Late last week, after many contentious months at the bargaining table, a tentative contract agreement was reached between the YWCA of Western Mass. and employees represented by UAW Local 2322. But that doesn't mean the battle is over.
The union members—who work in Y programs that serve battered women, teen parents, rape victims and others in need—will vote on whether to accept the terms of the agreement on March 20. Ron Patenaude, Local 2322's president, declined to discuss the specifics of the agreement until his members have a chance to vote. Members earlier voted to authorize a strike if an acceptable contract cannot be reached.
The employees, who voted to form a union in 2003, are looking for wage increases—something the YWCA says it can't afford to give in these tough economic times, especially given the agency's dependence on grants and public funds, which can be unpredictable. "Does that mean our employees don't deserve them? Oh, no," Executive Director Mary Reardon Johnson told the Advocate in January ["Left Behind," Jan. 22, 2009]. "I believe they should be paid a lot more. & The money just isn't there."
But UAW points out that the YWCA has found the money for raises for top managers in recent years, including Johnson, who, according to tax records, saw her salary rise from $100,000 in fiscal year 2005 to $129,000 in fiscal 2007. Over the same period, Suzy Cieboter, the Y's CFO, saw her salary climb from $60,000 to $69,000. The YWCA also found $161,000 between fiscal 2004 and 2006 to hire Skolar, Abbott and Presser, a Springfield law firm that helps employers fight union drives.
On Thursday, March 12, YWCA employees will appear before the Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice Workers' Rights Board to offer testimony about their experiences with management, including the Y's efforts to keep out the union and a number of unfair labor practices charges workers have filed against the agency. The panel—whose members include representatives from local government, social service agencies, clergy and academia—will hear testimony and then release a report with their findings. While the panel has no authority, a report that favors the union could exert social pressure on the YWCA. (The hearing, to be held from 3-5 p.m. in Room 220, Springfield City Hall, is open to the public. YWCA management is also invited to attend, although that seems unlikely.)
Jobs With Justice is proceeding with the hearing despite the tentative agreement at the request of YWCA employees, who want the opportunity to speak about their experiences, said Jon Weissman, the group's coordinator. "They have been subject to repeated actions intended to circumvent labor law and undermine their rights to organize and to form and support a union of their own choosing as guaranteed under the National Labor Relations Act. They have been disrespected," he wrote in an email. Jobs With Justice also plans to use the hearing to talk about the responsibilities of non-profits, like the YWCA, to their workers and the communities they serve.
