Welcome to Southern Region 3

For immediate release: July 30, 2024

Media Contact: Jessica Ladlee, 845-831-1000, ext. 2084

Workers at Storm King Art Center enthusiastically approve first contracts

MOUNTAINVILLE – Workers in two CSEA union bargaining units at Storm King Art Center are celebrating the approval of their first contracts, the latest in a wave of victories for cultural workers who’ve recognized that unionizing is the best way to secure better wages and benefits along with a voice on the job.

Both workers and the SKAC Board of Trustees approved the two contracts in July following roughly eight months of negotiations.

The first CSEA bargaining unit (CSEA Local 720 – Unit A) formed last spring represents the majority of full-time SKAC employees and several part-time workers. The second unit (CSEA Local 720 – Unit VS), which management voluntarily recognized not long after the first unit organized, consists of workers from SKAC’s Visitor Services Department.

“During contract negotiations, workers maintained the same solidarity they showed when they were organizing their union, and they now have two strong contracts to show for it,” said CSEA Southern Region President Anthony Adamo. “We hope that workers in other cultural institutions can look to the CSEA members at Storm King Art Center as proof that there is power in a union and there is no substitute for the stability that comes with a union contract.”

CSEA – the Civil Service Employees Association – is one of New York’s top unions and is the largest affiliate of AFSCME (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees). AFSCME represents over 35,000 unionized cultural workers across the country and continues to organize new workplaces as part of its Cultural Workers United movement. Workers at SKAC first connected with CSEA in late 2022 when they reached out to Cultural Workers United looking to form their union. Regulations from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) necessitated the separate bargaining unit for Visitor Services workers, but CSEA members at SKAC stand united.

“We see this first contract as a foundation we can build upon now that we have our union and the voice on the job that comes with it,” said Maureen Spaulding, a negotiating committee member from CSEA Local 720 – Unit A who works in SKAC’s Development Department. “Right away, we’re all benefiting from an immediate wage increase following our contract vote. Having that contract gives us a written guarantee for our wage increases, health insurance costs, and other benefits for the next several years. Before we organized our union, there were no guarantees year to year.”

“A lot of work went into this process, starting from the ground up,” said Bam Bowen, a negotiating committee member from CSEA Local 720 – Unit VS who works as a team lead in that department. “From organizing staff to getting cards signed, every step was a collective effort. We sat at the negotiating table, stood up for each other, and persevered together. I am so proud to work with these incredible folks and am proud of all we have achieved. We now have a collective voice and a seat at the table.”

Both contracts contain economic gains for workers that more fairly compensate SKAC’s diverse staff for their education, experience and expertise. Non-economic strides were also significant, with the new contracts codifying some existing practices as well as implementing due process procedures and ‘just cause’ employment (versus ‘at-will’).

Between both bargaining units, there are approximately 75 CSEA-represented jobs in different departments including the administrative offices, Gift Shop, Facilities and Conservation, Education and Visitor Services.

The wage increases in the contract showcase the union difference:

• The average hourly wage for workers at SKAC before organizing was $18.28 per hour.
• The average hourly wage for workers after announcing their intent to organize their union was increased to $20.16 per hour.
• The average hourly wage for CSEA-represented workers at SKAC in the first year of their collective bargaining agreements is $23.31 per hour.
• The average hourly wage for CSEA-represented workers by 2027 will be $25.17 per hour.

Other gains benefiting both bargaining units include a guaranteed employer contribution to workers’ 403(b) accounts, minimum call-in pay (four hours for on-site call ins and one hour for remote work), cancelation pay for shifts canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice, pay for out of title work, and the addition of two days of paid time off.

Unit A’s contract runs through July 31, 2027 and Unit VS’s agreement ends July 31, 2028. Members of CSEA Local 720 now have access to the vast resources offered by being part of CSEA and AFSCME, including an assigned Labor Relations Specialist to assist members and on-site union leadership, a strong Occupational Safety and Health Department, an in-house Legal Department, and a robust Member Benefits Department offering programs available in addition to contractually negotiated benefits.

Click here for a printable copy of this news release

ROBERTA REARDON MEETS CULTURAL WORKERS AT SKAC

CSEA members working at Storm King Art Center, one of our union’s most recently organized locals, had the honor of hosting New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon for a visit to SKAC on Labor Day. Reardon noted that this was the 130th anniversary of Labor Day and said it felt fitting to spend it with recently-organized union members such as the workers at SKAC, who recently ratified their first union contracts. The visit gave workers the opportunity to fill Reardon in on union organizing happening across the country via AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United initiative and share the positive changes they’ve experienced since unionizing. Reardon, a former actor, is a former president of AFTRA and was the first co-president of SAG-AFTRA following the mergers of SAG and AFTRA.

CSEA mourns Maria Coto, Westchester County Unit member

Our union is mourning the loss of Westchester County Unit member Maria Coto, who died June 19th from injuries sustained when she was brutally attacked on May 14th while working in the Peekskill community. Coto was a longtime caseworker with the Westchester County Department of Social Services. Her murder has been devastating for her loved ones and co-workers and has prompted shows of solidarity from CSEA-represented caseworkers across New York State. Read more in our coverage in the July-August edition of The Work Force.

2024 Golf Classic supports disaster relief, scholarship funds

Thank you to everyone who supported our 2024 Southern Region Golf Classic! Held again this year at the Town of Wallkill Golf Club, the event was our primary fundraiser for the Southern Region’s disaster relief and scholarship funds. This year, we have been able to support a number of CSEA families in our region experiencing hardships. We also presented $4,000 in scholarships to four graduating high school seniors. This event wouldn’t be a success without our participants and the volunteers who make it all happen. 

Resources available through CSEA’s Occupational Safety and Health Department

Our CSEA Occupational Safety and Health Department has a variety of resources available for members and activists. One of those is a catalogue of fact sheets devoted to numerous safety-related topics. The fact sheets available includes ones on confined space entry, hazard control and PPE, indoor air quality, ticks and Lyme disease, and numerous other topics. Click here to review the list of available fact sheets and download printable PDF copies that may be shared at your worksite.

Keep up to date on safety-related topics by signing up for The Safety Net, an e-newsletter from CSEA that provides the latest info on safety trainings and events, breaking safety-related news, and other available resources. Click here to sign up for The Safety Net.

Officers with upcoming membership meetings may also reach out to our Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Jane Meunier-Gorman at (845) 831-1000 if they are interested in having any safety-related presentations.

Southern Region Upcoming Events

• Southern Region Fall Conference: Thursday, October 24, 2024 through October 27, 2024, Monticello