1,600 Interpreters Win First Contract—and More Bargaining News

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/07/11/1600-interpreters-win-first-contractand-more-bargaining-news/#more-55398

by Belinda Boyce, Jul 11, 2011
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Washington State interpreters have a first pact with the state, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,400 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

SETTLEMENTS
AFSCME, State of Washington: 1,600 independent contractor interpreters, who help non-English-speaking Medicaid patients communicate with doctors, have won a first contract with Washington State. The workers are members of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE/AFSCME).

TNG-CWA, Thomson Reuters Corp.: Journalists and other professional workers at Thomson Reuters Corp. voted to ratify a new three-year contract with the international media company. The deal provides annual wage increases and restores the company 401(k) match for some 430 members of The Newspaper Guild of New York (TNG-CWA).

NEGOTIATIONS
IBEW, CBS: The Electrical Workers (IBEW) reached a tentative agreement with CBS covering 2,800 technicians in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami and Dallas. If ratified, the contract will run through Jan. 31, 2015.

PEF, State of New York: Talks are continuing between the State of New York and the Public Employees Federation (PEF), as a first wave of layoff notices were sent to nearly 500 workers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has threatened to lay off 9,800 workers if no deal is reached with the 56,000-member PEF.

CWA & IBEW, Verizon Communications: Thousands of members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the IBEW are voting this month on whether to authorize a strike at Verizon. The giant telecom has proposed huge increases to workers’ health care contributions. The current contract covering 45,000 workers expires Aug. 6.

Multiple, State of Connecticut: In Connecticut last week, the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) asked Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) to meet to discuss ways of averting the layoff of nearly 7,000 state workers, after a tentative agreement failed to gain the requisite approval of 14 of SEBAC’s 15 member unions.

WORK STOPPAGES
IBEW, Constellation Energy: Some 460 workers at two Nine Mile Point nuclear plants in New York went on strike Saturday, after negotiations broke down with Constellation Energy. The workers are members of IBEW Local 97.

OPEIU, BlueCross/BlueShield of Western New York: After a nearly three-month lockout, Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 212 has reached a tentative agreement with BlueCross/BlueShield of Western New York. If they ratify the contract, the 390 workers could be back on the job Aug. 1.

AFSCME, State of Illinois: AFSCME filed suit in federal court against Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, seeking to block the cancellation of contractually negotiated raises for 30,000 state workers.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only. As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.

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