We stand together or fall alone - CWA Local 1180

10 J u l y /Au g u s t ’11
C o m m u n i q u e
executive BoArd meeting minutes
WednesdAy, April 20, 2011
Meeting called to order at 6:15 pm.
Present: Arthur Cheliotes, Linda Jenkins, Bill
Henning, Gloria Middleton, Gerald Brown,
Charles Garcia, Alan Goldblatt, Michael Lamb,
Lenora Smith, Gina Strickland, and Hazel Worley.
Absent: Gwen Richardson, Harlan Reid, and
Clarona Williams.
Guests: Venus Williams, Steve Ferrer, and Nadya
Stevens
Reading of the minutes from the March 9th meeting.
Motion was made and carried to accept the
minutes with the necessary corrections.
PRESIDEnT’S REPORT
Arthur reported that he attended the World
Federation meeting in Athens, Greece in April
’11 and there were 900 people registered from
around the world. Arthur feels there needs to
be a broader connection of unions throughout
the world. Also, he feels some common ground
has to be found for working people to stop the
concentration of wealth by the rich which is
getting out of hand. He is troubled and disappointed
that the notion of democracy is on the
way out.
Discussed the need for a mobilization build up
for the May 12th Rally.
There will be an email blast as well as a robo call
to remind members to wear red on Thursday. In
addition, there will be pictures on the web-site
showing members wearing red on Thursdays.
Discussed the Local’s new publication of “In
the Public Interest.” It will be mailed to every
member.
Requested Executive Board approval for a
$10,000 annual contribution to the Fiscal Policy
Institute. Motion was made and carried.
Motion was moved and carried to accept the
President’s report.
Arthur deferred to Alan Goldblatt.
Alan Goldblatt
Alan submitted the following resolution
which was written by Shirley
Littman and Edward Yood on April 6,
2011.
Resolved, that CWA Local 1180
Committee for People with Disabilities
recommend to the CWA Local 1180
Executive Board at its next meeting that CWA
Local 1180 immediately become an endorser
of Parents to Improve School Transportation
(P.I.S.T.)’s attached “School Bus Bill of Rights,”
and be so listed as such on P.I.S.T.’s literature in
order to better assist the Officers and members
in our common goal of promoting the status and
careers of disabled persons in the workplace,
the union, and society.
Specifically our Local’s endorsement of P.I.S.T.’s
School Bus Bill of Rights is necessary because
the children with disabilities and special needs
whose rights P.I.S.T., with NYC trade union support,
is advocating for, could very well be the
children of not only millions of New Yorkers but
also members’ very own daughters and sons.
Their education and future is threatened by the
government’s anti-disabled transportation and
education cutbacks.
In this period when poor working people, especially
women and people of color, are asked to
become government’s lambs to be sacrificed
in the name of the economic crisis, we should
heed the slogan of a time of greater fight back
and struggle to seek to become part of the solution
and not part of the problem.
Motion was made to adopt the resolution
in support of “Parents to Improve School
Transportation.” Motion carried.
Alan asked to be excused from the balance of
the meeting and was excused by the President.
FIRST VICE PRESIDEnT’S REPORT
OCB
HHC titles Asst. Dir. Hospitals and Assoc. Dir.
Hospitals
Hearings were held on March 22 and April 7. The
next hearing date is May 3, 2011. At that time we
will have one person from East NY to testify and
start hearing from people from Kings County
Hospital. There are 127 people in the titles at KCH
but at this time the HHC attorney does not know
how many they will call to testify. We have the following
dates scheduled: May 3; June 1, 14, 23, 28;
July 12, 28; August 9, 23; September 12, 22; October
19; November 3, 9, 21; December 1, 14, 19.
PERB
Administrative Manager: NYCTA – Our attorney
has withdrawn our original petition for
Hay level managers. We are still organizing the
Administrative Managers appointed from the
Adm. Mgr. List. We have collected 24 signed
PERB cards and continue to recruit others.
School Computer Technology Specialist:
DOE
We withdrew our intervention in this case.
Civil Service Committee
The committee is working to develop Civil
Service Fact Sheets. The next meeting is on
Tuesday, April 26.
Education Committee
The committee is planning a Labor History
Program for the May Membership Meeting.
Bernadette Sullivan will do a presentation
on labor history and the New York City Labor
Chorus will perform. The next Book Club meeting
is Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
SECOnD VICE PRESIDEnT’S REPORT
The next bargaining at Amnesty International,
USA is scheduled for Friday, April 22 and there
will be several sessions after that. Hopefully we
will then be able to wrap it up.
The contract at Human Rights Watch ends in
June. The bargaining committee is in place and
sessions have been scheduled.
Unified Court System is faced with massive budget
cuts and proposed layoffs system wide.
Attended CWA PHERN meeting in
Memphis, Tenn. Among the things discussed
were A) Agenda for the CWA
Public Worker Conference, B) The
attacks on Public Workers: Florida
now has forbidden dues check-off, C)
Various States are considering annual
recertification status for representation.
Motion was made and carried to accept Second
Vice President’s Report.
Report from Bill Henning
Following the report from the Executive Board
Audit Committee at the March meeting, I undertook
to view a limited sample of expenditure
from January, February and March. There were
some red flags that should concern us all as the
governing body with fiduciary responsibility for
Local 1180.
Limousine Service
From 12/30/10-3/9/11, there were total expenditures
by Local 1180 in the amount of $1,428.15
for 18 trips solely for commutation, that is, taking
Gloria Middleton and/or Gwen Richardson
home. Leaving aside for a moment the propriety
of approving these types of expenditures under
any circumstances, they do not meet the criteria
in the undated “policy” we were shown last
month. If there were legitimate business expenses
(which I emphasize they were not). Gloria
gets $400 a month and Gwen gets $900. These
expenditures were over and above the amount
we have approved for unvouchered expenses.
Also as I assume you all know, this is not a tax
exempt business expense. It implicates Local
1180 and the members of the Board in authorizing
improper expenses and possible tax
problems. I would also note that we apparently
authorized a staff member to use the limousine
service to pick up cakes in the middle of the day
for another staff member’s party, at the cost to
the Local of $144.14.
American Express
Several expenditures on the union’s credit
card appear to lack proper documentation. For
example, there are a variety of relatively small
charges for local restaurants that were explained
as merely as “lunch for staff” without notations
as to which staff and why, other than to say they
occurred on times when the clerical “staff” was
asked to work through their lunch hour. There
were other expenditures which occurred
during the President’s time in Washington
in connection with the Member
Relief Fund/Defense Fund Oversight
Committee which should have been
reimbursed by the national union. As of
the date of my looking at the records, we
had not yet got such reimbursement.
Motion
That the practice of using limousine service for
commuting purposes be immediately curtailed.
That we authorize an audit by our Accountant
of the limousine utilization, the credit card
expenditures, and any other issues which may
expose us to scrutiny by the national union or
the Department of Labor, or which we would
not be proud to expose to our members. This
audit should go back as far as it needs to, and
any improper expenditure should be repaid to
the local.
Motion was seconded. The motion was defeated
with 6 no votes, 1 yes (Bill Henning) 1 abstain
(Linda Jenkins).
Report from the Audit Committee
Concerning President Cheliotes’ expenses in
reference to his elected position on the CWA
National Member Relief Fund/Defense Fund
Oversight Committee, when elected to the position
President Cheliotes discussed his role with
the Local’s executive board. He stated that in
keeping with the practice established by the
previous Defense Fund Committee chairperson
that he would only accept payment from
the National CWA for his hotel bill and no other
reimbursement. The Local’s executive board
was and continues to be in agreement with the
current practice.
Concerning the Local transportation for staff,
at every board meeting the transaction report
indicating the total amount used each month
for car service is presented during the secretary/treasurer’s
report. Any questions about
the usage were answered and accounted for
in accordance with policy and was always followed
with a motion to accept the secretary/
treasurer’s report. Furthermore, the expenditures
are audited by the audit committee and
the Local’s accountant who is a Certified Public
Accountant (CPA).
The issue raised about the undated policy in
reference to the car service is unwarranted. It
was stated by our auditor and accountant, Steve
Schlapp, when he brought to the secretary/treasurer
a number of years ago that we needed a
policy and the board approved.
The specifics associated with the expenditures
are due to a number of factors including the
severe winter we had and well documented
reluctance of NYC taxi drivers to take individuals
to the Bronx and Harlem.
Concerning food orders, all future food orders
will be annotated with the following: A) Name
of the person making the food order and B)
Name(s) of individual or group the food is
ordered for.
In addition, all timesheet submissions shall be in
compliance with the memo issued by secretary/
treasurer Elaine Allman on February 24, 1999.
Please note that the Executive Board Audit
Committee is to review documents for compliance
with established rules and regulations.
In addition, on an ongoing basis, work
with the board to establish needed rules and
regulations.
SECRETARy/TREASuRER’S REPORT
The Transaction Detailed Report and the Profit
and Loss Report were distributed for review.
The finances of the Local are:
In the T.D. Checking Acct. as of 4/19/11 is
$1,043.783.46 and in the Morgan Stanley Account
is $150,192.41.
Gloria attended the Anniversary of Equal Day
Pay for Women at Hunter College’s Roosevelt
House. The panel included a representative
from the New York City Comptroller’s Office.
Gloria brought up the issue of pay equity for the
female members of Local 1180.
Gloria discussed the possibility
of inviting candidates running
for national office in CWA to our
executive board meeting. The idea
was well received and Gloria was
instructed to do so.
Motion was made and carried to accept
the Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
Grievance Manager Report
The report continues to be fine tuned. As of
today among the seven staff reps there are:
248 Records
Step 1 = 144
Step II = 48
Step III = 36
Arbitration = 20
The seven staff reps are to update the Grievance
Manager Report each month.
Venus Williams
Venus submitted a request to the board to have
two staff reps attend the Labor Arbitration:
Labor Law and Labor Arbitration Conference on
June 13-14, 2011. Harlan Reid will be the 1st rep
and the 2nd to be determined.
Motion was made and carried.
ORGAnIzInG COMMITTEE REPORT
Assistant Directors and Associate Directors
at the Health and Hospitals Corporation
(HHC)
Hearings are currently being held by the New
York City Office of Collective Bargaining (OCB),
Board of Certification (BCB). To be considered
at these hearings are whether employees serving
in the titles of Assistant Director, Hospitals
and Associate Director, Hospitals are managerial
and/or confidential under the New York City
Collective Bargaining Law and the New York
State Taylor Law and the appropriate bargaining
unit for any eligible employees. Local 1180
is the petitioner in these proceedings. There
are 650 employees in the Assistant Director title
and 626 Associate Directors in question. The
Organization of Staff Analysts (OSA) has filed as
“intervenors.” We have attended hearings with
CWA Attorney Amy Young during March and
these hearings will continue through at least
December 2011.
If after completion of the hearings, it is determined
by OCB that these titles are eligible for
collective bargaining an election will be held.
OSA will be competing with Local 1180 to represent
these employees. We have held informational
meetings at the various hospitals and
have identified contact persons to help in our
organizing effort. On March 7 we met at East
New York Diagnostic Center and on March 31 at
the Harlem Hospital Center. We have additional
visits planned for April.
Administrative Managers in the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA)
To date we have received 24 signed PERB cards.
The actual target group has not been finalized.
Seventy-two employees have been called from
the Administrative Managers (non-managerial)
promotion list. Several of these employees have
been transferred to other titles. We believe
that the number of Administrative Managers
(non-managerial) is now 51. We will meet with
Management to determine the exact number in
the target group.
Next meeting date is Wednesday, May 18th.
Motion to adjourn at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Gerald Brown