The union did the long delayed official signing of the prior School Safety and Traffic Enforcement contract last week. Now we can start on the current period for our newest unit. This stuff does not go fast.
Our union office has largely been transferred from the 7th floor at 220 East 23rd Street to the 2nd Floor. The workmen cleaning up after the flood are now at the stage of asbestos tile removal and our office had no choice about relocating during the procedure.
The second floor is a very temporary arrangement and it looks it, but hopefully the ongoing work will not be disrupted.
Members are reminded that this week's general membership meeting is Thursday evening at 125 Worth Street, second floor auditorium. We look forward to seeing you at 6pm sharp. Bring photo identification because the building has security.
See you at the meeting.
No fresh disasters at present. In fact, we have a little good news to report.
Most members that were due to receive the $1,000 payment did receive it and we're working on the Housing Authority and Department of Education next.
Members of the School Safety and Traffic Enforcement unit voted 23 to 2 to accept the prior unit contract this week. Our uniformed unit contract was our first one for these members and required a great many hours of negotiations over a three year period to finally complete. The raises had already been paid out. At stake was longevity, a uniform allowance and, finally, a small extension of contract for a few dollars more.
Our newest members can now look forward to receiving some retroactive money this fall.
Negotiations at the Transit Authority should also be initiated soon.
The Municipal Labor Committee held its elections this past week and our representative was re-elected to a spot on the Steering Committee. That was good news.
A mailing is going out this week and it will announce a change in the location for our September membership meeting. Due to the flood at our office, we will be using 125 Worth Street, 2nd Floor Auditorium for the meeting.
The next update should be September 27th.
A large contingent of OSA members, retirees and staffers turned out September 1 to join a massive "Labor Day" rally outside the Republican National Convention. Tens of thousands of union members from across the City packed into seven blocks of Eighth Avenue to hear speeches by national AFL-CIO and local labor leaders, "Sopranos" actor and union member James Gandolfini and entertainment by a number of musicians, including Steve Earle.
The common theme of the day was opposition to the Bush Administration's anti-worker agenda, ranging from its theft of overtime pay, privatization efforts in the federal government workforce, tax cuts for the wealthy, attacks on Medicare and Social Security and failure to ensure healthcare for all Americans, as well as the shift of resources away from socially valuable programs such as affordable housing, education and healthcare to the war in Iraq.
OSA's contingent was decked out in OSA hats and t-shirts and carried both OSA balloons and signs opposing the Bush administrations policies.
Thanks are due to Eric Mayr, Bobby Lee, Shirley Gray, Michael Weiss and Michael Spector who helped organize the contingent.
Those who took part in OSA's contingent included Ron Lehman, Noreen Fabre-Stahl, Eric Mayr, Alfred Milton, Delois Stoute, Celina Reynolds, Wendy Richards, Paulette Starks, Almeta Gadsden, Ed Pauzer, Mike Altman, Mike Weiss, Richie Guarino, Lynn Bender, Carol Edwards, Josephine Valentin, Shirley Gray, Alyson Brown, Judy Ross, Ed Price, Michael Spector and son, Delores Parson, Charles Parson, Mattie Pettiford, Tyrone Pettiford, Mattawiah Yip, Derek Janniere, Bobby Lee, Allan Rose, Carol Moten, Nilsa Mangual, Sadye Olivieri, Maureen Godwin, Pat Celanto, Sherman Gould, Tom Anderson, Tony Lee, Don Oral, Vyda Liaugaudis and friend, Stephen Parker and Rob Spencer, whose photos of the rally appear below. (Except the first photo by Miller Photography of left to right: Brian McLaughlin, President, NYC Central Labor Council, John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO, Ted Jacobsen, Secretary, NYC Central Labor Council and Dennis Hughes, President NYS AFL-CIO on the rally stage.)
We apologize if we have omitted anyone. Let us know and we'll add your name.
