OSA Newsline -- March 25, 2019

We had meetings last week with the City over many things: the alternate work schedule, the potential transfer of ten of our members from the Administration for Children’s Services to the Department of Education, and even the need for our non-competitive members to be allowed to take competitive exams for even greater protection. We did not, however, have any meetings on contract negotiations.

Please, do not despair. The City fooled us and did give us a date. after all. We will meet again on Monday, April 1st, April Fools Day. Oh, good. Hopefully, things are speeding up just a little bit. We would like to conclude our negotiations before the summer comes.

This week, there are more meetings as well. We do have our first chance to meet with our newly unionized Health Services Managers. This Monday, at the Gotham building out in Queens, we will be meeting with over a hundred of our newly covered members.

Then, later this week, on Thursday, we will have our general membership meeting at 220 East 23rd Street, 7th Floor. The meeting starts at 6pm sharp and should end by around 7pm. Thereafter, we will provide a bite to eat before resuming with our Activists Classroom Training for all those looking to take on a more active role with their union.See you at the meeting.

Finally, we've posted photos from our December 2018 Holiday Party on the OSA Photo Gallery section of this website. Take a look. You might even see yourself and your coworkers.

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

AUDIO March 25, 2019

OSA Newsline -- March 18, 2019

Two items of interest occurred last week. First, we ended our negotiations with our life insurance carrier. After examining multiple bids from many brokers, we are keeping our current carrier at a lower cost to the union. Thanks are due to our Welfare Fund Trustees and Staff.

Second, a bill is floating around Albany that will provide New York State with single payer health care. The problem with the bill is that we will be replacing our current excellent and free health benefits with less excellent and definitely expensive benefits.

Instead of paying nothing in premiums for GHI or HIP, we will be paying hugely in increased taxes for worse benefits.

There were serious negotiations between the Municipal Labor Committee and the sponsors of the legislation. Finally, we were unable to persuade them to stop using our members to subsidize their wonderful idea.

After a vote by the MLC Steering Committee, we are now objecting officially, by letter, on behalf of our members. Sometimes, fiscal conservatives try to rob civil servants. Think of the Citizens Budget Commission. Other times, fiscal liberals try to rob us as well. We do not like being robbed at all, no matter who is doing it.

We fought for our benefits. We gave up raises to keep our benefits. We earned our benefits. Really, we paid for our benefits. Leave them alone, they are ours.

And speaking of those benefits, there will be a special health benefit transfer period from April 1-April 30.

If you want to change health plans, add or drop optional riders, add or drop dependents, this is your chance, so long as you are an active service employee. Retirees are not allowed to change plans during this April reopener.

The City is doing this special reopener due to ongoing changes in various health plans that are available. The changes made during the reopener will be effective July 1, 2019.

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

AUDIO March 18, 2019

OSA Newsline -- March 11, 2019

Last Friday’s negotiations went well. The City, as expected, gave us costing numbers for each of our financial demands.

Our union, along with most unions, starts off asking for the sky, the moon and the clouds, and everything else in it. Under Bloomberg, the City would respond by explaining that Mayor Mike was stone broke and needed us to give him money. At present, this level of silliness is skipped over and the City responds to our demands by insisting that there is money for us, but it must remain within the fiscal pattern already set.

Last contract, we did challenge that, with some success, but on this occasion, we expect to conform to the pattern.

Therefore, costing out our demands versus what is known to be available is helpful. For example, adding $2,000 across-the-board for the 10 year longevity would cost us a little more than one percent of the entire pay package.

So, then, adding $200 would cost us one tenth of one percent. This is of interest because the pattern does include about five tenths of one percent for all other purposes, including welfare fund, assignment differentials and, also, longevity differentials.

There is also the possibility of extending the contract, as DC37 did last time and again for this contract period, as well. OSA refused the extension last time, since we felt the value offered for the extension was too low.

The rate is higher this year, so if we do choose to extend the contract, we will get a bit more for it.

Our bargaining team was able to respond quickly and we suggested that the next session be this week. The City declined our offer and promised to get back to us, as soon as possible.

More news. Our multi-year effort to offer union protections to Health Services Managers has finally ended in success.

On March 29th, about 200 Health Services Managers will gain the right to due process, paid overtime and the right to grieve mistreatment.

OSA representatives will be meeting with the newly represented HSM’s before the date of the changeover. Many thanks to the team that accomplished this victory.

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

AUDIO March 11, 2019

OSA Newsline -- March 4, 2019

Last week, we met with representatives of the Campaign Finance Board on the issue of the Alternative Work Schedule. The meeting went well.

At the CFB, the plan is to start with a nine day biweekly schedule. For the sake of simplicity, the day off for all of those CFB Analysts who opt in will be Friday. Half will be off on the first Friday of a two week period and the other half on the second Friday.

We, as always, prefer the option of a four day week, but the CFB proposal has an improvement over the prior HRA pilot project. HRA had initially ended flex time for participants in the project, but the Campaign Finance Board plans to offer flex time, along with the nine day biweekly plan.

Actually, we are hoping that phase two of the HRA pilot project will also continue flex hours when it renews itself this April.

The negotiating committee will be meeting this coming Friday and next week’s newsline will report on any movement in each side’s positions.

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

AUDIO March 4, 2019