IF YOU NEED HELP
If you need union representation or would like help with any work related issue you can speak with your area steward or contact UCATS for help from one of our experienced organizers:
Email: [email protected] (recommended)
Telephone: 646-602-1485
*All calls are confidential. No action is taken on your behalf without your consent.
Bulletin Board
Contract Expiration/Bargaining
Our contract with NYU expires October 31, 2023
Here is what to expect:
1. There will be no raise in 2023 until a new contract with NYU is bargained and ratified
2. We will begin bargaining with NYU in September and continue until we reach a Tentative Agreement
3. The Tentative Agreement will be voted up or down by the UCATS membership in the weeks following by a mail ballot election
4. Once the Tentative Agreement is ratified by the UCATS membership it becomes our new contract with NYU
5. Historically, the raise we negotiate for the current year has been retroactive back to September, but that is something that must be negotiated.
Over the coming months the UCATS leadership team will be firing on all cylinders to communicate and engage with members as we develop our proposals and bargaining strategy. Your participation is essential to a successful outcome. For the coming year we will be sending all member communications by email and by hard copy. After we achieve a new contract we will resume our practice of sending hard copies only to members who choose not to be on our email list.
Contract Bargaining Member Survey
Take the Contract Bargaining Member Survey.
Your input will help us craft our presentations to NYU during contract bargaining which will commence in September, so answer the questions as if you were at the bargaining table speaking to NYU. Tell them about the value of your work, how it has increased since 2017 or Covid or since you started at NYU. Have you taken on more responsibilities or acquired new skills? Be as specific as possible. Help us get the word out by sharing this with your UCATS colleagues!
Email UCATS at [email protected] if you have questions.
COVID Masking Protocols and Compliance
Experiencing problems with people not complying with the masking mandate in your work area?
You should immediately report non-compliance with the masking policy in writing to your supervisor and you should also email [email protected].
If management does not adequately address ongoing non-compliance in your work area, contact your union steward or the UCATS office at [email protected].
UCATS continues to strongly object to NYU’s relaxation of the masking mandates in the face of the new COVID variants which are much more easily transmitted and can more readily break through the current vaccines.
Don’t feel safe in your work area?
If you feel unsafe due to the configuration of your work area and/or due to many unmasked people being in your work area because of NYU’s relaxed masking protocols, contact your supervisor in writing and request they relocate you to a safe work area. If management doesn’t adequately address the situation, contact your union steward or the UCATS office.
If you are at particularly high-risk due to a serious health condition, contact the UCATS office for advice on your rights and how to exercise them.
September 2023 Wage Increase
Good news! UCATS members will receive a 3% raise effective September 12, 2022 because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) UCATS negotiated in 2017 which is in effect until 2023. UCATS members have received a wage increase every year since we negotiated our first CBA in 1979. That’s 43 years and 43 raises. Even better, every one of those raises increased the starting wage for every new employee going forward, so no matter when you started working at NYU your starting wage included every union-negotiated increase that has occurred since 1979.
Bad news! The CBA expires October 31, 2023 and there is no raise scheduled for September 2023. That’s because we will begin bargaining for a new CBA in September 2023 which will include a raise that, historically, has been retroactive to September. Please contact UCATS at [email protected] if you would like to participate in our collective bargaining effort.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
between
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
and
UNION OF CLERICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL STAFF AT NYU
LOCAL 3882, NYSUT, AFT, NEA, AFL-CIO
November 1, 2017 – October 31, 2023
Appendix D courses are non-credit courses for which NYU has agreed to reimburse our members for the usual 20% copayment upon completion of the course.Appendix D courses are updated each semester based on course availability and member requests.
Do not use your NYU email address
What every member needs to know.
Officers
Stephen Rechner
President
For entire leadership team please click on button below.
Shop Stewards and Officers are elected every two years to form our Executive Council (EC). The EC is the governing body of UCATS and meets once a month on the 2nd Monday of each month. The current term runs from May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, however, because our Collective Bargaining Agreement with NYU expires October 31, 2023 and we begin bargaining team training in February, the EC recently voted to hold early elections this September so that our team is in place by January 2023.
The election process begins with an announcement of the election to our members and the publication of the responsibilities of council members. That will be followed by a membership meeting where members nominate the people they wish to represent them on the EC. An Election Committee will follow up with each nominee to confirm that they wish to serve on the council if elected.
The election will conclude in December. All UCATS members are eligible to run for shop steward positions; members running for officer positions must be employed by NYU for at least 6 months. Notice of meetings/elections will be posted to our website, sent by email to members on our elist, and sent by USPS mail to members not on our elist.
UCATS History of Achievement
In 1979 clerical and technical workers at NYU voted to form their own union. We were chartered by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) as The United Staff Association at NYU, Local 3882. In 2003, we rebranded ourselves as The Union of Clerical, Administrative & Technical Staff at NYU – UCATS, Local 3882. Since 1979, we have steadily improved the wages, benefits and working conditions for all UCATS members.
Our success is due to the participation, strength and resolve of UCATS members. Our rights, protections, wages and benefits are spelled out in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) often referred to as the union contract. Unlike personnel policy manuals or employee handbooks, our CBA is legally enforceable because it is a contract.
UCATS has successfully negotiated wage increases for members every year since 1979 while there have been a number of years when non-union NYU employees have received no raise at all.
The UCATS CBA guarantees that all members receive equal pay for equal work. In unionized workplaces, women earn on average 23.8% more, Black workers earn 26% more and Latino workers earn 39.2% more than in non-unionized workplaces. Even brand-new employees hired into UCATS Local 3882-represented positions earn thousands of dollars more each year because the starting salaries include every raise UCATS has negotiated since it was formed in 1979.
UCATS members have protection from unjust discipline, discharge, and arbitrary treatment – something non-union workers never have.
UCATS Local 3882 is run by the members―you and your coworkers. Your shop stewards, officers, and even the president of the UCATS, are NYU employees like yourself who volunteer their free time to work for you. Your UCATS elected leaders know first-hand what it is like to work for NYU. For many years now, we also have hired professional staff to assist us in representing members in grievances, issues of concern, contract bargaining and the day-to-day administration of the Local.
All the rights, wages and benefits in our CBA weren’t given to us by NYU out of kindness. Everything was won at the negotiating table by the determination, strength, and participation of UCATS members like you.
What does a union do for its members?
Being a part of a union and having a union contract provides all members with legally enforceable rights, protections, wages, and benefits.
Without a union, we never have protection
from unfair discipline, discharge or arbitrary treatment and never have guarantees about our wages and benefits.
UCATS members currently have 51 pages of rights, protections, and guaranteed wages and benefits in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). In addition, UCATS hires professional staff who help us negotiate the CBA and who support and represent members with enforcing our contractual rights and addressing workplace concerns.
Why is it important for me to be a member of UCATS?
Our union is as strong as our membership.
The union is our organization – the 1300 clerical and technical employees at NYU are UCATS. As a union, we have the legal right to negotiate with NYU over our wages, benefits and working conditions.
By working and standing together, we are able to make significant gains when we negotiate our Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) periodically and when we are addressing issues of concern in the workplace.
UCATS members democratically decide on bargaining priorities; elect members to serve as our officers, stewards, and bargaining team members; vote on contracts, and make all the major decisions about our union.
Why do we pay union dues?
Unions are self-funded organizations. Without all of us paying union dues, we couldn’t have our own organization. Union dues pays for the professional staff we hire to support and represent us.
Dues pays for our union office; the telephones, computers and office equipment and supplies in the UCATS office, the cost of arbitrations to enforce our rights, the fees for bookkeeping and required annual audits; and much more.
There is a huge union advantage. Union employees on average earn 11.2% more than non-union employees. All 51 pages in our CBA reflect all the things we have gained as a result of having our union since 1979.
Why am I getting mail from NYSUT/AFT/NEA/AFL-CIO?
As a member of UCATS, you are also a member of:
NYSUT – New York State United Teachers
AFT – American Federation of Teachers
NEA – National Education Association
AFL-CIO – American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
What this means for you is that you can take advantage of the benefits each of these affiliates offer to their members. Links to their member benefits websites are in the Member Benefits section of our website. What these organizations do for our leadership team is they provide us with training and assistance when issues arise that are beyond the scope of our
expertise.
Why should I sign up for UCATS email?
Email is the fastest and most efficient means we have to communicate with all members. Many of our communications, such as notices of membership meeting and elections, we are required by law to send to every UCATS member (the Landrum-Griffin Law). We also use email to alert members to new benefits when they are offered by NYSUT/AFT/NEA/AFL-CIO. Email saves time and trees.
MEMBER BENEFITS
The benefits you receive from your employment at NYU are negotiated for you by UCATS and are articulated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
As a member of UCATS, however, you are also a member of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the American Federation of teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA), and the AFL-CIO. Each of these labor federations has a member benefits website and as a UCATS member you are entitled to take advantage of the benefits they offer.
- NYSUT Member Benefits
- AFT Member Benefits
- NEA Member Benefits
- AFL-CIO Member Benefits
- FREE Life Insurance and FREE Accidental Death/Dismemberment Insurance from NYSUT, AFT, NEA
- NYU $50,000 Life Insurance Plan Description
- NYU $50,000 Life Insurance Claim Form
- NYU $50.000 Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation Form
- NYU Planning for Retirement
In some cases there may be a notation that a particular benefit is not available to members in New York State; all that means is that a comparable or better version of that benefit is available from NYSUT Member Benefits. For most NYSUT/AFT/NEA benefits you will need your NYSUT member ID number which is on your NYSUT Membership card. If you don’t have your NYSUT membership card you can call NYSUT toll-free at 800-342-9810; press 0 for the operator and ask to be connected to the Membership Records Department.
PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT
NYU Retirement Benefits Guide document
NYU’s Planning for Retirement webpage has information on all of your benefits as an NYU retiree, including RETIREE HEALTH INSURANCE.
Be sure to click on the MORE BENEFITS link.
Here are some retiree benefits you may not be aware of:
VSP Retiree Discount Vision Plan – FREE for retirees
Health Advocate – FREE for retirees
$30,000 Basic Life Insurance – FREE for retirees
Life Insurance Claim Form
Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation Form
Note: You must let your beneficiary/survivor know about your
life insurance and how to claim it; NYU does not come looking for a
beneficiary/survivor to pay them the $30,000 when you have died.
MetLife Dental for retirees – Rates vary depending on where you live.
Currently (2020) $24.50-$34.75 monthly.
Union-Negotiated NYU Staff Pension Plan:
The Summary Plan Description for the NYU Staff Pension Plan will answer most questions about our defined benefit pension plan;
Aon is the administrator of the NYU Staff Pension Plan. On their website you can estimate your pension and learn how to apply for your pension when you are ready to retire.
How is my union-negotiated NYU Staff Pension calculated?
The math for determining your union-negotiated defined benefit pension can be found on page 15 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 20. If, having applied for your pension, you believe that Aon has miscalculated your benefit, you should first contact Aon for an explanation/resolution. If they do not explain/resolve the issue to your satisfaction then you should contact PeopleLink, NYU’s benefits and payroll service center, at [email protected] or 212-992-5465.
TIAA-CREF
If you are enrolled in the TIAA-CREF Supplemental Tax Deferred Annuity Plan, contact NYU Retirement Plans Helpline at TIAA at 844-NYU-TIAA (844-698-8422) to learn how to start receiving withdrawals in retirement. You will probably want to schedule an appointment with a TIAA-CREF advisor.
Social Security:
CLICK HERE to apply for Social Security Retirement benefits.
Location
UCATS, Local 3882
636 Broadway, Room 1219
New York, NY 10012
Tel.: 646-602-1485
Fax: 646-602-9554
Email: [email protected]
