Title Review Brings Representation to 500 N.J. Workers

Thanks to the work of local union organizers, more than 500 previously ineligible New Jersey state workers will gain the benefits of CWA representation.

The workers, in 57 job titles across state government previously considered management or confidential, include people like Alice Bebout, a project manager in the state's Office of Information Technology.  Bebout had been a CWA member as a lower-level employee but lost her union eligibility when promoted to project manager four years ago.

"It became a big problem because there was a salary cap on the project managers and other titles that prevented us from keeping pace with supervisors who were in the union," Bebout explained.

The salary cap had been in place several years, but when recently a 10th step was added to the wage progression of represented employees, many of those who supervised them fell behind.

Said Bebout, who worked with Local 1032 on behalf of her colleagues, "Since we will now be in the union, if they figure the compensation level properly, we will no longer be in this situation."

Local 1032 Staff Representative Dudley Burdge — like staff reps in locals across the state — worked with Bebout and nearly 80 employees in her office, explaining to them the benefits of belonging to CWA and helping collect show-of-interest cards. Though representation was not based upon a majority signing cards, Burdge said collecting signed cards both helped to solidify the workers' resolve and influenced the course of negotiations.

A side agreement to the 2003 state workers contract led to a review of all state titles by the New Jersey Office of Employee Relations and CWA. The new title agreement was signed by the state on Aug. 23.

Potentially several hundred additional employees in state colleges could win representation when seven disputed titles are presented to an arbitrator for resolution, reported District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton.

Local officers and organizers who worked on the campaign in addition to Local 1032's Burdge include Adam Liebtag of Local 1034, Executive Vice President Don Klein and Connie English of Local 1040, Rose Silva of Local 1039, John Polk of Local 1031 and Ken McNamara of Local 1037.