January 30, 2009
Bruce Nigro, Director
Essex County Division of Welfare
18 Rector Street, Floor 9
Newark, NJ, 07102
Re: Step II Class Action Contractual Grievance
Vacation Schedules Allowance Diminution
Article I. Purpose
Article VII. Discipline
Article IX. Vacations
Article XXV. Non-Discrimination
Dear Mr. Nigro:
CWA Local 1081 submits this Step II Class Action Contractual Grievance, on behalf of all of our adversely affected and potentially adversely affected members employed by the Essex County Division of Welfare, to protest the verbal directives our members are receiving today from their respective managers and supervisors based upon the content of your attached memorandum of January 28, 2009, entitled “Vacation Schedules”:
- Past practice has allowed a minimum of 33% of our members of the same title to take vacation at the same time.
- For management to alter this policy to only 25% is highly unreasonable and creates extreme hardship for many of our members.
- With the excessive and ever increasing client caseloads, and decreasing staff, combined with other malignant managerial machinations such as the Administration’s reneging on our Union’s negotiated contract, this new vacation schedule submission allowance edict only exacerbates conditions within the agency which may well lead to consequence that could have easily been avoided.
Our Union understands your memorandum allows that the “maximum allowed will be 33% of staff”, but only if “the Administrator provides a detailed explanation” to your office. However, logically, 33% of a six-person unit represents 1.9% or, statistically and practically, two of a six person unit. On the other hand, 25% represents exactly 1.5 people. CWA Local 1081 respectfully requests you please provide our union a memorialized explanation of how you will achieve this fantastic feat worthy of King Solomon (Book of Kings, Chapter 2 Verse 16-28).
As the resolution to this grievance, CWA Local 1081 respectfully demands the following:
1. The County shall allow 33% of CWA Local 1081’s members in any title to schedule vacations.
We seek a hearing, in this regard.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President
CWA Local 1081