Artwork used on the cover of the Civil Service Employees Association's March 2012 Work Force. Wall Street's New $cheme Tier 6: Not good for people, not good for economy. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget includes yet another pension tier, Tier 6, which will hurt all workers and do no good for our struggling economy.
Nancy Hoffman, hired as the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s general counsel in 1988, retired in December 2011. Hoffman became the driving force in the legal department's development, leading it from a handful of lawyers, limited resources and no history of accomplishment to one of the most respected and effective operations in organized labor. In this photograph, Nancy Hoffman works at her desk in CSEA Headquarters.
Nassau County recently issued layoff notices to Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) 243 Nassau Local members; and nearly 200 more county workers were demoted several pay grades, forcing a direct impact on county residents and the services they receive. Another 114 CSEA members from 16 different departments accepted voluntary retirement packages which preserved roughly 150 jobs that otherwise would have been lost to a second round of layoffs. Auto Shop Supervisor Sean Gavin repairs a street sweeper. Vehicle maintenance, snow removal and care for parks will all be more difficult with Nassau County's loss of workers through layoffs.
Nassau County recently issued layoff notices to Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) 243 Nassau Local members; and nearly 200 more county workers were demoted several pay grades, forcing a direct impact on county residents and the services they receive. Another 114 CSEA members from 16 different departments accepted voluntary retirement packages which preserved roughly 150 jobs that otherwise would have been lost to a second round of layoffs. Nassau County Probation Officer Bernice Brown is immersed in data entry tasks, following the layoffs of clerical staff.
Chautauqua County officials are threatening to sell the county nursing home, and union members are doing everything possible to make sure that does not happen. Bonnie Peters, front, leads a rally outside the Chautauqua County office building. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members, labor brothers and sisters, and supporters from the community gathered to demonstrate against the possible sale of the county's public nursing home.
According to Town of Fallsburg Unit President and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Gene Benson, the time is right for labor activists to run for office. In November 2011, he defeated an entrenched Republican incumbent in the race to represent Fallsburg and a portion of Neversink in the Sullivan County Legislature. Gene Benson, shown here on his day job at the Town of Fallsburg, successfully ran for county office after seeing injustices done to workers.
Workers, including Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members, in state juvenile detention facilities are facing increasingly dangerous conditions in the facilities, including violent attacks by youths in their care. Workers are also victims of a complete lack of support or concern for their safety from officials at the state Office of Children and Family Services, which runs the facilities. The photograph shows the state Office of Children and Family Services Taberg Residential Center in Oneida County.
Illustration from the February 2012 edition of The Work Force, published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), by graphic artist Ralph Distin of Dr. Strange "Love" shows Westchester Medical Center (WMC) CEO Mike Israel destroying the reputation of WMC as a first-class facility with layoffs, less patient care and the hiring of lower-paid private contractors.
Photo of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), Westchester County Local President John Staino, shown attending a press conference in October 2011, used as a headshot in the February 2012 Work Force. Westchester Medical Center CEO Mike Israel told local media he plans to "restructure" the hospital's Behavioral Health Center which provides a variety of services for residents struggling with mental illness. He abruptly laid off 155 CSEA members who care for some of the hospital's most vulnerable patients and will replace them with lower-paid contractors. This attack comes on the heels of 105 CSEA layoffs in December 2011.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), Westchester Local 2nd Vice President Junio Ismael Alvarado, center, dressed as King Melchor, joins retired CSEA member Donald Michael Friedman, right, as King Gaspar and SEIU Local 32BJ member Marcus Luna as King Baltasar in the annual Puerto Rican and Latino holiday tradition of celebrating Three Kings Day. On January 6 of every year since he was 7, Alvarado has worn an intricate, homemade costume, which usually takes him about a month to make, and participates in celebrations and parades.