Local 34 is Working for Strong Contracts and a Better New Haven! May 2, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Contract, Federation, New Haven.comments closed
Last Wednesday was amazing!
Local 34 members elected a phenomenal group of leaders at the membership meeting.
Afterward, we joined other union and community members to march for strong contracts, good jobs, organizing rights, youth opportunities, and safe streets. 2,000 people attended the event.
During the rally Dana Greene, a senior administrative assistant in the School of Public Health, told the massive crowd: “I’m here with my fellow co-workers to say that we would like to work with Yale to change the job advancement process to make promotions and career pathways clearer.” According to Local 34 contract surveys, over 90% of our members want to move up at Yale. Click here to read more about this issue and other contract priorities.
Read more in the news:
And check out the the slide show below!
Let’s Get to Work! Local 34 Membership Meeting, March and Rally on April 25th April 18, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Contract, Employee Participation Meetings, Federation, New Haven.comments closed
Over the past month, hundreds of Local 34 members have discussed departmental and contract issues with our supervisors. Now, by coming all together on April 25, we will demonstrate our commitment to working with the University to achieve a great contract. United together with our allies in Local 35, GESO and the community, we can win:
- Job advancement that includes more E level positions, a streamlined audit process, and more internal hiring;
- A jobs pipeline that connects more people to good jobs;
- Excellent healthcare options; and
- Wage increases that help our families cope with the difficult economy and keep up with rising costs.
Let’s tell the University we’re ready to get to work!
2012 Contract Campaign: Healthcare April 11, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Contract.comments closed
Across the country, the economic recession has threatened healthcare coverage for working people. Despite steeply rising costs, we will protect and improve our standard of healthcare because we believe that better care not only creates healthier lives, it also saves money in the long run. Four areas comprise our comprehensive approach to healthcare during this contract campaign: good primary care and prevention, strong retiree health coverage, creative problem solving with our Aetna plan, and making the experience at Yale Health as easy and convenient as possible.
By protecting our standards and winning improvements in these four areas, we can ensure that our members continue to have access to excellent, affordable care. Click on the image below to read more.
2012 Contract Campaign: Jobs Pipeline March 19, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Contract.comments closed
As the country emerges from economic recession, our communities are experiencing a “jobless recovery” in which many people remain unemployed while workers do more work with fewer resources. Unemployment in New Haven is at crisis levels, contributing to rising violence and hopelessness. In this contract cycle, we can not only protect our Union standard but also extend it to more people. In fact, our benefits and our communities depend on it. Through our contract survey, we have identified five ways to grow the Union and connect more local people to jobs at Yale: job advancement; staffing levels; casual and temporary work; training; and local hiring.
We have already made progress in building the labor-community partnerships to make a pipeline possible. The new Board of Aldermen in New Haven, which includes several union members, has already released a legislative agenda that prioritizes the creation of a jobs pipeline, solutions to violence and crime, and opportunities for young people. Together, we can seize the opportunity to improve our work experience, stabilize our communities and extend access to good jobs. Click on the image below to learn more.
2012 Contract Campaign: Job Advancement March 19, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Uncategorized.comments closed
During the 1980s, hundreds of members advanced when Local 34 reformed the job classification system. Now it is time to examine Yale’s systems again. The overwhelming majority of Local 34 members want to advance at Yale but all too often, the pathways are not available. University shares the goal of promoting from within, but structural changes are necessary to make pathways a reality. Our survey identified four problem areas to address: the hiring process, the job audit process, training, and misclassified work.
Clear, accessible promotion opportunities allow our members to gain skills and build careers with dignity. So, we are committed to building power and winning the changes that will make job advancement a reality. Click on the image below to read more.
2012 Contract Campaign: The Negotiations Process March 12, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Contract.comments closed
A Voice At Every Level
From the department level to the highest levels of University administration, our 2012 contract campaign is an inclusive, membership-based process designed to give our Union a voice at every level of decision-making at Yale. We began by developing our contract interests based on over 2100 member surveys. Over 300 C&Ts have joined Union department organizing committees, and we have set a goal to involve members in over 100 Department Caucuses to discuss survey results and Employee Participation Meetings with management.
An informed and engaged membership only makes our Union stronger. So, while this negotiations process is complex, we are striving to make it as transparent as possible. This flyer is designed to clarify the process and your role in it, but if you have additional questions contact the Executive Board member in your area, your steward or organizer, or call the Union office at (203) 624-5161. Together, we can win a strong contract, transform our workplaces, and secure our futures.
Local 34 and 35 Members Work Together on Custodial Staffing February 27, 2012
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Local 34 and Local 35 members have begun joining together to address management’s failure to maintain adequate custodial staffing in the Medical School.
Local 34 Vice-President Tony Lopes joined Local 35 stewards in a meeting late last fall to ask management to fill open positions late last year, where he described the concerns he hears from his members in neighboring buildings. “The patient care and research work that we do in the Medical School absolutely require environments free of dust and pests,” he said. “The University needs to ensure continued staffing levels that guarantee an excellent standard of cleanliness in our areas.”
Patricia Gordon, a research assistant in the Genetics Department adds that “over the year I worked in TAC, it was apparent that custodial services were being reduced.”
“With the essential research and clinical diagnostic work that is done in the building, along with the seminars and other special scientific events, it is important that the medical school maintain a clean and safe environment. The custodial staff does an excellent job, but there are not enough of them for the entire building to clean all the floors, restrooms, and lunch areas adequately.”
Employee Participation Meetings Win on Central/Science Area Restructuring February 27, 2012
Posted by Local 34 in Employee Participation Meetings.comments closed
Over the past year, members of Local 34 in the Central/Science area have been meeting with faculty and management to discuss the effects of the administration’s plan to restructure and reorganize our work. In August, all of the C&Ts in the Humanities and Languages Departments signed a letter to their department Chairs to request Employee Participation Meetings.
As the Local 34 members explained, this restructuring would affect both local support in their departments and their own careers. Staffing reductions, the implementation of lower-level and part-time positions, and other recent changes present real challenges for a career path for Clerical and Technical employees. In addition, the creation of 10-month positions and shared services raises concerns about the quality of the service provided to our students and faculty, our work being downgraded and, in some cases, shifted to students and other employees. In their letter, Local 34 members told the administrators that “the decisions regarding restructuring, new positions, workloads, job descriptions, and level of service should involve the employees and the faculty affected by those decisions – the very ones who know the departments best.”
During September, in academic departments from African American Studies to Economics to Physics, Local 34 members held EPMs with faculty and business managers to communicate these concerns face-to-face. After 70 EPMs across campus held throughout the summer and fall, the administration responded by sending a memo agreeing to slow down the restructuring and proceed “in a renewed, thoughtful and thorough manner” and work more closely with Local 34 members, chairs, and faculty.
More specifically, the administration assured the C&Ts that “the movement and integration of work into the various shared services units will not lead to the reduction to a 10-month position for any C & T currently holding a 12-month registrar or business office position in the Humanities Division. In the meantime, we are working with faculty, management, and staff to develop criteria for department staffing levels based on department needs during the shared services restructuring.”
