1,300 Health Care 'Managers' Join Local 1180

More than 1,300 coordinating managers at the Health and Hospitals Corp. in New York City won representation by CWA Local 1180 on May 15, when the city's Office of Collective Bargaining certification board ruled that they are essentially non-managerial personnel.

"I think it's great to finally have union representation," said Ted Wright, who has worked at Bellevue Hospital since 1984 and held the coordinating manager title since 2001.

After an exhaustive series of job review meetings with representatives of the local, the board found that few of the so-called managers had any control over budget or policy and therefore were eligible for union representation.

"We're thrilled to welcome the coordinating managers into our union," said Local 1180 President Art Cheliotes. "We look forward to helping our new members improve their working lives."

An immediate result of gaining representation, the coordinating managers will now be compensated for any hours worked outside their regular tour of duty.

Coordinating managers (CMs) are engaged in supervisory or administrative work at New York City's 10 public hospitals, five diagnostic and treatment centers, four long-term care facilities, a home health care agency.