Dear DC 37: Transparency = Full Member Participation in Negotiations

Dear Members:

Last week, Local 3005 members - along with members from the rest of the Engineering and Scientific Unit - received a letter from the presidents of Locals 375, 3599, and 3778 outlining how Local 3005 allegedly has interfered in the contract process during unit contract negotiations.

We were proud to start a member-led Contracts & Negotiations Committee this year, which authored original proposals for unit contracts.You can read the proposals here. They address gaps in the flexible work pilot, hiring timelines and understaffing, OCME overtime caps, extreme temperatures and weather protocols, inspector commute caps, modernizing bulletin boards, grievance procedure transparency, and more.

The three other local presidents voted to keep the Engineering and Scientific unit contract exactly the same. The only change agreed to by the other presidents was to increase additional compensation fund (ACF) payments by $1.42/paycheck for every year of service completed. This was the amount made available to each bargaining unit in the current economic contract signed three years ago. DC 37 Research & Negotiations has asked us not to request any improvements in working conditions at the unit level and wait instead until the economic contract is negotiated.

Last year, we were elected by our members to reform Local 3005 into a member-led, transparent, and democratic local that uses grassroots organizing to fight for better working conditions. After conducting a survey of members to document workplace issues and member needs, our Contracts & Negotiations Committee studied our current unit contract. We identified gaps in our contracts. Our Contracts & Negotiations Committee chair attended a series of national forums on best practices and built up training programs so we could learn how other unions across the country were winning contracts that union workers deserved. Our Contracts & Negotiations Committee has actively been engaging in the previously sleepy unit contracts process to fight for better working conditions.

This has caused tension among leadership and colleagues in DC 37, which typically operates as a top-down bureaucracy that devalues direct feedback from members. The letter sent to members last week demonstrates that our organizing model has hit a nerve. Please do not let any of this deter you from getting involved with our union; on the contrary, we hope this inspires you to join us in our fight for better contracts!

Here are responses to some of the questions we’ve received over the past few days from members:

What happened with unit contract negotiations?

On April 10, 2024, DC 37 negotiator Ben Totushek, on behalf of the presidents in the Engineering and Scientific bargaining unit at that time, submitted six contract proposals to the Office of Labor Relations (OLR). OLR sat on the proposals for two years before finally responding in May 2026, at which point a “caucus” meeting was scheduled for June 2026 for members of the bargaining unit. After months of gathering feedback from members, the Local 3005 Contracts & Negotiations Committee crafted 10 proposals for the unit contract, which we sent to our negotiator ahead of caucus meetings with plenty of time for the rest of the bargaining unit to review them. Towards the end of the July 13th caucus meeting, the Local 3005 bargaining committee was told there wasn’t sufficient time to discuss our proposals. Our bargaining committee asked to hold an additional meeting to explain and discuss these proposals with the three other local presidents in the bargaining unit. The three presidents voted to not hold a meeting to discuss them, and instead to vote on the proposals by email.

How was this letter sent to me? Do other local presidents have my address?

Locals do not have access to contact information for members of other locals. We have learned from DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido that the other local presidents brought the letter to the DC 37 Executive Board for review, and they approved the letter to be sent out using official DC 37 resources. Because DC 37 has address information for all members, they were able to send out to our members in Local 3005.

Who paid for this letter?

This letter was NOT paid for using Local 3005’s budget. Because it was officially approved by the DC 37 Executive Board and sent using DC 37 letterhead and envelopes, we assume this was paid from DC 37’s budget, which receives a portion of our union dues but is handled separately from Local 3005’s budget.

How can I get more involved with the Local 3005 contract fight?

We will be discussing the contract campaign TOMORROW during the September 30th member meeting. A more in-depth discussion will happen during the October 6th Contracts & Negotiations Committee monthly meeting over zoom at 7pm. As a reminder: the Contracts & Negotiations Committee meets the first Tuesday of each month over zoom at 7pm and you are welcome to join this committee!

We will continue to work towards better economic and unit agreements in the future. If you want to see a stronger economic contract when the current one expires in November 2026, we encourage you to sign and share this petition.

In Solidarity,

Local 3005 Leadership