Our union leadership met with Bob Linn, NYC Commissioner for Labor Relations last week. This is Commissioner Linn’s second tour as Commissioner of Labor Relations. He last held the job a quarter of a century ago.

On Bob’s last tour, he worked for Ed Koch. Now, that mattered because our organization’s experience with Ed Koch was entirely negative from start to finish. Twenty-five years, however, have passed and that is a long time and our current mayor is Bill de Blasio, so hope does spring fresh in our hearts.

The visit was very positive. Commissioner Linn expressed his hope that management and labor will be able to go forward jointly to make progress together. The leadership of OSA agreed that such has always been our goal.

We had no expectation that money would be discussed, because there are outstanding arbitrations and a need for the process to follow through. Nonetheles, we did bring up the value of both sides of pattern bargaining and retroactive raises.

Other topics of importance to our members were discussed. For example, our need for easy access to hiring and promotional pools, our need for clarity on the rention of levels for our recently unionized Administrative Staff Analysts and other such issues. At the conclusion of the meeting, handshakes were exchanged all round and we parted with hopes high.

A package of information about the Staff Analyst Trainee exam training course was recently mailed to OSA members who the union could identify as eligible to take the exam. A second package of information was sent to non-OSA members who had filled out and sent in the coupon posted on this website expressing interest in taking the exam and training. You can download copies of those packages at the links below:

The big topic during most of February has been the weather. Thanks to our sanitation workers and our transport workers, many of us were able to get to and from work, but it was not easy. Hopefully, spring will arrive soon.

Executive Director Sheila Gorsky has asked us to remind those members who wish to participate in the Staff Analyst Trainee exam training course, that they should return their forms promptly.

That’s all the news from a very snowy week.

Those interested in taking the Staff Analyst Trainee Exam training course should fill out the coupons available on the "Exams, Lists and Training" page of this website.

The Municipal Labor Committee Steering Committee met last week, but it’s followup general membership meeting was cancelled by one of last week’s snow storms.

At the Steering Committee, there were no surprises. We did learn that the city is considering the benefits of offering a long multi-year contract. There are advantages to both the city and to the unions, but there are drawbacks as well.

One argument for a longer contract is the huge number of greatly overdue contracts left over by the former mayor. If, for example, OSA were to sign a two year contract, it would be up before it was negotiated. We are due a new contract as of August of 2010, so even a four year contract would probably be over before it was finally negotiated.

The one recent example has been the Long Island Railroad Police contract. That one covered seven years for a total of 17%, but with significant givebacks.

Right now, we are all awaiting the result of the NYS Nurses Association and United Federation of Teachers’ arbitrations. We expect them to get the 4 and 4 and 0.1 that we got for 2008 through 2010.

Leaving the topic of negotiations, members can now access OSA’s pictures from the holiday party. The photos are available in the OSA Photo Gallery section of this website for December. 2013.

OSA will be closed for Lincoln’s Birthday this Wednesday, so our Retirees’ Club will meet on the 19th. They will have a speaker, on the 19th, on a topical subject - taxes.

Finally, Happy Valentine’s Day this Friday.

Members attending last Thursday’s general membership meeting were offered copies of the Staff Analyst Trainee training course flyer. Most of our members who attend membership meetings are permanent in status, but many of their coworkers are not. Members are being asked to remind their coworkers of the importance of permanent status. This exam can be the entry point for permanent status.

As most of our members are already aware, passing the exam can lead to a provisional analyst being hired off the list and put on leave from their new title to their existing provisional line. In that fashion, a provisional employee can often begin to climb the civil service permanent ladder.

This week, there will be a meeting of the Municipal Labor Committee. These are always interesting meetings. Tomorrow for the first time in over a year, we will not be discussing give backs being demanded by the former mayor, but rather our hopes for fair wage increases from the new mayor. That is more pleasant.