Negotiations between the United Jewish Federation of Metrowest in East Orange, New Jersey, and the union representing workers of the Federation and its federated agencies, broke down and 150 workers walked out yesterday the union chapter chairperson told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The issue was wages.
Dona Fliegel, chairperson of Local 215, District Council 1707 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employes (AFSCME), said the union members walked out under a master contract for the affected agencies — the Federation, the Jewish Counseling and Service Agency, the Y and the Jewish Vocational Service.
Fliegel said in the telephone report to the JTA, that she understands all of the struck offices were open and operating with managerial personnel. This was confirmed by Howard Charish, executive vice president of the Federation.
Fliegel said negotiations began the first week in June and settlement was reached on all other issues. She said the bottom line of management was a proposal for a wage increase of five percent a year for any two-year period. The local demanded a 15 percent increase for the two years — 71/2 percent for each year.
She said no new date had been set for more negotiations, Charish said yesterday that this was correct, pointing out that the strike had just begun. He said the Federation’s commitment was to keep providing services and that “a fair and equitable offer was made to the union under current economic conditions.” He said management had made no request for “givebacks.”
Fliegel had told the JTA that the Federation did ask for “some givebacks” for new employes on medical-hospitalization outlays. Charish said this did not apply to any present employes.
Fliegel said the last previous walkout occurred in 1970 against the Jewish Community Federation of Metropolitan New Jersey, predecessor to the Metrowest Federation. She said that walkout lasted six weeks and that it was her “impression” that the union then had generally won its demands.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
