CWA Local 1033
Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO
CWA TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION FOR INVOLUNTARY FURLOUGHS
On Friday, July 7, CWA filed a Grievance with the Office of Employee Relations (OER) and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC) regarding July 1, 2, 3, 2017 involuntary furloughs of CWA executive branch employees and judicial branch employees as a result of the state shutdown.
Click the link to view the grievance filed by CWA and Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) on behalf of our members.
CWA TAKES LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION FOR INVOLUNTARY FURLOUGHS
Update on State Shutdown
Attention CWA Members.
Here is the shutdown pay situation as of 7/7/2017.
Even though Workers were paid for the shut down during Corzine and Federal workers have been paid during the budget shutdown, Chris Christie is refusing to pay anyone who was not an essential employee.
CWA has covered all legal bases— We have filed a Grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice already.
Both the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate President are bringing the legislature back next week to vote on a bill that will require the Governor to pay us.
On Thursday, there will be demonstrations, a press event, and rallies throughout the state. Your Local will be in touch with you to let you know how to participate.
Human Resources gave people information as to how to file for unemployment. It is fine if you did, but only workers who lost 2 or 3 days have any chance of getting even a small amount of unemployment insurance. The real answer is to get everyone paid for the day— and that is what we are going to do.
We organize. When we fight – we win.
We will keep you updated.
NOTICE REGARDING DENIAL OF PAY FOR STATE SHUTDOWN
NOTICE REGARDING DENIAL OF PAY FOR STATE SHUTDOWN
The State is issuing directives through all state agencies this afternoon that Governor Christie refuses to pay state workers for the days we were locked out during the state budget shutdown. You will likely receive a message from your Payroll, HR, or Managers to this effect. Every State department is sending slightly different messages so there is a lot of confusion with how the State is rolling this out.
You should receive eCATS codes by HR to enter into your timesheets systems for this week.
The State does agree to pay workers for July 4, but not for July 3 or prior.
If you were designated “essential” and reported to work during the shutdown, you will be paid for any time you actually worked.
If you requested leave time for any days during the shutdown, it is our understanding that leave time will be canceled and you will be put in no-pay status.
CWA opposes this decision and we will enforce our right to be paid during the state lockout when we were ready, willing and able to work, but were forced out.
Our legal team is already working on our legal response to this action by the Governor.
However, legal action will take some time and we are advising some immediate actions by members:
1. Submit your timesheets on time. Enter the code management provides.
2. In the “comments/notes” section of your timesheets, we advise you to enter “INVOLUNTARY LOCKOUT” for any days you were scheduled to work during the shutdown. For most members, this will be Monday, July 3rd. For other members, like in State Parks, Motor Vehicles Commission, state institutions, and elsewhere, this might mean Saturday 7/1, Sunday 7/2, and Monday 7/3.
3. You can file for Unemployment benefits online or by phone. It is not clear whether UI applications for shutdown days will be approved, but we advise all members to apply as a protective measure.
https://njsuccess.dol.state.nj.us/html/uimain.html.
The deadline for applying for UI benefits online is Saturday, July 8 or by telephone Friday, July 7 at 4:30pm. However, CWA is requesting an extension of this deadline based on the large number of potential applications and the short notice during a holiday week for people to apply.
4. We are planning worksite mobilization around this issue. Information will be coming from your Locals so we can coordinate activities around the state.
STAY INFORMED!
Contact your Local to sign up for action alerts and membership meetings
Update on State Shutdown
Dear CWA Members,
The Chris Christie Shutdown of 2017 is over, we are back to work, but as is almost always the case with Chris Christie, after everyone else has gone home, we are left to clean up the mess.
Let’s review:
There was a budget.
It was agreed to between the Senate and the Assembly. In fact, it was agreed to by Christie. But Christie wanted money from Horizon Blue Cross for his pet program. Horizon refused. Joe Vitale and the Senate offered up a “compromise” that still allowed the State to take “excess” reserves from Horizon and that named Horizon the insurer of last resort – at a time when no one knows what will be the impact of the attack on the Affordable Care Act. Assembly Speaker Prieto refused to tie Horizon to the budget and called out the Vitale “compromise” as bad public policy.
Christie said that if he didn’t get the Horizon bill, he would cut public services as punishment. Or, alternatively, he didn’t care about the Horizon Bill if the Legislature would cut public workers Sick Leave or eliminate public notices in newspapers. In other words, he didn’t care who he hurt as long as it was someone.
South Jersey and Middlesex County Democrats sided with Christie and refused to vote for the budget that they supported until Christie was satisfied. Prieto said no as did all of the public sector unions, and allies such as New Jersey Working Families Alliance, Action Together New Jersey, Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, AFL-CIO, New Jersey Citizen Action and every progressive organization in the State.
The State shut down at midnight on Friday, June 30 and there was no end in sight.
But we were mobilizing. There were thousands of workers making calls, we made our plans for a week of actions at legislative offices, and the pressure was mounting.
And then Christie got caught on the beach. No one could withstand this any longer.
At a meeting with the Senate, the Assembly and Horizon, a new bill was prepared. This bill creates caps on Horizon’s reserves that are significantly higher than the current reserves Christie said were too high, any return of reserves has to go to ratepayers and can’t be grabbed by the State, and the language making Horizon an insurer of last resort and a charitable endeavor is gone. In other words – it was a face saving capitulation by the man on the beach.
So … back to work we go.
However, it’s Christie. So he’s going to try to not make us “whole.” He hasn’t agreed to pay our members for the day(s) we were locked out. He’s only conceded the July 4th holiday.
We think that we are in a good legal, moral, political position to fight and get the day(s) back and that’s what we are going to do.
As usual, everyone else goes home, and we are left to clean up the mess. But we do that better than anyone and we are on it. We will get our pay. We will get our contract. We will get our increments. We will save our pensions. We will make progress on healthcare. Because we don’t just cave. We fight based upon good solid principles, public policies, and putting our members first.
One other point to be made here – the leaders of the CWA Locals were … awesome. Presidents and officers and political coordinators and staff and some stewards were at the State House day and night over the July 4th weekend. It was that presence, as well as your constant phone calls, the kick ass press event Friday, and a particularly well-placed plane carrying a banner () that SHAMED Christie into this settlement.
198 days to go and Christie will be gone. Our Union will still be here. I’ve never been prouder to be part of CWA. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for staying CWA STRONG.
In Solidarity,
Hetty Rosenstein
NJ Director
The Chris Christie Shutdown of 2017 is over, we are back to work, but as is almost always the case with Chris Christie, after everyone else has gone home, we are left to clean up the mess.
Dear CWA Members,
The Chris Christie Shutdown of 2017 is over, we are back to work, but as is almost always the case with Chris Christie, after everyone else has gone home, we are left to clean up the mess.
Let’s review:
There was a budget.
It was agreed to between the Senate and the Assembly. In fact, it was agreed to by Christie. But Christie wanted money from Horizon Blue Cross for his pet program. Horizon refused. Joe Vitale and the Senate offered up a “compromise” that still allowed the State to take “excess” reserves from Horizon and that named Horizon the insurer of last resort – at a time when no one knows what will be the impact of the attack on the Affordable Care Act. Assembly Speaker Prieto refused to tie Horizon to the budget and called out the Vitale “compromise” as bad public policy.
Christie said that if he didn’t get the Horizon bill, he would cut public services as punishment. Or, alternatively, he didn’t care about the Horizon Bill if the Legislature would cut public workers Sick Leave or eliminate public notices in newspapers. In other words, he didn’t care who he hurt as long as it was someone.
South Jersey and Middlesex County Democrats sided with Christie and refused to vote for the budget that they supported until Christie was satisfied. Prieto said no as did all of the public sector unions, and allies such as New Jersey Working Families Alliance, Action Together New Jersey, Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, AFL-CIO, New Jersey Citizen Action and every progressive organization in the State.
The State shut down at midnight on Friday, June 30 and there was no end in sight.
But we were mobilizing. There were thousands of workers making calls, we made our plans for a week of actions at legislative offices, and the pressure was mounting.
And then Christie got caught on the beach. No one could withstand this any longer.
At a meeting with the Senate, the Assembly and Horizon, a new bill was prepared. This bill creates caps on Horizon’s reserves that are significantly higher than the current reserves Christie said were too high, any return of reserves has to go to ratepayers and can’t be grabbed by the State, and the language making Horizon an insurer of last resort and a charitable endeavor is gone. In other words – it was a face saving capitulation by the man on the beach.
So … back to work we go.
However, it’s Christie. So he’s going to try to not make us “whole.” He hasn’t agreed to pay our members for the day(s) we were locked out. He’s only conceded the July 4th holiday.
We think that we are in a good legal, moral, political position to fight and get the day(s) back and that’s what we are going to do.
As usual, everyone else goes home, and we are left to clean up the mess. But we do that better than anyone and we are on it. We will get our pay. We will get our contract. We will get our increments. We will save our pensions. We will make progress on healthcare. Because we don’t just cave. We fight based upon good solid principles, public policies, and putting our members first.
One other point to be made here – the leaders of the CWA Locals were … awesome. Presidents and officers and political coordinators and staff and some stewards were at the State House day and night over the July 4th weekend. It was that presence, as well as your constant phone calls, the kick ass press event Friday, and a particularly well-placed plane carrying a banner (😉) that SHAMED Christie into this settlement.
198 days to go and Christie will be gone. Our Union will still be here. I’ve never been prouder to be part of CWA. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for staying CWA STRONG.
In Solidarity,
Hetty Rosenstein
Hetty Rosenstein
NJ Director
STATE SHUTDOWN PICKET LOCATIONS 7/5 FROM 10AM – 12 NOON
Wednesday Picket Locations 10AM – 12 NOON
Atlantic County: Office of Vince Mazzeo, 507 Tilton Rd, Northfield
Bergen County: Office of Gordon Johnson, 545 Cedar Lane, Teaneck
Burlington County: Office of Herb Conaway, 8008 Rt 130 N, Building C, Delran; Office of Troy Singleton, 400 N Church St, Moorestown
Camden: Office of Lou Greenwald and Pam Lampitt, 1101 Laurel Oak Rd, Voorhees
Cumberland/Cape May: Office of Bob Andrzejczak and Bruce Land, 219 High St, Millville
Essex: Office of Eliana Pintor Marin, 263 Lafayette St, Newark
Gloucester: Office of Steve Sweeney, 935 Kings Highway, West Deptford
Middlesex: Office of Craig Coughlin, 569 Rahway Ave, Woodbridge
Monmouth: Office of Joann Downey and Eric Houghtaling, 35 West Main St, Freehold
Union: Office of Jerry Green, 200 W 2nd St, Plainfield
Update on shutdown
CWA New Jersey
Attention CWA Members:
We are reporting from the Assembly Chambers at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 1, 2017.
The State of New Jersey is shut down because the Legislature and Governor failed to reach a budget agreement. Essential employees will be told to report to work and everyone else will be locked out of work until this budget is passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
Representatives of CWA have been here at the State House at every budget and General session seeking to protect our members, our pensions, and State Services. We have been lobbying all day, every day, this week, along with many of our allies in labor, faith, and community groups.
Unfortunately, Governor Christie is more interested in exacting final revenge on New Jersey than he is in negotiating a budget. After the Senate and the Assembly had come up with a budget that by all accounts, should have resulted in the Governor’s signature, Christie demanded that both houses pass a bill that would have created maximum havoc to healthcare in New Jersey. He raised this issue to derail the process after the Democrats drafted a budget that essentially agreed to 99% of his original budget proposal.
Assembly Speaker Prieto has posted the budget bill as the Legislature’s first priority and has refused the political shakedown of the State’s only non-profit insurer and the only insurer that covers Medicaid.
When Prieto refused to go along, Sweeney’s allies in the Assembly, withheld their votes for a budget.
CWA took a strong and relentless position. Pass a budget and put it on the Governor’s desk.
Unfortunately, bad politics have once again taken the place of good government.
What should you do?
Call these Legislators* who are blocking the passage of a balanced budget. Tell them that a “no” vote or an “abstain” vote is the same as voting “yes” to a shutdown. This is unacceptable.
ASSEMBLY REP
PHONE
District Area
Craig Coughlin
(732) 855-7441
Middlesex County
Joe Danielsen
(732) 247-3999
Middlesex County
Joe Egan
(732) 249-4550
Middlesex County
Nancy Pinkin
(732) 548-1406
Middlesex County
Troy Singleton
(856) 234-2790
Burlington County
Herb Conaway
(856) 461-3997
Burlington County
Eliana Pintor-Marin
(973) 589-0713
Essex County
Gordon Johnson
(201) 530-0469
Bergen County
Eric Houghtaling
(732) 695-3371
Monmouth County
Joanne Downey
(732) 333-0166
Monmouth County
The Budget may be resolved over the weekend, but that is not clear. CWA representatives will monitor the budget all weekend long and continue to press the Legislators that did not vote for the Assembly budget to do so. (Our leaders and members have been making hundreds of calls and we will continue to generate that type of pressure.) CWA representatives will be at the State House for the duration of this crisis.
If the State is still shut down as of Monday morning, we will have a Tele-Town Hall call at 11 a.m. with all of our members. If we have your phone number, we will call you at the number we have. If we do not have your number, there will be an 800 number that you can call into.
Will we get paid?
“Essential” employees are working. CWA believes that this constitutes a lock out for those workers who are not working and that we are entitled to be paid. (We were paid in 2006, the last time there was a shut down.) Needless to say, Christie disagrees. We are going to institute the process necessary to demonstrate that our members are ready, willing and able to work. You will be told where and how to report in order to create that record.
CWA will keep you up to date as to what is going on. Please make calls to the Legislators listed above and make it clear that you hold them responsible for not voting for the Budget. Had they done so, there would not be a shut down.
*The following South Jersey Legislators also did not vote for the budget: Bob Andrzejczak, Vincent Mazzeo, John Burzichelli, Adam Taliaferro, Paul Moriarity, Gabriela Mosquera, Louis Greenwald, Pamela Lampitt. We did not ask you to call them because they are deeply committed to supporting Sweeney in his position. The only Republican to vote for the budget was Chris Brown from LD 2.
In Solidarity,
Hetty Rosenstein
CWA NJ Area Director
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