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AFSCME local urges council to press administration to negotiate in good faith, announces petition for fact finder
Summary
A staff representative for AFSCME Local 2963 told the Newark City Council that recent administration proposals are unfair and said the union intends to petition the State Employer-Relations Board for a fact finder, urging council to request good-faith bargaining.
David Gierick, a staff representative for AFSCME Council 8 and Local 2963 representing Newark city employees, addressed the council during public comment and said proposals made during recent contract negotiations show a lack of respect for employees. He told the council members that union members are prepared to pursue a fact-finding process with the State Employer-Relations Board and called on council to ask the administration to negotiate in good faith.
"We are here to inform council that we have no other choice but to petition for a fact finder with the State Employer Relations Board," Gierick said, adding that members are prepared to stand together until a resolution rooted in fairness and respect is reached. He described city employees as the "heart of this community" and urged council intervention.
No reply from city administration is recorded in the meeting transcript. Council members did not record a formal response on the record during the meeting; the public comment concluded with members thanking the speaker.
The union’s statement signals an escalation in the contract process; the next formal step described by the speaker is petitioning the state board for fact finding rather than immediate strikes or work actions.
