Bird Union (CWA Local 1180) members rallied for pay equity in New York City.
Local 1180 News
Audubon Society Workers Reach Tentative Agreement for First Union Contract
Sept. 7, 2024
NEW YORK – Members of the Bird Union-CWA Local 1180 have reached a tentative agreement with their employer, the National Audubon Society, for a first union contract. This tentative agreement was reached after more than two years of negotiations, supported by mobilization of union members across the country. The contract will cover 260 union members represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New PAA ET AL Contract
Oct. 30, 2023
Members covered by the PAA et al contract overwhelmingly ratified the new contract by a 99.49% yes vote to a .51% no vote. Online polling started on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. and closed on Monday, Oct. 30, at noon. Members working in Mayoral Agencies and the DOE will receive their $3,000 Ratification Bonus on Jan. 19, 2024, and Retro Pay on Feb. 2, 2024. We are still waiting on payout dates for members in H+H and NY Housing Authority. A new minimum and maximum incumbent rate chart for the term of the contract, Dec. 13, 2021, to Jan. 12, 2027, will be posted shortly.
H+H Assistant Directors Salary Increases
Sept. 19, 2023: We received confirmation from H+H that Assistant Directors covered by Local 1180 will receive their base salary increases in the Sept. 29, 2023, paycheck. They will receive their Retro payments for those salary increases In the Oct. 13, 2023, paycheck. When the current contract is ratified, Assistant Directors will receive the contractual raises and additions to gross as indicated in the agreement signed Sept. 14, 2023.
July 27, 2023: We have contacted H+H to confirm the payout dates of end of July/early August that they initially provided, only to be told they are "shooting for 9/1" due to their need to manually input adjustments to the payroll. We are staying on top of the situation and will keep you updated as we learn more.
As of June 27, 2023: We have been notified by H+H that the tentative payout for Assistant Directors per our MOA is scheduled for the end of July/early August. We will post updates here as they become available.
Bird Union Brings Fight for Fair Pay to Women in Conservation Fundraiser
May 8, 2024
On May 8, 2024, the National Audubon Society hosted a luncheon in New York City to celebrate the achievements of women in the conservation movement. But members of the Bird Union (CWA Local 1180) gathered outside to highlight the organization’s systemic unequal pay for women and BIPOC employees, which makes it difficult for the next generation of women in conservation to build a successful and impactful career.
Union members have been negotiating with Audubon for more than two years without reaching an agreement for a fair first contract. In December, Audubon announced merit-based, discretionary annual raises for staff but withheld raises for union members.
Members of the Bird Union-CWA delivered a new report to Audubon leadership exposing systemic pay disparities. In one job category, white men on average make 13 percent more than white women and 16 percent more than BIPOC women.
“My merit-based salary increase and cost-of-living raise are being withheld for being a Union member,” said Emily Ohman, a Bird Union-CWA member from California. “If this was not disgraceful enough, I have to work a part-time job just to make ends meet. I have been food insecure for the totality of my time at this job and have experienced such extreme bouts of acute hunger that I have forgone meals for multiple days so I could afford to pay my bills. We’ve had enough of the discretionary pay raises that perpetuate unequal pay.”
To achieve equitable wages and a more sustainable workforce, union members are calling on Audubon to abandon its arbitrary and opaque system of discretionary pay increases ostensibly based on merit and instead commit to regular and equitable cost-of-living increases.
Take a stand with Bird Union activists, sign the petition for a fair contract!
Bird Union (CWA Local 1180) members rallied for pay equity in New York City.
Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New PAA ET AL Contract
Oct. 30, 2023
Members covered by the PAA et al contract overwhelmingly ratified the new contract by a 99.49% yes vote to a .51% no vote. Online polling started on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. and closed on Monday, Oct. 30, at noon.
Members working in Mayoral Agencies and the DOE will receive their $3,000 Ratification Bonus on Jan. 19, 2024, and Retro Pay on Feb. 2, 2024. We are still waiting on payout dates for members in H+H and NY Housing Authority. A new minimum and maximum incumbent rate chart for the term of the contract, Dec. 13, 2021, to Jan. 12, 2027, will be posted shortly.
H+H Assistant Directors Salary Increases
Sept. 19, 2023: We received confirmation from H+H that Assistant Directors covered by Local 1180 will receive their base salary increases in the Sept. 29, 2023, paycheck. They will receive their Retro payments for those salary increases In the Oct. 13, 2023, paycheck. When the current contract is ratified, Assistant Directors will receive the contractual raises and additions to gross as indicated in the agreement signed Sept. 14, 2023.
July 27, 2023:
We have contacted H+H to confirm the payout dates of end of July/early August that they initially provided, only to be told they are "shooting for 9/1" due to their need to manually input adjustments to the payroll. We are staying on top of the situation and will keep you updated as we learn more.
As of June 27, 2023: We have been notified by H+H that the tentative payout for Assistant Directors per our MOA is scheduled for the end of July/early August. We will post updates here as they become available.
Local 1180: Give Asylum Seekers Work Authorizations Now
Aug. 31, 2023
Second Vice President Teesha Foreman spoke today at the New York City Mayor's press conference calling on Washington to expedite work authorizations for the thousands of immigrants who have landed in New York City within the past year. "We are facing a humanitarian crisis beyond the scope of what anyone could imagine. Migrants want to work but cannot. They want to become self-sufficient, but they cannot. They want to make a better life for themselves, but they cannot," Foreman said.
WATCH RALLY VIDEO >>
New Local 1180 Benefit
Help on Filing Your Public Service Loan Forgiveness Application
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Local 1180 Fighting to Include ALL Health Care Workers in State's Bonus Program
Local 1180 Interviewed on WBAI About NDWA Contract Talk Roadblocks
Despite a year-long attempt to negotiate a fair contract, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), part of Communications Workers of America Local 1180, has run into repeated roadblocks by management that have stalled negotiations. Gloria Middleton, President of Local 1180, said that NDWA management was notified of workers’ desire to form a union at the end of June 2020. It wasn’t until Sept. 30, 2020, that management voluntarily recognized the unit. Six months later, workers began bargaining but management has pushed back with no transparency.
Read More > Listen to Radio Interview > See Negotiations Timeline >
In Other News
Hochul Halts Congestion Pricing in a Stunning 11th-Hour Shift
June. 5, 2024 | nytimes.com
Weeks before New York was to charge motorists to enter Manhattan’s business district, Gov. Kathy Hochul postponed the program citing economic concerns.
“After careful consideration I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences,” Ms. Hochul said, adding: “I have directed the M.T.A. to indefinitely pause the program.”
Protect Yourself From Tax Scams
Feb. 12, 2024
Tax season is here again and with it, new and creative ways for scammers to take advantage of honest taxpayers. The following are some of the most popular scams this year and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.
Workers Want Unions: How States Have Strengthened Worker Power in 2023
Nov 1, 2023 | americanprogress.org
States are taking action to strengthen workers’ ability to unionize and collectively bargain as well as raise job standards.
Unions and collective bargaining increase workers’ democratic voice; raise wages and build wealth; and improve conditions for all workers. It should be no surprise that nearly 70 percent of Americans support unions, and support is especially high among younger generations. Despite the fact that workers want and need unions, decades of weakened labor law has eroded workers’ ability to form unions and engage in collective bargaining. Yet, states have significant authority to build power for working people.
National Audubon Society Found in Violation of Labor Law After 18 Months of Negotiations with Union
Oct. 18, 2023 | cwa-union.org
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has determined that the National Audubon Society has violated national labor laws during negotiations with its union employees, represented by the Bird Union-CWA. The union workers of the Bird Union-CWA have been working to negotiate a first contract with Audubon for 18 months. The negotiations have been overseen by a federal mediator since March.
Across four cases, the NLRB has determined that Audubon has bargained in bad faith or violated the rights of their union employees. Audubon:
A Labor Day Like No Other
Sept. 4, 2023 | portside.org
Labor Day 2023 isn’t like Labor Day 2022. It isn’t like any Labor Day of the past half-century.
The reason is simple: Labor law has changed.
Two Fridays ago, the National Labor Relations Board restored a good deal of labor law to its original purpose of enabling workers to bargain collectively for better pay and working conditions.
Treasury Department Releases First-Of-Its-Kind Report on Benefits of Unions to the U.S. Economy
Aug. 28, 2023
The Treasury Department just released its most comprehensive-ever look at the role labor unions play in the American economy with a new report by the Department’s Office of Economic Policy. The report represents one of the more than 70 actions implemented by the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, chaired by Vice President Harris. The report finds that unions play an important role in addressing longstanding challenges faced by the middle class – including stagnant wages, high housing costs, and reduced intergenerational mobility. In doing so, unions contribute to a more robust and resilient economy.
Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan
Aug. 11, 2023
Judge Frank issued an order in the case brought by certain retirees challenging the implementation of the Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan. As you will recall, the Judge had previously issued a preliminary injunction preventing the plan from moving forward. There had been some concern about whether the City could appeal directly from the issuance of a preliminary injunction.
As indicated in his decision, the City’s lawyers obtained the agreement of the retiree group to have the Court issue a final order without any further briefing or proceeding to expedite the matter. The Court made no new findings. This decision allows the City to move forward with an appeal more expeditiously. In essence, this decision does not substantively change the status of Medicare Advantage. The City has indicated its intention to move quickly to appeal.
NLRB Ruling Makes it Easier for Unions to Organize
Aug. 26, 2023 | businessinsider.com
It's about to get harder for bosses to use illegal union busting to try to stall worker organizing. In a new ruling, the National Labor Relations Board outlined what will happen now if employers try illegal union-busting activity. If workers want a union, and employers use illegal tactics in the run-up to a union election that could compromise the election — like firing union organizers, or retaliating against workers engaging in protected union activities — the new rules say workers no longer have to hold a fresh election. Workers will instead automatically get their union and employers will have to bargain with them. READ MORE >>
NYS Helps Public Employees With Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation to expand and simplify public employee access to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The law establishes uniformity around what qualifies as full-time employment for the purposes of accessing PSLF and allows public service employers to certify employment on behalf of workers.
June 24, 2022 | npr.org
The Supreme Court of the United States struck down a New York handgun-licensing law on June 23, 2022, that required New Yorkers who want to carry a handgun in public to show a special need to defend themselves. The 6-3 ruling is the court’s first significant decision on gun rights in more than a decade. In a far-reaching ruling, the court made clear that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the right “to keep and bear arms” protects a broad right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense. READ MORE >>
June 24, 2022 | npr.org
In a historic and far-reaching decision, the U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion that's been upheld for 50 years no longer exists. READ MORE >>
