Following their fellow Town of Islip employees in the blue collar unit who overwhelmingly voted to join UPSEU three years ago, the white collar unit employees decided to join them in a PERB election held on September 18th.
The unit voted 113 to 74 to join UPSEU.
The unit was represented by City Union Local 237 of the Teamsters for 40 plus years. After seeing the level of representation provided to their blue collar co-workers over the past three years, plus years of wage freezes under the Teamsters which depressed their wages to the lowest of any town in Suffolk County, the unit decided they had enough.
“Workers were paying upwards of 75% more in dues than UPSEU blue collar employees, while getting nothing in return in the way of representation,” stated UPSEU President Kevin E. Boyle, Jr. “That was the clear message we heard from white collar employees throughout the campaign,” Boyle added.
UPSEU, which is currently at the bargaining table for town blue collar employees, will now go to work for the white collar unit as well.
We welcome Town of Islip White Collar Employees to the UPSEU family!
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