Dear Colleagues,
Please see the following from Statewide President Mr. Fred Kowal with regards to a tentative contract agreement with the State of New York. As of this time the Negotiations Committee review and vote to approve the tentative agreement is scheduled for June 21st. We will only know of the detailed information regarding the terms of the tentative agreement after that time. Stay Tuned!
In Solidarity,
Ken Kern
Chapter President
UUP Buffalo Center Chapter
Colleagues,
I am very happy to report that UUP has reached a tentative agreement with the State of New York on a new, four-year contract. Before details of the proposed contract can be released to members, UUP’s Constitution requires that the Negotiations Committee review and vote to approve the tentative agreement. That should occur in the next couple of weeks. Assuming the Committee votes to send the agreement to the membership for ratification, detailed information regarding the terms of the tentative agreement will be released shortly thereafter.
For now, what I can tell you is that we have achieved some long fought-for goals and some historic gains for many sectors of our membership. It is a truly great agreement and I want to recognize the incredibly hard-working members of our negotiations team who have spent two years working on behalf of all of us. I especially want to recognize the brilliant leadership of our Chief Negotiator, Bret Benjamin and remarkably gifted Counsel to the President, Elizabeth Hough for their tireless work, insight, wisdom and commitment to forging a contract that reflects the best values of the union movement and UUP in particular. It has been truly one of the highlights of my time as President to work with them, to be guided by them, learn from them and be challenged by them. UUP members are fortunate that we’ve had Bret and Elizabeth at the heart of the work that brought us this tentative agreement.
Let us remember most of all, that our success in this round of negotiations has also been the result of the thousands of UUP members who took action to advocate for all of us, from the postcard campaign to the great rallies last month. The contract we’ve won belongs to all of us and the benefits we gain from it have only happened because we are a strong union, committed to each other and our common well-being.
In Solidarity,
Fred