| OSA Newsline -- April 26, 2021
Lots of "no answers" this week.
The early out retirement package is still not approved by the Mayor and while we hope it will be, there is no answer yet.The most current information about the ERI can be found on NYCERS' website on this page. BERS has posted this information on its website.
There is a letter from Harry Nespoli regarding the proposed Medicare Advantage program that would affect our retirees. The letter does repeat the earlier assurance that the new program will be similar to the ones we are used to. You can read it at this link.
That is good, very good, but Harry also notes we are still in negotiations, so details cannot be available. There is a meeting set for May and more definite details may then be available.
Finally, we are hoping we have had our last technical meeting on our own contract negotiations. We again made it clear that we are interested in concluding these negotiations.
They said they won't pay until July, in any case, but we do need to submit it to our members for approval first.
Finally, the City has opened up walk-in access to many of its vaccine sites to anyone 16 years of age or older. The current list is linked on our "Coronavirus Information and Resources" page.
If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:
The Human Resources Administration shared their reopening plans with us. Not only are they our largest agency in terms of numbers, but we were impressed by the careful approach outlined.
Non-managerial employees will report starting May 17th and, with few exceptions, those who have been working from home will report to the office only one day each week.
The unions were shown floor plans of worksites, and there appears to be a careful spacing in place. Most desks will be unoccupied and the workers can easily avoid close contact.
HRA has never shut down entirely and, perhaps for that reason, they seem very alert to the planning needed for a safe return.
We are monitoring all the agencies as they reopen, and while we do expect problems to arise, some agencies are clearly trying hard.
We continue to be available to help any of our members having trouble getting the COVID vaccine. If that is you, contact us at vaccine@osaunion.org and one of our helpful folks will call you back to help you make an appointment.
Our contract negotiations became tense this week as the City brought up another new demand when all the union is seeking to do is to conclude the current negotiation. It does not really help to blow up in frustration, but this contract negotiation would try anyone's patience. Still, we are meeting.
If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:
Good news and bad news this week.
Albany has spoken and thousands of City workers may soon be offered a chance to retire early. We do know that some workers are excluded, uniformed forces primarily, but we do not know exactly who is included.
If you are included, there are two possibilities - Part A where you could opt to retire as early as age 55, so long as you had 25 years of service. A second option, Part B, encourages workers eligible to retire by offering a month's extra retirement credit for each year worked for up to 36 added months. You may choose A or B but not both.
Unfortunately, it is the City's option to choose who they will offer this early-out to, so that will be more than a bit unfair to those excluded.
Even so, this may turn out to be very good news for many of our members.
For bad news, we returned to the negotiations hoping to settle and were, instead, offered a chance to correct the Managerial Pay Plan. Yes, the Plan does need correcting, ever since Ed Koch. The Plan is nuts because it officially pays far below lower level workers' salaries. No, we are not going to use our own due increases to pay for any part of correcting that problem.
We probably did make some progress, getting closer to agreement with the City on other details, but we wish the City would not waste our time on side issues we rejected nearly two years ago.
In terms of COVID-19 and vaccinations, we do still have the teletown hall due for 12 noon on Tuesday and you can register for that. Also, if you want to get vaccinated, but have had no luck so far, email us at vaccine@osaunion.org.
The Vaccine Command Center is offering us help, so just email us and we will connect you.
Finally, Eric Adams, candidate for Mayor of the City of New York will be coming to the OSA union office at 220 East 23rd Street on Tuesday afternoon.
In the new Ranked Choice Voting system for Mayor, our Executive Board has endorsed both Scott Stringer and Eric Adams. We believe both candidates would be excellent Mayors.
If you wish to attend the formal endorsement ceremony at our office, come in after lunch to join us. All members and retirees are welcome.
If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:
The New York City Vaccine Command Center has confirmed that it will be hosting a lunchtime webinar on COVID vaccination issues for OSA members and retirees on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 from 12 noon to 1pm.
This is your opportunity to get all of your questions answered about the COVID vaccine, its administration, and its availability.
If you wish to attend the webinar, email vaccine@osaunion.org and we will send you a Zoom link for the session.
Last week, we were distressed by the City's reopening negotiations only to tell us that the prior years of negotiations were out the window and now we could only have a 43-month contract.
Worse yet, they would not even pay us on that expired contract until after July 1st. We made it clear that we would continue our case before the Board of Collective Bargaining instead.
Okay, that's all changed for the better and we are now back to negotiating for the contract we had nearly concluded before COVID hit.
We still can't expect payment before July, but we can hope to have a good contract negotiated before then.
So that was the good news, and we may be able to wrap this up before June.
This week's Chief newspaper will feature an op-ed article from OSA opposing the transfer of School Safety from the Police Department to the Department of Education. Many members receive The Chief at home by email, but it is also on sale at newsstands on Tuesday. You can also read it here. The op-ed article makes our union's position clear.
There was also a bit of news circulating about early retirement bills probably passing in Albany and, if not vetoed by the Governor, becoming law. As we heard it, the issue remains as mentioned in our March mailing. We are concerned that the City may not opt-in to the offer, even if it is approved in Albany. We should know soon.
Last week, we offered our members a chance for a teletown hall to get questions answered about the COVID vaccination. Four members did respond and they will be called or emailed back with the time and date of the teleconference, now set tentatively for April 13th at noon.
If you wish to be added to the list of members attending, email vaccine@osaunion.org and ask to be added to the list.
Finally, we offered an option to contact OSA if the borough vaccination sites offered for City workers do not work for you. The Vaccine Command Center has sites specific for OSA members, but you would have to call or email us for an appointment. Since we received no calls or emails asking for help, we must assume the borough sites are working for those of our members seeking vaccination.
Any member who can't get the shot, reach out to us.
If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:
|