CWA LOCAL 1036

NEW! Unemployment Frequently Asked Questions 

CWA has compiled the most frequently asked questions we are hearing from members who filed for furlough unemployment. Please read these FAQs before reaching out for assistance. 

CWA is offering assistance to Members ONLY who have questions about filing their Unemployment Insurance Claim. Please fill out this form below and a CWA Unemployment Insurance Specialist will contact you to assist you. If your questions are not answered in the FAQs and Guidance on Filing for UI documents, you can proceed with filling out this form.

See: Guidance on filing for Unemployment Benefits for Furloughed State Workers

• Note: If you already filed a claim, do not refile. 
• Note: Regardless of where you live, you file your unemployment claim with the NJ Department of Labor. UI claims are filed in the state where you work, not the state where you live. 

Friday, July 3 will remain a paid holiday. Furloughs scheduled before or after that day will not affect holiday pay. Furloughs should be scheduled with this in mind. 

See: Suspending your Pension Loan Under the CARES Act

• Q&A About Suspending your Pension Loan (from NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits)
• Application Form to Suspend Pension Loan

Voting closed Saturday, June 27 at 12pm noon. 

The overall results are posted below. Thank you to everyone who voted. 

The agreement has been approved by membership. 

Remember: The MOA requires furloughs to be scheduled to maximize CARES Act coverage.

The CARES deadline is 7/25 - not 7/31. Please make sure you are scheduled for furloughs by 7/25.

If you have any questions or problems, please contact the Local at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Below are materials to review as members vote on the 2020 State of Emergency Job Security Agreement for the NJ State executive branch.

• Job Security Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) - this is the full negotiated agreement
• Schedule A - explanation of how furloughs will be scheduled
• Schedule B - Chart showing unemployment benefits for every salary level (updated 6-26-20 to show estimates for higher salary levels)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - for informational purposes, updated 7/1
• CWA NJ Summary of the Agreement - a detailed explanatory summary. This document has been taken down because information has been updated since its publication. 

Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with ANY questions so we can stay in touch during this time. 

Voting opens 12:00PM on Thursday June 25 and closes at 12:00PM on Saturday June 27. Results will be reported on our website and via email broadcast on Saturday afternoon. 

A Message to CWA Executive Branch State Workers From Your Bargaining Committee

Dear Sisters, Brothers, Union Family,

Last night, your State Worker Bargaining Team successfully completed negotiations on a very important No Layoff Agreement with the Murphy Administration.

This Agreement will protect our members job security during the worst economic upheaval since the Great Depression. It includes a deferral of the upcoming July 2020 raise and a rescheduling of the April 2022 raise. It includes some furlough days, but most of which will be eligible for unemployment.

We will provide the details of this Agreement to our members within the coming days and you will have an opportunity to vote on this No Layoff Agreement this week.

We are proud of the agreement that we negotiated over the past several weeks. Deferring wage increases and having workers furloughed, even for a few days, is difficult. But in an environment such as this, we believe that we have accomplished something remarkable: Job protection for our members and their families. We hope that once you understand the details of this Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that you will agree and vote yes.

You will soon receive detailed information. We will have a Townhall Call to go over the Agreement, and you will be emailed voting instructions as soon as they are completed.

In Solidarity,

CWA 1036 Stands In Solidarity with the Movement for Racial Justice

June 3, 2020

First, we must acknowledge that no statement can truly capture the sadness, rage, and despair that many of us have felt over the past several days. No string of paragraphs, no matter how artfully worded, can mend centuries of repression that still have still have undeniable effects on our society today. 

At the same time, silence is just not an option. We offer this statement as part of a deeper commitment to the sort of racial, economic, and workplace justice that the best of the labor movement has always strived to win. 

The murder of George Floyd, like the deaths of too many others before him, lay bare an uncomfortable truth.  Structural racism in this country is still alive. Our collective response must be to reject it, to act against it, and to take part in a massive and explicitly anti-racist workers’ movement. 

As we reject racism, we also reject violence. In many cases, the impact of strong and passionate but peaceful protests has been drowned out by violence from fringe actors. Attacks on community businesses and law enforcement hold back the march for justice. Media coverage is not carrying the message of social change, but the pictures of violence and property damage. We all must reject these violent actors and their agenda.

The Labor Movement has been at our most powerful when we understand that our fight for workers’ rights doesn’t begin or end in the workplace. If our fight stopped at the workplace, we’d at best be leaving the work half done, and at worst be indifferent to the way injustices in the workplace are but a microcosm of an unequal society. 

Many of the forces stacked against equal rights, equal pay, and social justice also fight against organized labor and working people. Labor and social justice movements share common enemies and we share the struggle to change the balance of power. CWA 1036 is committed to helping build that movement.

The Union must be a great equalizer. Our members receive the same protections, the same wages and benefits, and the same stronger voice at work when they have a union contract that treats everyone the same regardless of race, gender, or economic background. We will always stand together as a Union to fight for the rights of every member. 

Right now, that means unequivocally and unapologetically standing for racial justice, standing against violence in any form, and truly acting as a union. When we lock arms with our brothers and sisters, we cannot let our differences divide us. 

Words are not enough. Let's move beyond social media posts and support each other with actions not just words. Join a peaceful protest - many are scheduled throughout this week and weekend. Donate time or financially to a civil rights advocacy group. Register everyone in your family and all your friends to vote in this year's election - and then spread the word to your neighborhood, your church, you social groups and more.  Be an activist in your union and in your community. 

Solidarity Forever.

CWA is proud to represent the employees of Burlington County! Not only are our members on the frontlines of the testing site in Westampton they are also behind the scenes processing data, documenting contract tracing and continuing to provide essential services to the public. Also a special thanks to our members of the Medical Examiner’s office who have the task of caring for the members of the public and their families during extremely sad circumstances. Everyone is going above and beyond to serve the public.

CWA Supports a $500 Billion Rescue Fund for State and Local Governments currently under negotiations in Congress.

Do you?  

Senator Menendez (NJ - D) and Senator Cassidy (LA -R ) are sponsoring a bill for a $500 billion fund for state and local governments. The bill is supported by both Republican and Democratic governors all over the country. 

STATES, COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES need this budget assistance to prevent reduction in public services. 

Please send an email to your Member of Congress and tell them to sponsor and support this bill.  

Don't delay! Act now. 

Unions are working not only to protect our membership that are working during this coronavirus crisis, but we are concerned with how and when the economy will re-open. Workers' rights need to be protected, not sacrificed, to get the national and state economy back on track. 

For more information, see the AFL-CIO Priorities to Address the Coronavirus

You may have read or heard about recent warnings that workers in state, county and local government could face massive layoffs if federal aid is not provided to NJ.

Layoffs would hurt our fight against COVID-19 and our chances at economic recovery.

What you can do: Take action now to support a rescue fund for state and local governments.

Unfortunately, New Jersey – like many other states hit hard by COVID-19 – faces large budget shortfalls caused by high unemployment, lack of economic activity, and ongoing emergency expenses to fight the virus. There is no doubt this virus has become a publiceconomic crisis in addition to public health emergency. Layoffs are not the answer to the fiscal crisis.  They will only worsen the strain on local and state economies.

We know that layoffs are not the solution to this budget problem. The State, County and Municipalities all need budget assistance, or there will not be enough money to fund operations. Layoffs are one possible result but they will not fix the economic hole created by this virus. In fact, they would only make New Jersey’s recovery harder. Layoffs would massively disrupt government at a time when residents need those services most.

Act Now: Fighting this virus includes fighting for federal aid.

Thank you, Governor Murphy, for taking time to thank CWA members at the Department of Health who are leading the response efforts to the COVID-19 crisis.