Voluntary Recognition in Jersey City

Workers at the Jersey City Employment and Training Program won voluntary recognition from their employer on June 17, two days before a scheduled National Labor Relations Board election. The group of 31 case managers, facilitators, clerks and job developers organized not only for better pay and benefits but also for a voice in determining policies and procedures and a grievance procedure to address unfair management practices. Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham assisted the workers in getting voluntary recognition, Local 1037 Pres. Hetty Rosenstein said. The workers also received support from the Hudson County Central Labor Council, the New Jersey AFL-CIO, CWA Local 1023, and the state Department of Labor, all of which sent letters to the executive director urging him to remain neutral and grant recognition. Local 1037 Organizing Director Anne Luck and Organizer La Porchtia Foster assisted the workers.