Introduction to the Union Dispute
For years, workers at Citywide Mobile Response, a Bronx-based ambulance service, griped about what they described as their absentee union. Whenever medical equipment and safe trucks were in low supply, they said, their complaints to management fell on deaf ears — and their union was nowhere to be found.
Background of the Union
The frustrations led to a campaign to kick out their union, Local 741 of the Specialty Trades Union, and join a new one — but they had to move quickly, with just a 30-day window under federal labor law to make their escape. In just five days in late January, Citywide workers gathered signatures from more than half of their 200-plus colleagues, exceeding the 30% required to request an election with the National Labor Relations Board.
The Election and Its Outcome
They prevailed in a blowout election on March 6, voting 116 to 14 to kick out their union, Local 741 of the Specialty Trades Union, and join 1199SEIU. Eight more workers voted to not have a union at all. “For the seven years that I’ve been here, it’s been an organization that’s been absent,” Citywide emergency medical technician Felix Rivera said of Local 741. “Not one person” out of the dozens of employees who Rivera personally canvassed said they wanted to keep the union, he said.
Reasons for Leaving the Union
The effort was a culmination of years of frustration with Local 741. The local was previously known as Local 124 RAISE, an affiliate of the International Union of Journeymen and Allied Trades, a union that specializes in signing contracts friendly to management. Longtime Citywide employees said they paid $34 in dues to Local 741 every month, but they never met or knew who their shop stewards and representatives were. Workers are unsure even how long ago the contract, which they said auto-renews about every three years, was first put in place or how workers first came to affiliate with the union.
Communication Breakdown with the Union
Local 741’s website, workers told THE CITY, does not have valid emails to contact, and numerous calls to the union over the years went unreturned. That meant that when issues arose on the job — such as disciplinary actions against employees or safety issues as serious as trucks having faulty brakes or steering trouble — they felt they had nowhere to turn to, said Rivera, who led the efforts to leave Local 741. Workers had to report these issues to Citywide, only to go months without them being addressed, Rivera and another worker told THE CITY.
Response from Local 741
Gary Rothman, the attorney representing Local 741, said in a phone call that the union “would vehemently disagree” with those allegations. “Members called the union and their telephone calls were returned,” he said. “The union believes it adequately and properly serviced this shop.”
Impact on Workers and the Industry
The victory is a rebuke not only of their former union but their employer, who workers said does not give them adequate resources and support to do their jobs well. EMTs and paramedics, both in the public and private sector, are among the nation’s lowest-paid medical workers and have some of the highest rates of mental health issues and substance abuse. EMS agencies, in New York and nationwide, are chronically understaffed.
The Process of Decertification
Workers can boot their existing unions, a process known as decertifying, only during a 30-day “window period” that ends two months before their current collective bargaining agreement’s expiration date. When workers decertify, they can petition a vote to join another union, as the Citywide workers did, or become non-union. Because Citywide’s union contract auto-renewed, workers had little idea of when their window of opportunity even was to decertify.
Joining Forces with EMS PAC
As the contract deadline neared this year, workers were better prepared. They joined forces with EMS PAC, an independent organization that advocates for both union and non-union paramedics and EMTs. Walter Adler, an EMT and co-founder of the organization, is a member of 1199SEIU through his day job, and encouraged the Citywide workers to join his union.
Conclusion
With the election now behind them, workers are looking forward to contract negotiations and electing their shop stewards and representatives, Rivera said. By law, workers have to wait until the NLRB evaluates Local 741’s challenges and certifies the election results in order to begin bargaining. The workers will gather in the coming months to determine specific contract priorities, but both Rivera and Ruiz mentioned pay, vehicle safety, and improved health insurance and benefits among their top issues.
FAQs
- Q: What was the main reason for Citywide workers to leave their union, Local 741?
A: The main reason was the union’s absence and lack of support for workers’ concerns, including safety issues and poor working conditions. - Q: How did Citywide workers manage to decertify their union?
A: They gathered signatures from more than half of their colleagues within a 30-day window under federal labor law and voted to join a new union, 1199SEIU, in a blowout election. - Q: What are the top priorities for the workers in their new contract negotiations?
A: Pay, vehicle safety, and improved health insurance and benefits are among the top issues mentioned by workers like Rivera and Ruiz. - Q: What does the future hold for Citywide workers now that they have joined 1199SEIU?
A: They are looking forward to having a more responsive union that addresses their concerns and works towards improving their working conditions and benefits.
