City Council Update

On Wednesday, February 20th, Ethan Finneran and I, together with our two UFT organizers, met with two City Council staff members. This meeting arose as a result of the UFT's relationship with the City Council. Although the Council has its own agenda, it was clear that they are interested in the concerns of the ALJs.

The most significant point is that the UFT has enabled us to obtain a line of communication and influence in the legislative process. The Council staff was receptive to our concerns about any possible transfer of ECB to OATH.

We also learned that there is no bill drafted yet by the Council staff, and no bill has been presented for introduction to the Council. We were assured that we would be notified and consulted about any legislation that does get drafted.

It was also clear that the two Council staff members wanted as much detail as possible from us about the workings of ECB. Ethan and I presented, apparently for the first time, a more complete picture of ECB and an appreciation of the complexities involved in its operation.

-- Scott Kegelman

Update on Contract Negotiations

Last month the UFT sent a formal request to the city to begin contract negotiations. So far, we have not had a reply. However, the UFT negotiators tell us that this is not unusual, and that typically the city takes several months before beginning to negotiate. There is no formal deadline for a response from the city, but failing to reply after a long period of time could be seen as a failure to negotiate in good faith.

In the meantime, the Negotiating Committee is continuing to meet, keeping an eye on the ongoing changes at ECB and considering how these might alter our negotiating stance.

As always, we will keep the membership informed of any new developments.