the university presented their proposals on wages and health insurance givebacks that amount to six years of pay cuts for our members.

NYU had a $114 MILLION profit in the last fiscal year. They have not said that they cannot afford to pay living wages or provide affordable health insurance. They have said that they no longer want to.

The proposals UCATS has made at the bargaining table are modest and universal: living wages, affordable health insurance and respectful working conditions. Please sign our petition to support the 1,400 UCATS workers at NYU.

Our petition to New York University states:

"We the undersigned demand:
1. A fair contract for UCATS with living wages for the NYC metro area;
2. That NYU preserve affordable health insurance for ALL NYU employees;
3. That the UCATS bargaining team be treated with respect at the bargaining table."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://signon.org/sign/support-union-workers?source=c.em.mt&r_by=1550400

Please share our petition with coworkers, students, faculty, and supporters.
Thanks!

In Solidarity,
Stephen Rechner

Video of November 17 Rally

We have some great video from The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street rally on Thursday, November 17. UCATS President Stephen Rechner got on the people's mic and shared our story with the crowd. We also have a member's reaction to management's walkouts at our November 16 bargaining session.

The rally was an energizing and fun event, with a good turnout of students, faculty, and staff in spite of cold, rainy weather. Special thanks go out to GSOC and NYU4OWS for reaching out to us in the spirit of solidarity.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Chump Change Day

From Chump Change Day - Nov. 16

In spite of the nasty weather last night, we had a great turnout for Chump Change Day. It drove management crazy, and prompted them to walk out of the bargaining session for the SECOND time that day. They also cancelled our only remaining bargaining session, originally planned for today (Thursday, November 17).

It looks like this is going to be a long, hard battle. NYU barely moved off of their earlier proposals, which were unaffordable for our members, and they don't seem interested in bargaining with us.

Keep the pressure on! Come to "The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street" rally outside of Stern today at 1:30 PM and join other workers and students in a show of unity.

"The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street" Rally
Thursday, November 17
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
44 West 4th Street

UCATS is on Twitter!

UCATS is now on Twitter! You can find us at http://twitter.com/ucats3882, or follow @UCATS3882.

UCATS actions this week

We have a busy week ahead, with some exciting opportunities for member action.

Save Affordable Health Care Rally!
Wednesday, November 16
5:30 pm
7 East 12th Street
All NYU employees deserve affordable health care.
NYU's current proposal is unacceptable and unwarranted in light of their $114 Million Dollar profit last year.
Keep the pressure on!

"The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street" Rally
Thursday, November 17
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
44 West 4th Street
Hear from students and workers about how the connection between the decision makers at NYU and their connection to Wall Street has affected us. This action "The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street" will highlight how NYU's corporate model places value on profits from Wall Street over students, working conditions, and labor relations. GSOC is one of the co-organizers of this event; GSOC members have been and will continue to be at our rallies, so we should get out and support them!

Pride and Solidarity in Action Annual Conference

LGBT UCATS Members and Supporters:
New York City Committee of Pride in Our Union
and the Empire State Pride Agenda
are pleased to present:

Pride and Solidarity in Action Annual Conference

Panels and break-out discussions, professional and social networking, and sharing of ideas and sustenance.

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Center for Worker Education, The Joseph S. Murphy Institute
CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street (between 5th & 6th Aves.), 19th floor, New York, NY 10036

For more information, please download the official flyer

News from Monday's membership meeting

From Membership Meeting November 7

Monday night's general membership meeting was a full house, with good discussions about strategy, actions, and the state of bargaining. One topic that several members brought up and were quite passionate about: reaching members through social media. The UCATS leadership team will be discussing these options at our council meeting on Tuesday.

Member Meet-Up this Friday

After this Monday's general membership meeting, several UCATS members expressed an interest in getting together socially to exchange ideas and get to know each other better. They will be getting together this Friday after work, at their own expense. We are posting this on our blog in case you would like to join them.

Here are the details:

Friday, November 11
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
West 3rd Common
1 West 3rd St. (btw. Broadway and Mercer)
http://west3rdcommon.com/best-happy-hour-nyc.html

Wear your UCATS button so your fellow members can recognize you!

GSOC-UAW and NYU4OWS rally Nov. 17

We received word from GSOC-UAW about this exciting event on campus next Thursday, November 17. If you can go on your lunch break, we encourage you to attend. UCATS will be there!

Join the Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC-UAW), NYU4OWS, undergraduates and other campus Unions on Thursday, November 17th at 1:30 PM at 44 West 4th Street. We will gather at the footsteps of the John Paulson Auditorium. Paulson donated $20 million dollars from over $4 billion in profits that he made from the 2008 financial crisis. There we will hear from students and workers about how the connection between the decision makers at NYU and their roles on Wall Street has affected us.

This action "The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street" will highlight how NYU's corporate model places value on profits from Wall Street over students' and workers' education, working conditions, and interests. The goal is to bring the campus together in solidarity on our collective issues that have been caused by NYU's corporate structure and to galvanize the NYU community.

You can see their Facebook event page here:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/clyxv6p

The 99% Reclaim NYU from Wall Street
Thursday, November 17
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
44 West 4th Street

UCATS Rally to Save Health Insurance

NYU has made a health insurance proposal that could cost you thousands of dollars, and they have proposed wage increases over the next six years that are so paltry, at the end of the contract, your paycheck could be smaller than it is today.

Join your coworkers and our allies for the UCATS Rally to Save Health Insurance on Wednesday, November 16, from 5:15 PM to 7:00 PM.

UCATS RALLY TO SAVE HEALTH INSURANCE
Wednesday, November 16
5:15 PM - 7:00 PM
7 East 12th Street

General Membership Meeting TONIGHT

Greetings,

The union contract between UCATS and NYU expired on October 31.

NYU has proposed a six-year contract with increases to health insurance costs that far outstrip the wage increases they have offered. In fact, they have proposed no raise at all for 2011!

Please join us tonight at 5:30 pm in Kimmel Student Center, Room 808, for an overview of where we stand and what we can do.

Best,
Stephen Rechner
UCATS President

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
TONIGHT
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South
Room 808

Video of Tuesday night's UCATS rally

In case you missed Tuesday's rally, or just want to relive the experience, here is the video!



Our guest speaker was Dr. Loretta Johnson, Secretary Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, our national affiliate.

We were also joined by supporters from our state affiliate, New York State United Teachers; members of the Professional Staff Congress (CUNY); members of the Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC); and members of 1199SEIU from the Cardozo School of Law.

What moves NYU? You do.

At the bargaining table Tuesday, there was posturing by NYU that they might be willing to make some minor improvements to the proposals that our members found the most objectionable. And the reason NYU was willing to move at all on these issues? In their own words, it was hearing from all of you at last Thursday's meeting that made the difference.

How much they are willing to move remains to be seen, and we still have more bargaining to do, but we thought you should know that your actions and words are having a real impact.

We also wanted to let you know that NYU agreed to extend the terms of our current contract--which expired on Monday--while we continue to negotiate.

Come to the general membership meeting on Monday, November 7 to find out what you can do to support your bargaining team at this crucial time.

UCATS GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Monday, November 7
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South
Room 808

English Department resolution in support of UCATS

We just received word of this resolution, passed by NYU's English Department in support of UCATS:

RESOLVED

We understand that in current contract negotiations NYU is proposing that our colleagues in Local 3882 of the Union of Clerical and Technical Staff waive or curtail their constitutional rights to appeal to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in instances of workplace discrimination. There is no such requirement in comparable union contracts, such as the Union@Cooper Union contract or the New York City contract with the United Federation of Teachers. We are dismayed at the chilling effect such a contractual provision for sole and exclusive arbitration would have on our colleagues’ ability to seek redress if they are discriminated against by reason of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability. Therefore, the faculty of the Department of English urges NYU to drop this proposal and to seek a contract that respects without restriction the legal rights of all employees.

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

This picture is worth a thousand words.

We received this excellent drawing from one of our UCATS members. We thought it summed things up pretty nicely.



If you're tired of being stepped on, come out to our rally tonight!

UCATS Rally
Tuesday, November 1
5:15 pm (or as soon as you get off work)
7 East 12th Street
Bring colleagues, family and friends.
Bring signs.
Make NOISE!!!

Will YOU be at the UCATS Rally tonight?

Greetings All,

Tuesday's rally is shaping up to be our biggest rally yet. You don't want to miss it. We have learned that we will be joined by members of our state affiliate, New York State United Teachers, members of the Professional Staff Congress (CUNY), members of the Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC), AND the Secretary Treasurer of our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, Loretta Johnson.

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate; now the only question is, will you be there?

UCATS Rally
Tuesday, November 1
5:15 pm - or as soon as you get off work!
7 East 12th Street
Bring colleagues, family and friends.
Bring signs.
Make NOISE!!!

Best,
Stephen Rechner
President, UCATS

Photos of Angela Davis and UCATS @ Occupy Washington Square Park

After the unseasonable cold and snow on Saturday, the weather was positively pleasant on Sunday for Angela Davis's speech at Occupy Washington Square Park. Ms. Davis spoke movingly about the need for positive change and collective action.

Members of your UCATS bargaining team were there to leaflet the crowd and spread the word about our big rally Tuesday evening.





UCATS shop steward and bargaining team member Chris Crowe got up in front of the Occupy Washington Square Park general assembly and delivered the following speech:

Greetings! My name is Christopher Crowe. I’m a proud member of UCATS Local 3882,
which represents the 99% at NYU.

Our contract expires TOMORROW. We’ve been negotiating with NYU for six weeks. Their proposal – paltry raises. Huge givebacks on healthcare. And the elimination of our right to sue for
discrimination.

We’ve brought our membership out and they’ve been GREAT. But now we appeal to all of you for help.

We’re rallying Tuesday, November 1st at 7 East 12th Street at 5:15 and you are all invited.

NYU is one of the largest employers in the most important city in the country. What it does matters, not just to its workers but to ALL workers. Your fight is ours. Our fight is yours.

Angela Davis on Sunday, Rally on Tuesday

Civil rights activist, scholar, and author Angela Davis will speak in Washington Square Park on Sunday, October 30, at 5:00 PM. Members of your bargaining team will be out leafleting the crowd and spreading the word about our next rally. It needs to be our biggest contract bargaining rally yet. Join your fellow members this Tuesday, November 1, after work.

If you're in the city on Sunday and would like to help leaflet, we will be meeting in front of the arch in Washington Square Park at 4:00 pm.

Otherwise, our contract bargaining rally is:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1
5:15 PM to 7:30 PM
7 East 12th Street
Rain or shine
Bring signs, make noise!

Photos from Thursday Night

We thought our members would enjoy seeing these pictures from Thursday night's bargaining session.

CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?

It was an amazing night at the bargaining session today. Over 100 UCATS members showed up to exercise our power and tell NYU what we think of management's unaffordable health insurance and wage proposals. The messages coming from all of you echoed what the UCATS bargaining team has been saying to NYU's negotiators all along: our members are living on the edge, and these proposed changes would push us right over the cliff.

We hope that NYU will finally get down to the business of negotiating a FAIR contract with us when we meet with them on Friday.

Keep reading the blog for updates and calls to action.

SAVE THE DATE
General Membership Meeting
Monday, November 7
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South
Room 808

BARGAINING UPDATE - NYU makes an offer we can't afford.

Don't take our word for it. Click below and see for yourself.

NYU's HEALTH INSURANCE PROPOSAL

NYU'S WAGE PROPOSAL

Key elements of the health insurance proposal:

• Across the board increases in health insurance premiums
• Steep increases to co-payments that would mean a member using the health insurance benefit could pay more in co-payments than they pay in monthly premiums

Key elements of the wage proposal:

• Pay freeze in the first year
• Small raises starting in 2012 that do not keep pace with the increases in health insurance costs, let alone the rising cost of living in New York

Are you upset? We certainly are. And we are putting out an urgent call to action for all of our members. Thursday is currently our last scheduled bargaining session before our contract expires. If you are unhappy with NYU's proposals, stand up and be counted. Come out Thursday after work for an impromptu DAY OF RAGE. NYU needs to hear from you if we are going to move them away from these unaffordable proposals.

DAY OF RAGE
THURSDAY, OCT. 27
7 EAST 12th STREET
Come after work. Stand up and speak out about NYU's proposals.

BARGAINING UPDATE - Hostage situation at 7 East 12th Street!

Your UCATS bargaining team was held hostage tonight by NYU. We were told that, unless we agreed to some of the proposals they put forward for the first time tonight, they would not present their wage or health insurance proposals.

In addition to denying us those crucial proposals, NYU submitted a proposal to us that would make the grievance and arbitration process the SOLE REMEDY in cases of discrimination.

We told NYU we would not be held hostage, and we need to see their wage and health insurance proposals in order to bargain.

Come join us Wednesday night at 5:30 for the contract rally and put the pressure on NYU to bargain with us! RAIN or SHINE - bring your umbrellas!

UCATS RALLY FOR A FAIR CONTRACT
Wednesday, October 26
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
7 East 12th Street

A message from your union president

Greetings,

We are quickly approaching the expiration of our union contract (October 31, 2011).
We are having a demonstration at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, October 26, in front of 7 East 12th Street where we will be in bargaining, in a street-facing room.

In preparation for the demo, Rob Lesko and I are taking a half day off on Wednesday so that we can leaflet outside of Kimmel where NYU will be having the employee benefits fair. Please stop by and pick up leaflets to bring back to your coworkers.

This is not a dress rehearsal; it is IMPERATIVE that you make this our biggest demo yet so that we can achieve the contract you deserve.

Best,
Stephen Rechner
President, UCATS

Video of Thursday's UCATS March

We have video of yesterday's UCATS March for a Fair Contract!



It was a great event. If you missed it, you still have a chance to show your support for a fair contract. Come out and join your fellow UCATS members for the rally on Wednesday, October 26!

UCATS RALLY FOR A FAIR CONTRACT
Wednesday, October 26
5:30pm – 6:30pm
7 East 12th Street

Tonight we meet! Thursday we MARCH!

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
TONIGHT
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, Room 206
Come get the latest update on the status of bargaining and find out what you need to do to get the contract you deserve.

MARCH ON THE BOSSES
Thursday, October 20
1:15 PM
Meet at the Washington Square Arch and march with us to Bobst Library. We'll be led by a fellow UCATS member on the bagpipes!

What will you do for your contract?

How can you show your support for a contract YOU deserve?

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Gather on Thursday, October 20, by the Washington Square Arch at 1:15 pm for a bagpipe MARCH to Bobst Library.

2. Next Wednesday, October 26, MOBILIZE to distribute leaflets in front of Kimmel from 9:00-1:00, when NYU will be holding the employee benefits fair.

3. Also on Wednesday, October 26, let the NYU bargaining team hear you voice while we negotiate. Gather if front of 7 East 12th St. at 5:30 and MAKE SOME NOISE!




Let NYU know that asking you to pay more for health insurance and stripping you of your EEOC rights is unfair!

Bargaining Update #5

In a stunning move at our October 12 bargaining session, the university asked the UCATS bargaining team to agree to strip the constitutionally guaranteed rights of members to seek relief for discrimination with the EEOC. This suggestion is particularly alarming given the recent EEOC Consent Decree at NYU.

What was no surprise is that the university is proposing that you pay more for your health insurance coverage; how much more, they have not said.

Some good news: In a show of support for the UCATS bargaining team, members assembled in the lobby of 7 E. 12th Street last night to "greet" university negotiators as they left the building.

UCATS GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING REMINDER:

Tuesday, October 18
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, Room 206

Come get the latest update on the status of bargaining and find out what you need to do to get the contract you deserve.

What do you want to tell NYU?

AN OPEN CALL TO UCATS MEMBERS

We have been bringing your stories to the bargaining table, presenting NYU with the realities that you deal with every day. These stories help us support our contract proposals and remind NYU that we represent all of you.

But we can only represent you if we hear from you. If there is something you want to tell NYU, now is your time. Share your story. Support your union. Do your part for a good contract!

If you have a story or comment for us to present to NYU, email it to the union office at ucats@erols.com, fax it to 646-602-9554, or email it to a UCATS shop steward.

Bargaining Update #4

We had two more bargaining sessions with the university on October 5 & 6. We put forward a number of proposals about economic and flexibility issues, and backed them up with your stories about the hardships you face every day. NYU listened to what we had to say but were not encouraging on many issues. 


What we are experiencing at the bargaining table is what unions are facing all across the country: a downward pressure on wages and benefits. But with your support and with your stories, we will continue to push back against NYU.


HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE BARGAINING TEAM?


GET INFORMED.
Come to the general membership meeting on Tuesday, October 18. It will be a dedicated contract bargaining meeting where we will have the latest updates for you. Ask us questions and give us feedback. Find out what you can do to help. This is your union and your contract!


General Membership Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 18
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, Room 206


GET ACTIVE.
Come out in person to show your support! Our next bargaining session is Wednesday, October 12. We would love to see you in the lobby of 7 E. 12th Street when we finish our session. NYU's negotiators will see you too, and that will give them something to think about.


Post-Bargaining Session Action
Date: Wednesday, October 12
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Fairchild Building, 7 East 12th Street, Lobby

Contact your shop steward or the union office for more information.

Bargaining Update #3

The UCATS bargaining team met with the university again on Wednesday, September 27. Dr. Lynne Brown gave us a presentation about NYU's 2031 plan and we questioned her about how the expansion will affect our membership. We also scheduled additional bargaining sessions to give us time to present the issues we want to bring to the table.

The next bargaining sessions:

• Wednesday, October 5
• Thursday, October 6
• Wednesday, October 12
• Thursday, October 13

Going forward, we will update our website (www.ucats3882.org) and you should check it weekly for news and meeting notices. Please encourage members in your area to do so as well.

Bargaining Update #2

The UCATS bargaining team had our second bargaining session with the university on Thursday, September 22. We presented issues related to flexibility and job duties. There was some good discussion between the union bargaining team and the university representatives. We agreed to listen to the university's presentation about their NYU 2031 plan at the next bargaining session on Tuesday, September 27. In exchange, we got the university to agree to meet with us as often as we want in order to settle the new contract before the current one expires on October 31. 

Contract Negotiations Began September 13

The UCATS contract with NYU expires on October 31. We had our first bargaining session with NYU on September 13. After the teams introduced themselves, UCATS President Stephen Rechner made the following opening remarks:

     ...The issues we are bringing to bargaining reflect what we have experienced ourselves since 2005, as leaders, as organizers, and as employees, and what we have heard from our membership. We have gathered this information from our contract survey, from more than a dozen meetings with our membership over the spring and summer and from the grievances and other issues that have come to the Local’s attention over the past six years...

You can read Stephen's full remarks in this contract edition of Momentum Extra.