AME Happenings
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Suffolk County AME & Labor Relations met today For “Collective Negotiations”
4/19/2010
- Cheryl A. Felice, President
The AME Negotiating Team began its Monday, April 19th meeting with Labor Relations by meeting with the Executive Board and AME Counsel Brian O’Dwyer, Helen Wrobel, and O’Dwyer & Bernstien Labor/Management legal specialist Tom Ryan. Mr. Ryan is serving as an on-site Negotiations expert in every step of this formidable negotiations process. Brian O’Dwyer provided some important confidence in reminding this AME Team of the successful Union solidarity which existed during the prior Negotiations of 2004/2005. We stood together as one then, and we must stand together as one now! Just looking back at the last twelve months, most recently including the hostile CWA decertification raid attempt, we have triumphed over some very major hurdles – all of which have succeeded in making AME stronger and more focused!
We take an active role in achieving our contractual futures by having our own co-workers, representing our departments in both white and blue collar units, serving as individual representatives on the AME Negotiating Team. Your co-workers, some of whom are your personal friends, sit across from the County’s administrative team and represent you - and the needs and wants of your department.
It is of #1 importance that our entire AME membership understands that we have entered into Negotiations in the spirit of good faith bargaining, and have taken the wants and needs and concerns of our members with us right there at the negotiations table. Today, AME and the County presented their respective contract demands. As per the legal parameters of the National Labor Relations Act, the Labor Management Act, and our own NYS Taylor Law, all issues discussed at Negotiations must remain confidential until a tentative agreement has been reached. However, if you would like some information about the negotiations process, be sure to read through every page of the latest edition of The Voice – it was mailed out last week and is all about Negotiations!
The Negotiating Team will meet for a work session on Thursday, May 6, to prepare for our next formal Negotiations Session with the County on Monday, May 10, 2010.
Please monitor the AME website – we will continue to provide updates! And remember,
Unity wins,
Cheryl A. Felice
President