We’ve secured our new DHS contract.

It’s official: DHS members have voted 95% in favor of our new contract! The department and COWINS leadership have now added their signatures, making it an official addendum to our main Partnership Agreement.

The 2026 DHS Agreement creates better incentives and differentials, more protections in the workplace, and more reliable scheduling.

Now that this tentative agreement has been ratified and signed by both COWINS and the State, it officially replaces the old DHS contract we bargained for in 2023.

In another three years, we’ll be bringing DHS back to the bargaining table to win a contract that’s even better than this one! But what we win in 2029 won’t be any better than this contract, unless we’re a stronger union than we are now.

By the time 2029 rolls around, we can (and should) be ready to bring even stronger demands to the bargaining table with DHS. But we can’t expect to win those demands if we are not standing united in our union.

Let’s use the contractual rights we’ve secured today to build our union’s power for tomorrow.