Good news and bad news this week. Bad news first.

New York City Health+Hospitals has notified us that they will be two weeks late on the raises due for this year. That has happened before.

In fact, the old standby union warning applies here as always. Do not, please do not, spend it until you get it. It may come two weeks late or it may not. Come it will, eventually. All raises do, and with retroactivity for back pay as well.

Still, we always prefer raises to come on time. For now, we are told they are only two weeks late, so let’s hope.

The good news is that on Friday, the second negotiating meeting was held between MaBSTOA and the unions seeking to represent 538 employees in Analyst-type positions.

Management and labor did not conclude a final agreement but we did come close. We are awaiting the response from management, due before the end of the month.

If all goes well, this is good news. The long-awaited election comes closer.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO March 27, 2017

We reported in the February 27 Newsline that the last raise in the 2010-17 contract, 3%, was due in your check in March. For most of you, that did indeed occur in the March 10th (city agencies) or March 16th (NYCHA) payrolls. But, we also concluded the message with "As always, keep in mind that unforeseen delays occur, so never spend it until you get it." In the case of our members at NYC Health and Hospitals, that warning was prescient. Although promised for the last payroll in March, H+H informs us they will pay the raise and retroactive money due in the April 7 paycheck.

Last week’s snowstorm was preceded by City instructions to use annual leave to cover time off. Those instructions were somewhat contradicted by the Mayor’s shutting down the elevated subways, and his urging us all to stay home.

In the weeks to come, we will see if there will be a citywide grievance on the matter, but the instructions in advance to use annual leave to cover absence would probably weaken a grievance.

We also have a problem due to the snow. Our mailing house fell behind and the union mail, due to be in your hands by this week, will not arrive in many cases until next week.

Please note, on Thursday, March 30th, our membership meeting will be held at the union office and for those who can’t wait, the mailing is already up on the website.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO March 20, 2017

We will be meeting this week with MaBTOA management and the Transport Workers Union. Last week, there was some progress, but both OSA and TWU believe that more analysts should be allowed to vote in the upcoming collective bargaining election.

On a sad note, a number of non-unionized employees at New York City Health + Hospitals have been laid off. No unionized employees were affected but, obviously, we have sympathy for the ones who were.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO March 13, 2017

Some of our members are being promoted to Administrative Staff Analyst and also are being transferred out of our union into a managerial/confidential status. Their duties don’t change, but their rights do. If this happens to you, call Sheila Gorsky at the union office.

Other news. OSA took on a new challenge last week. We have filed to represent the Assistant/Associate Directors of Nursing of New York City Health + Hospitals. We had actually urged the New York State Nurses Association to do this about two years ago.

Interestingly, no sooner had we filed than NYSNA intervened claiming as their members any employees doing nursing work. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. NYSNA seems to believe these employees will either be managerial or nurses, but there is obviously a third possibility – employees holding nurses' credentials but doing non-managerial work other than nursing.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO March 6, 2017