Local 1-2 President James Shillitto presented the new 2020-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement with Con Edison to the Union’s Executive Board on June 22 where it was approved to send to the Members for ratification.

Some highlights of the new agreement include:

• 3% increase across the board each year for life of contract, including .25% merit wage increase, with the compounded increase of 12.55% over the life of the contract
• Medical costs kept reasonable, with lowest increases of employee contributions in years;
• Increased weekly reimbursement for basic medical screening to offset weekly contributions;
• Time off for Wellness exam with physician of employee’s choice;
• Effective 2022, wage progression will increase from 52 cents to 60 cents during the course of the contract, the first increase in 16 years;
• Effective June 1, 2022, move to top pay on the date of the 15th progressions to top pay;
• Vacation chart revamped, with additional vacation day(s) for many members/ more days to carry over/more time to keep carry over days;
• Pension remains the same for all, with improvements in Thrift Savings Plan;
• Mutual aid: Nothing changes for OH; and now available for all other workers sent to work off Con Ed or O&R property;
• No automatic loss of progression due to discipline;
• Expansion of canvassing for lateral movements without losing pay;
• Life insurance increases from $50k to $100k;
• Meal allowance increases incrementally to $17.50 by end of contract;
• Legal services plan now contractually offered;New student loan refinance plan offered;
• Job postings limit increased from 3 to 5 per year;
• New experimental work schedule language in contract with clear definitions;
• New stipend for CFRs for incidental costs;
• Work from home provision in contract, with company provided laptops;
• Increased C-6 eligibility by removing discipline as a bar;
• Increased stipend for personal vehicles, starting at $850 and at $1050 by contract’s end;
• Increased stipend for personal vehicles in storm from $135 to $140;
• Add various job titles to Wage Acceleration Plan;
• Personal Holiday replaced by Diversity Holiday;
• Can use telemed in many instances to certify illness or injury instead of having to travel to Irving Place; and
• Improvements to part time CSR schedule, with contractual path to full time;
• Extend letter agreement for provisional CFRs.

Letter agreements which establish new titles in some departments, increase wages for current employees moving into new titles and /or provide stipends or wage increases when pass tests for various duties.

In addition, we were able to REJECT the company’s demands for givebacks, including:

• Reductions of minimum wage rates for CSRs (without any increases in the top rate);
• Establishment of a Provisional CSR title;
• Decrease the time period for which Midnight Premium has to be paid;
• Removal of certain titles from the bargaining unit, thereby making them subject to the
• company’s whim for wages, benefits and discipline, including discharge;
• Reductions of medical benefits, pension benefits and sick time for new hires; and
• Major increases in employee medical contributions while significantly decreasing benefits.

Shillitto noted that there were NO GIVEBACKS in this contract, and that these improvements were achieved despite having to negotiate during a pandemic which has caused the greatest recession this country has seen since World War II. He said that Members’ Business Agents are prepared to answer questions about the new CBA. The Union will, shortly, submit the CBA to the Members for a ratification vote. Shillitto said the continuing pandemic would not interfere with voting