Campaign for Obama in Ohio--Without Leaving New York!

You can campaign for Obama in Ohio without leaving New York! UAW Region 9A and AFSCME DC 1707 phone banks are making calls to union members and retirees from many different unions in Ohio as part of the Labor 2012 get-out-the-vote efforts across the nation.

NYC Phone Banks for Obama are being run out of the UAW Region 9A Sub Regional Office, located at 256 West 38th Street in Manhattan, 12th Floor, (between 7th and 8th Aves). You can see the schedule and sign up to volunteer on the New York City Central Labor Council website.

Family and friends are welcome!

NYU Law Trustee Locks Out Nursing Home Workers

For 66 days, workers of the HealthBridge nursing homes in Connecticut have been on strike. The issues are what you would expect: the employer trying to cut benefits, significantly raise health insurance costs and offering miniscule raises that don't cover the cost of living, let alone the increased cost of benefits.

Here's where it gets really interesting. The owner of HealthBridge is a man named Daniel Straus, a trustee of NYU Law School who has funded the Straus Institute for the Advanced Study of Law and Justice! You can read more about it here:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/169413/nyu-law-trustee-funds-justice-institute-locks-out-workers

To call attention to their plight, striking HealthBridge workers will be having a "Rally for Justice" outside the Institute on September 11 from 12:00-2:00, as the Institute holds a welcome reception for this year's fellows and scholars. Please support the HealthBridge workers by spending some of your lunch hour at the rally.

When: Tuesday, September 11, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: 22 Washington Square North

Rally against student debt TODAY

UCATS has endorsed 1 T Day, an event to raise awareness about the staggering levels of student debt in this country. From their website:

On April 25th, the total amount of student loan debt in the U.S. is due to top 1 trillion dollars. This marks a momentous victory for Wall Street—much to the despair of student loan debtors across the country. On this date, the profiteers on Wall Street will be popping champagne bottles, eating caviar, and sneering at the debt-burdened students and graduates who lug around this 1 trillion dollar ball and chain.

Occupy Student Debt Campaign is hosting a party of its own. Throughout the country we will be taking direct action to raise awareness about this crisis as part of a new movement to make education a right.

...[J]oin us at 4PM in Union Square, where Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir will preside over a debt jubilee - an emancipatory student loan debt write-off for all! ... Then, let's march to Wall Street banks and watering holes to spread the news about student debt and drink up the joys of our new-found freedom.

You can find more info at the 1 T Day website.

1 T DAY RALLY
TODAY
Wednesday, April 25
UNION SQUARE
4:00 PM start, march to follow

Rally Against NYU 2031 this Friday

We received late word about a rally this Friday, April 20, in opposition to NYU's 2031 expansion plan.

The march begins at 4:00 at the dog run at the corner of Houston &
Mercer Streets, winds through the Village, and ends at Garibaldi Plaza, just
east of the fountain in Washington Square Park. Since this event starts during the work day, we encourage you to join the rally at Garibaldi Plaza once your shift is over.

You can view a flier for this event here.

RALLY AGAINST NYU 2031
Friday, April 20
4:00 start
Washington Square Park, Garibaldi Plaza

Schedule for first year wage increases

The implementation schedule for the 1% wage increase in the first year of the new contract is as follows:

· March 9: 1% increase to salary in paycheck for all bargaining unit members with the exception of 34 employees that have special compensation issues (i.e., promotions, leaves of absences, longevity increases, etc.)

· April 6: 1% increase to salary in paycheck for the 34 exceptions

· April 19: Retroactive payments of the 1% increase effective 9/4/2011

Those members who are among the 34 exceptions have been notified by NYU.

UCATS Membership Meeting March 13

UCATS Membership Meeting
When: Tuesday, March 13, 5:30 pm
Where: Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, Rm. 216

We are meeting primarily to elect our delegates to the 2012 American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Convention. This event is where elected delegates from affiliated union locals set the agenda of our national federation.

This year, the convention will be held in Detroit, MI from July 27-30 (Thursday-Monday). All UCATS members are entitled to run for a delegate position and to make nominations of other members to be delegates. UCATS is allotted a total of 12 delegates.

The election will be conducted by secret ballot at the meeting. If you have questions about being a delegate, please contact UCATS president Stephen Rechner at ucatspres3882@hotmail.com.

UCATS Contract Ratified!

We are pleased to report that our contract has been ratified by a vote of 454 to 102.

Thanks to all of you who voted, attended meetings, marched in rallies, spoke out, signed letters and petitions, and shared your thoughts and ideas throughout this process.

Voting Deadline Extended

The deadline for receiving contract ballots has been extended to February 17. We learned just last week that NYU failed to include some of our members in the database they provided to us and from which we generated labels for the ballot mailing. Ballots were sent to those members by overnight mail last Thursday. We also decided to extend the ballot deadline for all of our members.

All ballots received by February 17 will be counted.

Contract ballots in the mail

The contract ratification election is underway and a ballot has been mailed to your home. The ballot will come from the American Arbitration Association (see image above). Follow the enclosed instructions to mark your vote and return it as soon as possible. Your ballot must be received by February 13 to be counted.

If you have not received a ballot by Monday, January 30, call the American Arbitration Association at 1-800-529-5218 to request one.

The tentative agreement only becomes the contract if a majority of members who vote, vote FOR ratification. The UCATS Executive Council recommends that you vote in favor of ratification. A summary of the agreement is included with the ballot. For more information, go to our website, ucats3882.org.

Remember: If you don't vote, you are letting someone else decide for you.

Contract Ratification Vote

The contract ratification election is underway! A ballot will be mailed to your home. Keep an eye on your mailbox, and keep checking this blog over the next few days for further details.

General Membership Meeting - Contract Tentative Agreement

The tentative agreement we reached with NYU on December 8 will be presented to the membership at a meeting on Thursday, January 12, at 5:30 pm. We have reserved the Eisner & Lubin Auditorium on the 4th Floor of the Kimmel Student Center for this meeting. The floor will be open for questions and comments. The tentative agreement only becomes the contract if a majority of members who vote in the ratification election vote to accept the agreement. Ballots will be mailed the week of January 16.

There will be additional area meetings as follows:

Thursday, January 12
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
NYU Dental Center, Room 612

Wednesday, January 18
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Furman Hall, 245 Sullivan St., Rm. C10

Wednesday, January 18
6:00 PM
7 East 12th Street, Rm. LL-23