News

IMPORTANT Bargaining Update: Tentative Agreement in Place

CWA is extremely proud to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with the State of New Jersey for a new contract covering our 35,000 members in the executive branch. We are finalizing the terms in writing and will provide details directly to our membership in the coming days. 

To be clear, any success and power CWA has at the bargaining table is based on membership solidarity, patience, and strength. When we fight, we win. Together, we fought for a pattern-breaking contract and this tentative agreement has significant gains for members in every part of CWA’s membership. 

Since February, our membership has been unified in our goal of winning significant salary growth, protecting healthcare, and recognizing telework as a new reality in many of our worksites. This tentative agreement delivers strongly on those goals and sets a foundation for continued work in several areas. 

Compensation Package 

  • Wins the largest across-the-board package over the life of the contract since our 2007-2011 contract, with members receiving raises averaging between 19% and 35%
  • Provides across-the-boards of 14%, exclusive of annual step increases which average an additional 3.7% per year. The first ATB is retroactive to July 1, 2023.
  • Adds Step 11 to top of all pay ranges, effective July 2025
  • Adjusts all titles below range 9 to at least Range 9-step 2, establishing a new minimum salary for all CWA-represented positions, effective July 2024
  • Secures Clothing Maintenance Allowance payments for the life of the contract, retroactive for 2023

Health Benefits 

  • Secures our current plan design and contribution increases - secured our current contribution rates for CWA Unity Direct
  • Continues negotiations on plan design issues such as copays through the State Plan Design Committee, and all affected unions

Telework 

  • Establishes process for continued negotiations on telework program to start October 15, 2023 and end by March 15, 2024 before the Civil Service Commission considers a permanent rule
  • Provides a process to address exclusions of members in the departments of Children and Families and Law and Public Safety

Our tentative agreement also secures improved health and safety procedures, agreements to reduce and convert temporary positions into full-time bargaining unit positions, changes to Civil Service issues like out-of-title work appeals and supervisory position requirements, and continued negotiations to place Rowan SOM members in the state ranges and steps. 

We look forward to sharing full details by early next week once the parties have signed off on the final documents, which is in progress. 

Your Local leadership will distribute the Tentative Agreement materials and schedule membership meetings to explain the agreement and ratification procedures. 

In Solidarity, 

Dennis Trainor, District 1 Vice President
William Gallagher, District 1 Assistant to the VP
Fran Ehret, NJ Area Director
John Rose, Local 1031
Migdalia Santiago, Local 1032
Gaye Palmer, Local 1033
Adam Liebtag, Local 1036
Ken McNamara, Local 1037
Shawn Ludwig, Local 1038
Michele Long-Vickers, Local 1040