News

Three Big Victories at the Bargaining Table, Including a First Union Contract!

11 Jun, 2025

The Trevor Project (Local 1180)

More than two years since they first went public with their campaign to join CWA Local 1180, works at The Trevor Project, a nonprofit suicide-prevention organization offering counseling and assistance to LGBTQ youth, ratified their first union contract!

Although the organization voluntarily recognized CWA as the representative for unionized staff in 2023, the road to a first contract has been a long and tough one, requiring strong mobilization bringing the predominantly remote staff together to fight for improved wages and working conditions. As attacks on the LGBTQ community have increased in recent months, the organization's work has become especially important–as has the need for strong protections for the workers.

Highlights of the contract include:

Equitable annual raises for all workers
Guaranteed increases to salary bands
Paid time for rank-and-file union representatives
Protections for immigrant workers
Guaranteed remote work rights
Fair shift-bidding process that prioritizes workers with ADA accommodations

Camden County Board of Social Services (Local 1084)

After more than a year of bargaining and massive mobilization efforts that included multiple worksite rallies and powerful testimony before the Camden County Board, Local 1084 members won a new strong new contract retroactive to January 2024.

Highlights include:

Significant wage increases - the highest in 17 years
Increased flexibility on union leave
Right to use sick time for parent teacher conferences, or for circumstances resulting from domestic or sexual violence
Expansion of bereavement leave allowances
Juneteenth added as paid holiday
Improvements on progressive discipline
Improved language on trainings
Parity on the number of vacation days employees get, resulting in all employees getting 25 days of vacation after 18 years of service regardless of one’s date of hire
Some improvements on healthcare costs - though more must be done on the legislative level, which is why CWA has launched a massive campaign to address rapidly increasing costs for public sector workers in New Jersey

Local 1084 members at a Practice Picket outside of the Camden County Board of Social Services in April

Graduate Student Employees Union (Local 1104)

Graduate workers at State University of New York (SUNY) campus won a new contract this month after over a year of tough bargaining and strong mobilization across multiple campuses that included several rallies, op-eds in local news, and a massive petition delivered to the Governor’s office.

The contract, which is retroactive to 2023 and expires in 2026, includes significant improvements on both economics and non-economics, with NO concessions

Highlights include: