CWA Local 1180 — Our Union’s First Public Sector Local — Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary

2025 marks the 60th Anniversary of CWA Local 1180’s, and sixty years since the initial 2,000 members of the Municipal Management Society (MMS) voted to affiliate with CWA. This year’s Annual Scholarship Dinner was a special event honoring the Local’s legacy and decades of leadership and advocacy.

MMS was formed in 1954 as the first union of New York City supervisory and administrative employees. In the early 1960s, when public sector organizing exploded and other City workers were making significant gains through collective bargaining, MMS members rededicated themselves to strengthening their collective bargaining and signed up a majority of workers before voting in 1965 to join CWA, becoming CWA’s first public sector local.

Today, Local 1180 remains one of the largest public sector locals of CWA, representing more than 9,000 active members and 6,200 retirees, and has expanded beyond City workers to represent workers at several non-profit organizations including the Trevor Project, the Audubon Society, the LGBTQ Center, StoryCorps, and more.

“CWA Local 1180 had its origins in the Municipal Management Society and when they affiliated with CWA in 1965, Local 1180 became CWA's first public sector Local,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor, one of the event’s Distinguished Career Achievement honorees. “Mind you, this was just years after public employees were granted collective bargaining rights. This tells you a lot about the fighting spirit in this Local. Today, as we celebrate Local 1180’s 60th anniversary, we are honoring all your important and historic contributions to the labor movement and the advancement of workers' rights. Your dedication, courage, and profound fighting spirit continue to inspire us all.”