News From OSA - May, 2020

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. There is bitter irony in the fact that we did "hold out" on our prior (2010-2017) contract in order to get more out of it (and we did), yet on our current contract, we were in a hurry to settle and were unable to do so.

On June 10, 2019, the OSA newsline made public the willingness of OSA to drop unresolved demands in order to quickly settle the contract. We had been trying to hurry along the negotiations for months before that and our public statement on the newsline was a rare example of "negotiating in public," but we were very anxious to settle before the slow summer season.

The City, however, was in no hurry at that time, and it took until 2020 before they seemed ready to settle. In fact, the City did seem to be in a hurry by late February of this year and we became hopeful, just as the coronavirus was arriving. The City scheduled a negotiation session for March 16th, but then had to cancel due to the spreading realization of the growing problem of meetings with 50 and more individuals in a room.

Thereafter, negotiations continued by e-mail and conference calls, but the shadow of the pandemic and the need to focus on it distracted us all.

Finally, we received a phone call from the Office of Labor Relations in early May. The City is properly terrified about the economic impact of the virus on our city. There is a clear need for a cash infusion from the federal government to the states most affected.

Instead of such help, we have had Mitch McConnell urging us to go bankrupt and stop paying for retirees' pensions. Donald Trump went further and made it clear he wants no money to go to the "blue" states.

We will not go bankrupt, nor will we abandon our pensioners, but if help is not forthcoming, our city will have the sort of problems we experienced in 1975.

In 1975, we had our signed, sealed and ratified contract frozen and our raises delayed, but that was the minor problem. We spent months negotiating givebacks and, even with all those, we still had to watch as 50,000 civil servants were laid off.

Before 1975, if you were a NYC high school graduate, our City University would offer you a chance to go to college for free. That benefit for our children was lost and has not yet been fully restored.

During the second half of the 1970's, our city began to recover. Laid off civil servants were offered a chance to return to their old jobs, and many did.

By 1978, the City's Personnel Department was able to resume giving civil service exams and, that year, the first ever exam for Staff Analyst was scheduled.

We came through the rough years then, and we will now. Meanwhile, we do hope that Congress can and will respond properly to our need for help due to the pandemic. One of the earliest justifications for having a government is that it can help its citizens in time of war, famine, flood, and plague. This was true in ancient Egypt and it is true today.

Meanwhile, our contract is at risk due to these national issues. In truth, there is more at risk. In 1975, our government had been hurt, but today the private sector is also severely affected. This could be worse than 1975.

In other words, we do expect the "pattern" contract, so long delayed, to be offered to us so long as there is the federal aid that is needed. If the federal aid is denied for political reasons, then our problems will go far beyond contracts and raises.

And yet, we will survive.

CURRENT EVENTS. Our union office was as affected by the virus as were the City offices. Adam Orgel deserves credit for working out a system of working remotely from home for our Grievance Representatives.

Vojna Stanic-Geraghty has been coming into the office and forwarding phone calls to the proper sections or individuals. A few others also come to the office as needed. Diana Carroll and Anna Torres come in to handle required financial actions and Iris Bailey oversees our efforts on behalf of our Nurses. Alice Moise and Sharon Jack are working on City office deep cleaning for when we all return. Pam Kolpan is still helping those members with vision situations. Rob Spencer is keeping the website updated (especially the section of coronavirus resources), and everyone else is continuing their specific expertise in keeping responsive to OSA members' needs.

The elected officers also come to the union office, but often on weekends when no other staff is present.

It is working well, for an emergency. It is not working as well as before the virus. We greatly miss the daily personal interactions that normally help the office run smoothly.

One benefit for us all is that, Citywide, the number of conflicts between boss and worker is way down. There seems to be a better spirit of cooperation among us than before the virus.

Meanwhile, we seem to be handling our members' personal issues of work or benefit needs well and that is reassuring.

THINGS TO COME. There will come a point at which the City will begin to return to normal, or at least to a "new" normal. The games now being played at the federal level will, we hope, end with the states receiving enough to tide them over.

There even could be many good lessons learned about "remote" working and this might be a long-term benefit for us all.

Again, this is not the first time we have faced huge problems together. We came through 1975 and 9/11 and we will be here still when the virus is defeated. Meanwhile, of course, it is rough.

We have been losing our brothers and sisters, active and retired, at a rate three times higher than normal. These deaths are not statistics for us because they are our union family and we know them all.

MEMBERSHIP MEETING. Our Constitution calls for at least four membership meetings a year, but we began holding five per year back in 1985. From our inception as an organization in 1970 to now, there was only one time a membership meeting was ever cancelled and that was in March of this year, banned by City decree due to the pandemic. Our second such cancellation will be the May meeting, as it would be unwise for the same reason as March.

We would like to get back to regular meetings as soon as possible, but this will depend on circumstances.

News From OSA - May, 2020 CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. There is bitter irony in the fact that we did "hold out" on our prior (2010-2017) contract in order to get more out of it (and we did), yet on our current contract, we were in a hurry to settle and were unable to do so. On June 10, 2019, the OSA newsline made public the willingness of OSA to drop unresolved demands in order to quickly settle the contract. We had been trying to hurry along the negotiations for months before that and our public statement on the newsline was a rare example of "negotiating in public," but we were very anxious to settle before the slow summer season. The City, however, was in no hurry at that time, and it took until 2020 before they seemed ready to settle. In fact, the City did seem to be in a hurry by late February of this year and we became hopeful, just as the coronavirus was arriving. The City scheduled a negotiation session for March 16th, but then had to cancel due to the spreading realization of the growing problem of meetings with 50 and more individuals in a room. Thereafter, negotiations continued by e-mail and conference calls, but the shadow of the pandemic and the need to focus on it distracted us all. Finally, we received a phone call from the Office of Labor Relations in early May. The City is properly terrified about the economic impact of the virus on our city. There is a clear need for a cash infusion from the federal government to the states most affected. Instead of such help, we have had Mitch McConnell urging us to go bankrupt and stop paying for retirees' pensions. Donald Trump went further and made it clear he wants no money to go to the "blue" states. We will not go bankrupt, nor will we abandon our pensioners, but if help is not forthcoming, our city will have the sort of problems we experienced in 1975. In 1975, we had our signed, sealed and ratified contract frozen and our raises delayed, but that was the minor problem. We spent months negotiating givebacks and, even with all those, we still had to watch as 50,000 civil servants were laid off. Before 1975, if you were a NYC high school graduate, our City University would offer you a chance to go to college for free. That benefit for our children was lost and has not yet been fully restored. During the second half of the 1970's, our city began to recover. Laid off civil servants were offered a chance to return to their old jobs, and many did. By 1978, the City's Personnel Department was able to resume giving civil service exams and, that year, the first ever exam for Staff Analyst was scheduled. We came through the rough years then, and we will now. Meanwhile, we do hope that Congress can and will respond properly to our need for help due to the pandemic. One of the earliest justifications for having a government is that it can help its citizens in time of war, famine, flood, and plague. This was true in ancient Egypt and it is true today. Meanwhile, our contract is at risk due to these national issues. In truth, there is more at risk. In 1975, our government had been hurt, but today the private sector is also severely affected. This could be worse than 1975. In other words, we do expect the "pattern" contract, so long delayed, to be offered to us so long as there is the federal aid that is needed. If the federal aid is denied for political reasons, then our problems will go far beyond contracts and raises. And yet, we will survive. CURRENT EVENTS. Our union office was as affected by the virus as were the City offices. Adam Orgel deserves credit for working out a system of working remotely from home for our Grievance Representatives. Vojna Stanic-Geraghty has been coming into the office and forwarding phone calls to the proper sections or individuals. A few others also come to the office as needed. Diana Carroll and Anna Torres come in to handle required financial actions and Iris Bailey oversees our efforts on behalf of our Nurses. Alice Moise and Sharon Jack are working on City office deep cleaning for when we all return. Pam Kolpan is still helping those members with vision situations. Rob Spencer is keeping the website updated (especially the section of coronavirus resources), and everyone else is continuing their specific expertise in keeping responsive to OSA members' needs. The elected officers also come to the union office, but often on weekends when no other staff is present. It is working well, for an emergency. It is not working as well as before the virus. We greatly miss the daily personal interactions that normally help the office run smoothly. One benefit for us all is that, Citywide, the number of conflicts between boss and worker is way down. There seems to be a better spirit of cooperation among us than before the virus. Meanwhile, we seem to be handling our members' personal issues of work or benefit needs well and that is reassuring. THINGS TO COME. There will come a point at which the City will begin to return to normal, or at least to a "new" normal. The games now being played at the federal level will, we hope, end with the states receiving enough to tide them over. There even could be many good lessons learned about "remote" working and this might be a long-term benefit for us all. Again, this is not the first time we have faced huge problems together. We came through 1975 and 9/11 and we will be here still when the virus is defeated. Meanwhile, of course, it is rough. We have been losing our brothers and sisters, active and retired, at a rate three times higher than normal. These deaths are not statistics for us because they are our union family and we know them all. MEMBERSHIP MEETING. Our Constitution calls for at least four membership meetings a year, but we began holding five per year back in 1985. From our inception as an organization in 1970 to now, there was only one time a membership meeting was ever cancelled and that was in March of this year, banned by City decree due to the pandemic. Our second such cancellation will be the May meeting, as it would be unwise for the same reason as March. We would like to get back to regular meetings as soon as possible, but this will depend on circumstances.