| CWA members from locals up and down New York State put in an incredible effort this year to fight for – and win – legislation that will protect workers and improve our communities, including: -4 major Lobby Days in Albany : -177 meetings held with legislators to advocate for pro-worker bills -Nearly 600 emails sent to legislators urging them to pass the Call Center Worker Retention bill  Here’s How We Did Protecting Call Center Workers – Major Victory! -300 E-ZPass workers on Staten Island, members of CWA Local 1101, are facing the threat of layoffs after the State re-bid their contract and did not require any worker retention protections. This is unacceptable – no one should have to fear layoffs every time a contract changes hands. -This year, we passed a bill requiring that workforces of Government-contracted call centers be retained if the contract is re-bid and awarded to a new contractor. Protecting Local Journalism – Major Victory! -New York can stem the tide of newspaper closures and offer newspapers a bridge to a self-sustaining new business model. Saving newspaper jobs and preserving news coverage of NYS communities is vital to a healthy democracy and local economies. -We got provisions included In the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget that creates a payroll tax credit allowing news organizations to receive a 50% job creation tax credit on the first $50,000 of a local journalist’s salary. Ending Mandatory Fees for SUNY Grad Workers – Major Victory! -For years, graduate workers at SUNY campuses – represented by CWA Local 1104 – have been getting crushed by the weight of mandatory fees they must pay to the university. In 2024 we won funding in the State Budget to phase out these fees. -The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget included the next installment of $3 million for phasing out SUNY grad worker fees over four years, which brings us to a total of $6 million. Funding the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies – Partial Victory -The School of Labor Studies is specifically dedicated to public service and social justice, providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs that prepare the next generation of labor and community leaders. -The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget includes $2.25 million for CUNY SLU – less than we were pushing for, but still needed. Increased the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate by about 5% – A Step Forward -Hospitals desperately need increased funding in order to protect our healthcare workers, keep hospitals open, and ensure the best quality of care for all New Yorkers. -The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget includes an approximately 5% increase to the Medicaid reimbursement rate – an important step, but not enough to meet the financial challenges that hospitals are facing. We’re keeping up the fight to get our hospitals the funding that they truly need! Funding the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies – Partial Victory -Hospitals desperately need increased funding in order to protect our healthcare workers, keep hospitals open, and ensure the best quality of care for all New Yorkers. -The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget includes an approximately 5% increase to the Medicaid reimbursement rate – an important step, but not enough to meet the financial challenges that hospitals are facing. We’re keeping up the fight to get our hospitals the funding that they truly need! We also fought hard for several other priorities that are not over the finish line yet, but have made significant progress, including shortening the waiting time for striking workers to collect Unemployment Insurance, safety standards and transparency for workers in the tower climber industry, and protecting healthcare workers from mandatory overtime. So we’ll be back to keep fighting for these issues next year! CWA District 1 80 Pine Street, 37th Floor New York NY, 10005 cwad1.orgText CWAD1 to 49484 to Join Our Text List. You will receive CWA news & info. Recurring messages. Message & data rates may apply. Terms & Conditions: cwa.org/sms-terms. Privacy Policy: cwa.org/privacy. |