The Public Sector, 1987 April 20

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UNORGANIZED ... PAGES
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Official

fice: 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210. Second Class Postage paid at Post e
Office, Albany, New York.
Address changes should be sent to: Civil Service Employees Association, Attn:
Membership Department, 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210.
publication of The Civil Service COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATES
Employees Association Local 1000, AFSCME, SHERYL CARLIN .... Region I RON WOFFORD . Region VI
AFL-CIO 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, (816) 273-2280 (716) 886-0391
New York 12210 LILLY GIOIA . Region IT STEVE MADARASZ . . Headquarters
(212) 514-9200 (518) 434-0191
ANITA MANLEY Region III
AARON SHEPARD. .Publisher (914) 896-8180
ROGER A. COLE Editor DAN CAMPBELL Region IV
C . eel (518) 489-5424
KATHLEEN DALY. . Associate Editor CHUCK McGEARY . Region V
(315) 451-6330
e

2

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Everyone enjoys the circus — it’s
entertainment that appeals to the entire family
and the child in each of us.

With that in mind, CSEA is offering special
discount admission prices to CS9EA members
and their families to selected performances of the
world famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey Circus, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,”
May 20, 21 and 22 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

In cooperation with the circus management,
CSEA members and their families will be
admitted, with the coupon printed below, at $2
each off the regular admission price. This offer is

Present this coupon for $2 off the regular admission price for
members of The Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) and

Wy their families to any of the following performances of the Ringling e
V Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Glens Falls Civic Center:
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thurs-
day, May 21 and 4 p.m. Friday, May 22.
e

good for circus performances at the Glens Falls
Civil Center at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20;
10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21 and 4
p.m. Friday, May 22.

Simply clip out the coupon below and pi
at the ticket office at the Glens Falls Civ
for any of the performances listed above to
receive $2 off the admission price for CSEA
members and members of their families.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circus is appearing at the Glens Falls Civic
Center May 19-24, The special discount prices are
eee only for the four performances listed
above.

ALBANY — CSEA will comply with all
reasonable requests of candidates for union
office to distribute campaign literature to the
membership at the candidate’s expense.

The following procedures apply:

Candidates must pay in advance by either
certified check or money order made payable
to “CSEA Inc.” Cost is approximately 30 cents
per letter which includes printing (one-side
only), handling and mailing via first class
postage.

Maximum size for printed materials is 8
1/2” by 11” and the limit is one enclosure per
mailing. Camera-ready artwork must be
provided.

Mailings will be done on a first-come first
served basis on or after April 30.

Candidates may also have campaign
materials printed and envelopes stuffed

elsewhere and then delivered before May 1 to
\_CSEA Headquarters for mailing. They may

( Campaign literature distribution help

also purchase mailing labels and mailing lists
at cost.

CSEA will also provide, at no expense, a list
or set of labels of local and unit presidents in
the candidate’s jurisdiction. Send written
requests, only, to: CSEA Elections Processing
Unit, P.O. Box 7125, Capitol Station, Albany,
N.Y. 12224.

Meanwhile, candidates, or proxies with
written authorizations, may observe all
aspects of the literature distribution on
weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at @
CSEA Headquarters, 143 Washington Ave.,
Albany. In addition, they may observe the
elections process (printing and mailing of
ballots, picking up and opening of ballots, etc.)
which is being handled by the Independent
Election Corporation of America (IECA), Lake
Success, N.Y.

It is recommended that observers notify
TECA in advance of their visits by phoning
(516) 437-4900.

The Public Sector (445010) is published every other Monday by The Civil Service
Employees Association, 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210, Publication Of-

April 20, 1987:

Delegates OK
law department

KIAMESHA LAKE — CSEA delegates
made history on April 9 when they decided
that the union will — for the first time ever
— have its own Law Department.

By a decisive 1,171 to 784 vote at a Special
Delegates Meeting here, the delegate body
endorsed recommendations made by a
special committee they appointed last fall to
review CSEA legal services. (Committee
findings were published in the March 23,
1987, edition of The Public Sector.)

As part of the same resolution establishing
a CSEA Law Department, delegates
approved the appointment of Attorney
Marjorie E. Karowe as General Counsel. (A
profile on General Counsel Karowe appears
on page 10 of this edition of The Public
Sector.)

The committee, after an exhaustive five-
month study, concluded that ‘‘the delivery of
legal services to CSEA by the law firm of
Roemer & Featherstonhaugh is
unsatisfactory” and recommended that such
services be “terminated.”

They also outlined proposals for in-house
legal services.

Delegates accepted the committee’s
advice after five hours of free-wheeling
debate.

The meeting, called by petition of 25 local
presidents, was chaired by CSEA President
William L. McGowan, who supported the
committee’s recommendations, explaining
that since the union already provides so
many direct services (benefit fund,
employee assistance program, education
and training, etc.), ‘it was now time to have
our own Law Department dedicated only to
CSEA and to no outside interests.”

He also put together a proposal for
establishing an in-house department which
he estimates will save more than $250,000
annually.

McGowan told the delegates that for such
a department to succeed, ‘“‘we need someone
with a real dedication to unionism who will
have our interests at heart.”

“The one person who fits the bill is Marge
Karowe. With no reservations, I would
choose Marge as our General Counsel. = *
Marge has over 12 years experience with
CSEA and loves this union as we do,”
McGowan said.

The morning after the delegates meeting,
Karowe was in CSEA Headquarters in
Albany setting up shop.

She will direct a staff of eight full-time
attorneys, two legal assistants, one
paralegal and four secretaries.

CSEA will also maintain its existing
network of regional attorneys.

April 20, 1987

CSEA PRESIDENT William L. McGowan checks
a point with CSEA Parlimentarian Celeste
Rosenkranz during Special Delegates Meeting

on April 6.

Meanwhile, union delegates went home
optimistic that their action fulfills the
special committee’s goal to.have a legal
team with their exclusive dedication to the
interests of CSEA and its members.

(AN OPEN LETTER TO >
THE MEMBERS:

The action taken by the delegates at the
Concord Hotel was a giant historic step for
our union.

The creation of the CSEA Law
Department will, from this day forward,

* serve all the members and determine our
own destiny.

The majority vote by the delegates
reaffirms that the membership does have a
voice in the affairs and the future of
CSEA.

It also shows that the members have a
right to change what does not work.

To those who feel differently | extend
my hand in a gesture of unity toward all. |
ask that we put aside our past differences
and go forward with a new beginning.

We are, after all, a union of common
People with common sense and, most
importantly, a common purpose.

Join me in making CSEA the union of
today and the union of tomorrow.

‘e Ny

Following is the verbatim resolution adopted
by delegates at the Special Delegates Meeting
held April 6, 1987, at the Concord Hotel,
Kiamesha Lake. The resolution was adopted
by a margin of 1,171 — 784.

WHEREAS, this Delegate Body,
pursuant to the Certificate of
Incorporation of The Civil Service
Employees Association, Inc., as amended,
has full power and authority to transact
any and all business of the Association at
meetings of the Association; and

WHEREAS, this Delegate body has
received, reviewed and deliberated upon
the Report of the Special Committee to
Review the Delivery of Legal Services
and now wishes to act upon its findings
and recommendations;

NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly
made and seconded; it is

RESOLVED that the legal services of
Roemer and Featherstonhaugh, P.C. as
General Counsel, and in any other
capacity, to The Civil Service Employees
Association, Inc. be, and hereby are,
terminated forthwith; and it is further

RESOLVED that this Delegate Body
hereby establishes a CSEA Law
Department as recommended by the
Committee and directs President
McGowan to organize the Department and
arrange for the delivery of legal services
in accordance with the outline presented
to this Delegate Body by the President;
and it is further

RESOLVED that the President is
authorized and directed to implement this
plan and to expend funds therefore in an
amount not to exceed that already
approved and budgeted by the CSEA
Board of Directors for legal services for
fiscal year 1986-87; and it is further

RESOLVED that this Delegate Body
accepts the recommendation of the
President to, and hereby does, appoint
Marjorie E. Karowe as General Counsel
to The Civil Service Employees
Association, Inc.; and it is further

RESOLVED that this Delegate Body
directs the Treasurer and Comptroller of
CSEA to pay immediately upon direction
of the President, such monies as may be
necessary to implement the delivery of
legal services in accordance with this
resolution; and it is further

RESOLVED that this Delegate Body
authorizes the President to perform such
acts as may be necessary to carry out
this resolution, and directs him to report
back at the next Annual Convention
regarding the implementation of this
resolution; and it is further

RESOLVED that this Delegate Body
hereby prohibits the Board of Directors of

primer,

4

CSEA President

b

CSEA from taking any action which is

pages 10-11

\ inconsistent with the Resolution.
Roll call vote

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

ORGANIZING _ ale

ST. ELIZABETH
HOSPITAL

Utica, N.Y.

ve

a Winning is often a matter of degrees — piece by
piece, little by little until it all comes together in
victory. That’s the way it is in union organizing too —
final victory for oppressed workers is often measured
in a series of gains and inroads and may not come all
at once on the first try. This is a story about a perfect
example — St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica.

o The following was compiled from the recollection

of conditions, events, thoughts and experiences of a
CSEA Organizer Sue Bucrzinski during CSEA’s initial
attempt to assist employees of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital
in organizing themselves into a union. It also
represents a public promise to the employees and the
management of St. Elizabeth Hospital — we are still
around, available to meet with employees and we will
be back for another election.

There was an awful lot of irony in that sign
along the entrance road as you approached St.
Elizabeth Hospital.

“OUR EMPLOYEES ARE ‘SAINTS’,”’ it
exclaimed.

So why are they treating the employees like
the devil?

By Roger A. Cole
Editor, The Public Sector

UTICA — By February 1986, a group of licensed practical
nurses (LPNs) who work at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica had
about all they could take of low wages and no raises; low staffing
ratios; and no relief to their problems in sight.

They were tired of being yanked from ward to ward throughout
their shifts to plug gaps caused by understaffing — being shuttled

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Ellen Brewer, an LPN, and Dave
Testa of the housekeeping staff work on the campaign inside CSEA’s mobile
office set up near the hospital.

4

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

COMMITTEE MEMBER ELLIE ARGEN warms up with coffee from a
CSEA mug as CSEA Central Region President Jim Moore, right, discusses
strategy with committee members inside the union’s mobile office.

from the emergency room to the nursery or maternity or the
intensive care unit; one person trying to do the work of two.

But employees had little or no recourse — no grievance
procedure that meant anything, for instance. And, of course, no
seniority rights for promotions, no shift bidding system, no real
protection from layoffs or firings.

When they complained, they were told, ‘‘Go find a job
somewhere else if you don’t like it.’’ Some did just that.

But when management commissioned the ‘“‘Hudson Brothers”’ to
conduct a time study of employees, at a reputed cost of some $2
million , the handwriting was on the wall — management
was planning even further staff reductions after the Health Systems
Agency had refused the hospital’s request to build a new medical
surgical ward.

“They (time study consultants) even followed us into the
operating room to time us,’’ one aide noted.

Many of the employees were still paying the hospital through
payroll deductions their individual contributions for the proposed
surgical ward even as management searched for ways to cut staff.
Occasional creation of $30,000 management positions, meanwhile,
was like rubbing salt in the wounds.

The LPNs looked around at fellow employees in nursing

(Continued on Page 5)

April 20, 1987

———————

NORGANIZED

(Continued from Page 4)
services — nurses aides, ward secretaries and orderlies — and saw
their working conditions were just as deplorable.

Some of the employees remembered what it was like when they
tried to organize a union 10 years ago — the threats and fears of
losing their jobs or jeopardizing promotional opportunities were still
fresh in their minds even after a decade.

Still, things were getting so bad there were those who decided it
was worth the risks all over again.

Some knew friends and relatives who worked in neighboring state
hospital facilities, and a contact was made with CSEA/AFSCME to
explore the possibility of unionizing.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

CSEA is now in its 76th year as a labor union. With a quarter of
a million members, it is a very large union, with a wealth of
experience organizing employees in both the public and private
sectors. It is never easy. Sometimes it takes many tries and several
years to overcome the tremendous advantages management has in
trying to prevent their employees from organizing into a union.

No union can hope to win a union representation election
without first building a strong grassroots organization from the
ground up. When CSEA was invited by disgruntled St. Elizabeth’s
employees to help them unionize, union representatives found a core
of determined and committed employees ready to form the internal
organizing committee so important to an election campaign.

In the private sector — and St. Elizabeth is a perfect example
— management’s advantages are enormous. Management, in
essence, determines the composition of the bargaining unit. And
until the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officially
approves the unit (almost always what management wants), the
organizing people have no idea who will ultimately be allowed to
vote in a union election.

And yet, the union must provide union authorization cards
signed by a minimum of 30 percent of the bargaining unit before an
election will be ordered. That sign-up campaign must begin as soon
as possible.

At St. Elizabeth, the internal organizing committee of hospital
employees used the freedom of information law to obtain some idea
of how many employees might ultimately be involved. But a better
idea evolved from committee members putting together lists of
employees, department by department, from personal observations.

Under the guidance of CSEA professional staff, the organizing
committee met regularly to coordinate the campaign. Local
restaurants near the hospital became gathering points for CSEA
organizers and committee members, their number steadily
increasing as the campaign gathered momentum.

Warned by first line supervisors not to talk to other employees
on the job about union organizing, committee members stepped up
after-hours telephone calls to employees at home.

Then, with union authorization cards being signed at a good
rate, organizers and committee members began showing up at the
front and back gates of St. Elizabeth at shift changes — before 6
a.m. and prior to the afternoon and evening shifts. They distributed

4
/ ; \
HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES Jackie Edwards, left, and Judy Boccardo, right,

were among the many who worked hard as members of the internal
organizing committee.

CSEA STATEWIDE PRESIDENT William L. McGowan, right, came to
Utica to meet with St. Elizabeth employees during the campaign. Here he
answers questions for hospital employees Bob Czerkies and Jackie
Edwards.

union material explaining why a union was necessary and how a
union could address many of the major problems confronting
employees. Often it was freezing cold and wet as late fall 1986
descended upon central New York.

Meanwhile, management turned to one of its greatest
advantages — determining the makeup of the bargaining unit.

CSEA submitted a petition requesting to represent employees in
the direct patient contact areas — nursing services and
housekeeping. Management, as expected, added hundreds of other
non-professional employees, mostly clerical workers whose jobs are
vastly different and who experience far less problems with forced
overtime and other matters confronting direct patient contact
employees. Even a number of Catholic nuns were allowed to vote at
management’s insistence.

When the NLRB scheduled an election for just one month later,
the union and the internal organizing committee for the first time —
after a year of working on the campaign — finally had an official
list of the names and addresses of employees eligible to vote in that
election. Rather than the 280 employees the union wanted to
organize, the unit was now stacked with 645 employees, including
nuns, clerical employees, employees at the school of nursing, and
even from outpatient clinics off the hospital grounds.

With precious little time, and facing massive odds, the union’s
campaign swung into full gear. Things became very hectic as
committee members set up teams to visit homes of employees and
operated telephone banks to contact eligible voters.

CSEA organized direct mailings, provided insurance
comparisons, prepared a wide variety of informational material and
scheduled experts on many subjects to be available to answer
questions from employees. A CSEA mobile office parked nearby
became a visible symbol of CSEA’s presence and served as a field
campaign office.

Election day came on Feb. 13, 1987. It was a payday for
employees at St. Elizabeth, a factor favoring a pro-management
vote. It was also a Friday the 13th, which some saw as a bad omen.

When the ballots were tabulated that day, the effort to unionize
fell 99 votes short. Given the odds and the barriers along the way, it
was a commendable showing.

Now here’s the rest of the story! The campaign to unionize
employees at St. Elizabeth Hospital continues. The employees are
currently attempting to set up a labor-management forum with the
administration to review grievances. Meanwhile, the internal
organizing committee remains bonded together and firmly
committed. CSEA representatives and the committee members are
meeting on a monthly basis, preparing the next phase of the
campaign. CSEA is maintaining its presence and is there for the
employees to turn to.

Under the law they can begin collecting union designation cards
and gearing up for another election in one year — and CSEA and
members of the organizing committee pledge they will be ready.
The initial election result was not a set back, they agree, but rather
that first step toward eventual success.

April 20, 1987

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Social-Services: system in crisis

By Stephen Madarasz
CSEA Communications Associate

EDITOR’S NOTE: Like many public
employees, social services workers
perform a critical job every day. Al-
though the system is constantly
maligned, those who fill the front lines
know their efforts feed hungry children,
help homeless families find shelter and
address domestic violence.

But they also know that their difficult
job is becoming “almost impossible”
because of dwindling resources to help
those in need.

In this the first of a three-part series,
we look at the conflict that workers
experience when they’re caught
between compassion and regulations.

“We're not bringing foodbaskets to the
needy, we’re helping them deal with their
problems,” says Albany County Social
Services’ Steve Redler.

“We have workers dealing with children,
others dealing with the elderly, the mentally
disabled, getting people into counseling for
drug and alcohol abuse, helping them get
jobs,” he explains.

“People don’t seem to realize that social
services are many different programs,”
adds Herkimer County senior examiner Irv
Bunce.

“They always label it welfare as if that’s
something bad.”

For most of CSEA’s 10,000 members in
social services across the state, their work
is more than just a job — it is an
opportunity to help people in need.

Most will tell you that’s why they entered
the field. However, once there, they are
caught between bureaucratic red tape
stretching from Washington to Albany to
each county and back again; distrustful
clients who may view them as the
“enemy;” and a general public that looks
critically on social services as a rule.

Even the most positive and enthusiastic
are worn down over time by the
overwhelming demands and inadequacies of
a system that even they concede is badly in
need of reform.

Although there are central rules and
regulations, New York’s 57 counties and
New York City run their social service
programs 58 different ways.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Frustration high at
front lines

the

For each, change is constant,
improvement rare.

“It’s not happy work — we’re dealing with
human misery,” contends Rensselaer
County DSS supervisor Grace Vallee who
also serves as chairwoman of CSEA’s Social
Services Committee.

At the front lines are examiners and
caseworkers who work directly with the
clients.

In theory, examiners are only supposed to
determine eligibility and handle each case
by the book. But as one puts it: “‘when
clients start talking about their problems,
how can you turn it off?”

“You’re the first line defense against pov-
erty” comments Rensselaer’s Vallee.
“People come in here upset, distraught —
you have to realize it and try to help them
— you deal with a myriad of problems,
husbands that left them, electric and gas
that are about to be shut off. How you re-
spond to them sets the tone for all their
dealings with the department.”

“You do your best to maintain a
professional approach but still let the clients
know you care,” says Donna Quinn, a
former examiner in the public assistance
area for Dutchess County Social Services,
who now works in the department’s child
support program following up court orders.

“T can’t be cold-hearted and callous,”
Quinn remarks. “Still I’ve seen too many
situations where the clients try to take
advantage of you just because you’re
friendly.”

Many say they try to work around the
system on a case by case basis, but admit
they don’t always have the time or
flexibility to find original solutions.

There is only somewhat greater latitude
for caseworkers, who are directly
responsible for clients getting the services
and help they need. Because much of their
work is in the field away from the
bureaucratic chaos of the office, they
sometimes help in intangible ways.

“You like to see your clients as
individuals,” offers Fred Jordan, a
caseworker with more than 20 years
experience for Nassau County Social
Services.

“But you can’t give them everything on
their terms because there are still rules and
regulations.”

“Every day is different, but it’s always
problems. You have to build up a defense to
survive,” Jordan says.

Leaving the job at the office can be easier
said than done for many caseworkers, who
may be on-call 24 hours and even some
weekends. In other cases, the nature of the
work means it cannot just be shut out when
off duty.

“Some cases are very depressing,”
comments Chautauqua County Child
Protective Services (CPS) worker Mary
Murphy, who says about half her cases may
involve the the sexual abuse of children.

Fortunately, not every report will prove to
be what it first seems according to Murphy.
But even that can be frustrating.

After expending considerable time and
effort investigating a report, it is not
unusual to find one parent has falsely
reported the other for abuse, malnutrition,
dirty home, particularly in the middle of a
custody battle.

Murphy contends however, that there are
rewards to the work, even in the most
sordid cases. ‘‘There are times when you’ve
wrapped them up and you feel you’ve helped
some kids.”

Like so many other social services co-
workers across New York, Murphy admits
her initial idealism has given way to a
tempered realism: “I’m probably not as
enthused as when I began — but it all
depends on the day.”

Next edition — The daily routine:
physically exhausting and emotionally
draining.

April 20, 1987

2 OOOOOOeoOOorw'rrerererroooreeeeee

Disaster is his business

Randy Davis:

Trying to

make N.Y.

safer

Military and Naval Affairs.

This is the story of one member’s activities.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Following disasters like the Thruway
bridge collapse, a coordinated response is set into motion at the
local, state and federal levels. It does not happen by accident —
much is the result of actions and planning by the State :
Emergency Management Office (SEMO), part of the Division of | « ci

While many public employees may be involved in picking up
the pieces, CSEA members in SEMO deal with such details daily.

ALBANY— “‘T’ve never really been
interested in the big bucks... job satisfaction
is more important to me” claims Randy
Davis, a special projects coordinator for the
State Emergency Management Office
(SEMO).

With a bachelor’s degree in economics and
master’s degrees in public administration
and environmental engineering, there’s little
doubt the 32-year-old bachelor could earn a
big salary in private industry.

But instead he toils away in a windowless
sub-basement room at the State Office
Building Campus in Albany, trying to make
New York a safer place to live.

“My job is about finding new ways to do
things,” he comments.

In fact, there is seemingly no end to the
new things Davis, who is a member of
Division of Military and Naval Affairs Local
277, finds to do.

In just three years on the job, Davis has
been involved in projects ranging from long-
term emergency planning, to managing nat-
ural disasters, to preparing against nuclear
terrorism.

The overall thrust of Davis’ efforts deal
with hazards mitigation- taking the long
view on minimizing the risk of natural and
man-made catastrophes.

Davis explains that disaster assistance
costs have exploded in recent years, in part
due to poor planning: “By signing the state
hazard mitigation plan in October 1986,
Governor Cuomo has involved us in getting
ahead of the problem once and for all, and
that’s what we’re working on.”’

“Hazard mitigation is really common
sense applied to development. For example,
after a disaster, instead of putting things
back just as they were, which is sometimes
why the disaster happened, you rebuild
differently so it doesn’t happen again.”

As part of the hands-on approach to
problem-solving, Davis serves on the state’s

April 20, 1987

Crisis Team, which manages the state’s re-
sponse to disasters. In this role, Davis might
be called on to go out into the field to review
damages. He is then involved in putting to-

zm
Davis’
emergency planning, to
managing disasters, to
preparing against
nuclear terrorism...

gether the reports requesting federal
assistance for the area. In this role, he is
currently involved with the Thruway bridge
collapse.

Davis warns though: ‘People think they
can get a lot more disaster aid than is really
available. It’s better to try to prevent prob-
lems.”

To make sure that disaster assistance is
spent wisely, Davis participates on the joint
federal/state/local hazards mitigation teams
following presidentially-declared disasters.
Teams are charged with developing a report

DMNA Local 277 member Randy Davis stands beside the state’s nuclear power plant
hotlines at the State Emergency Management Office in Albany.

within 15 days that will guide redevelopment
in stricken areas.

Davis’ training for the team has included
intensive training at the Federal Emergency
Management Administration’s (FEMA)
national center in Emmitsburg, Md.

Davis has also been involved in the state’s
Interagency Coastal Hazards Working
Group, along with representatives from the
Departments of State and Environmental
Conservation. The group is exploring new
options for the state’s Atlantic Ocean and
Great Lakes shorelines and will present a
report to the governor later this year.

Davis’ role is analyzing the state’s past
coastal disaster assistance costs.

The scope of Davis’ activities even
extends to thinking about the unthinkable.
He regularly participates in the evaluation
of emergency drills for each of the state’s
five operating nuclear power plants. It was
this experience that led Davis to assist his
boss, SEMO Director Donald DeVito, in
serving on an international task force for
the prevention of nuclear terrorism.

While at first feeling overwhelmed by the
high level of international experts involved
in the project, Davis eventually made a
significant contribution in the preparation of
the group’s report, which will be released
later this year.

Says Davis: “If nuclear war’s going to
happen, it will most likely escalate as a re-
sult of super power response to a terrorist
act.” The task force report is designed to
raise public awareness of those dangers and
explain what needs to be done to guard
against the possibilities.

As if Davis’ on-the-job activities don’t
keep him busy enough, he still finds time to
volunteer for the Red Cross and as a “Big
Brother.’’ He also fits in opportunities for
skiing, golf and tennis.

“T do find time to relax,” he concludes,
“while I’m exploring the possibility that you

can have it all.”

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Last summer, state interagency mail workers
were disturbed by leaking packages containing
rabid dogs" heads, improperly sent blood samples
and other biohazards.

Janitors at Roswell Park Institute in Buffalo
have reported dead monkeys and other research
animal parts in open garbage cans.

Landfill workers on Long Island are alarmed
over illegally dumped hospital waste including
blood-filled tubes and even an umbilical cord (see
accompanying story).

In Orange County, a sheriff's deputy
investigating illegal dumping was actually stuck
by a contaminated hypodermic needle.

STONY BROOK — Incidents like these
point to an alarming trend, according to
CSEA Director of Occupational Safety and
Health James Corcoran.

They indicate lax enforcement of health,
environmental and labor laws and
regulations. They also show that infectious
waste is not taken seriously enough, meaning
the general public, not just workers, may be
at risk.

Corcoran commented during a conference
at SUNY Stony Brook’s Solid Waste
Management Institute.

Infectious waste is “waste material
contaminated with body fluids or disease-
causing organisms.”

Procedures for handling infectious disease
and waste follow State Health Department
guidelines, but vary by facility depending on
the work done there and risk involved.

Infectious waste breeds
high risk of disease

“Most guidelines are for hospitals, but
there can be danger in mental retardation
centers, corrections facilities, research
institutions, even Division for Youth homes,
to name just a few places,” said Corcoran.

“Some places have strong, clear
procedures and make sure everyone
understands them. Other places do not, and
that’s how problems start,’”’ he added.

Guidelines usually are targeted at direct-
care staff. Still, housekeepers, janitors and
other workers may also be at high-risk.

“What’s disturbing is operational workers
rarely get training in safe handling
procedures and probably don’t know they’re
working with health hazards,” Corcoran
continued.

“We even had maintenance workers test
positive for TB exposure after working in the
health department’s own labs.”

What’s worse, when operational employees
get sick under these circumstances, it’s
rarely recognized as occupational illness, so
they must use sick time and pay the medical
bills, instead of receiving workers’
compensation.

Handling infectious disease and waste
creates a health risk to anyone exposed. If
proper procedures are not followed at any
step, people inside and outside the workplace
are endangered.

Corcoran cited laundry workers handling
sheets from patients or inmates with
hepatitis or AIDS, mixed right in with the
rest of the soiled linens.

James Corcoran

These individuals could contract disease
and pass it on without even knowing how or
when.

CSEA believes there are simple steps to
make everyone safer:

¢ Research to identify who’s at risk —
especially those in contact with blood,
body fluids, or infectious agents.

¢ All appropriate facilities develop
infectious waste policies and vaccination
programs.

* Comprehensive training for all
employees of facilities where infectious
waste is handled, regardless of their risk
level.

¢ Employers be required to keep records
on all occupationally-related disease
contracted by employees.

¢ Occupational guidelines for infectious
disease/waste handling at least as strong
as those issued by the National Center
for Disease Control and be vigorously
enforced.

By Sheryl Carlin

CSEA Communications Associate

Brookhaven landfill — a prime example of the problem

and call CSEA and the Department of Health immediately.

After DeLuca met with Brookhaven Town Supervisor Henrietta

BROOKHAVEN — After discovering used hypodermic needles,
blood-filled tubes and an umbilical cord with the clamp still
attached, employees at the Brookhaven landfill alerted their union
president.

CSEA Brookhaven Blue Collar Unit President Pat DeLuca
called in CSEA staff immediately. ‘‘We have proof that hazardous
waste is being dumped illegally. It is coming from area hospitals
and is mixed in with the bags of non-hazardous waste,” DeLuca said.

“This dangerous waste is supposed to be disposed of separately,
and not at the landfill. I don’t want my men exposed to any
hazards,” he added.

a

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Acampora, she released a statement saying, “‘The health and safety
of the hard-working employees in the Town of Brookhaven is of
paramount importance to this administration; blatant disregard of
regulations governing the disposal of hospital waste will not be

tolerated in Brookhaven.” ;
DeLuca told CSEA Region I President Danny Donohue that he is

pleased with Acampora’s support and that he hopes all hazardous
waste will be permanently banned from the landfill.

Donohue said, ‘“‘This is a very serious issue. The health and
well-being of our members must come first.”’

Brookhaven Deputy Commissioner Bob Reichert says sanitation
inspectors, wearing heavy protective gloves, will check the garbage
before it goes out and employees will be assigned to checking the
garbage as it comes into the landfill.

pi heal ‘If the hospitals are not in compliance with state guidelines and
dit “Dep: n

rtment of Environmental Conservation rules, the DEC will ban
the hospitals from shipping any waste at all,’ Riechert said.

April 20, 1987

* OMH planning to
consolidate labs
at psych centers

A plan to consolidate 17 labs located in different psychiatric
centers across the state is in the works at the Office of Mental
Health.

The plan may affect fewer than 100 CSEA members.

C However, it is too soon to tell just how those workers will be

affected, said CSEA Collective Bargaining Specialist James Cooney.

“OMH is saying that even though they can’t guarantee there
will be no layoffs, they will do everything in their power to place
people,”’ Cooney said. “Our thrust right now is to make sure our
people are going to be taken care of.”

Two employees will be retained at each site, he said, although
there is no certainty they will be CSEA members.

Under the proposal, work now done at 17 psychiatric center
laboratories would be transported to five regional labs, he said.
Negotiations are still under way with SUNY Upstate, SUNY Stony
Brook, the Institute for Basic Research and the Nathan Klein
Institute to serve as regional labs. A fifth regional lab is planned at

e Buffalo Psychiatrie Center.
The plan grew out of a concern that the facility labs were not

“Our thrust right
now is to make
sure our people
are going to be
taken care of.”

een hs: tov ah sie
BUFFALO PSYCHIATRIC CENTER is expected to be one of five regional
labs that will serve psychiatric centers across the state.

up to standard or providing the best, most efficient service to the
clients, Cooney said.

“The labs fall under the Department of Health (DOH) and DOH
doesn’t feel that the lab service is being provided adequately at the
facility level,” he said. ‘“They feel the centers could be better
served by regional labs.”

The plan calls for the closures to take place over two years,
beginning with fiscal year 1987-88.

The planned psychiatric center lab closings for this year and
the number of members now employed are: Binghamton, four;
Mohawk Valley, six; Kings Park, nine; Creedmoor, eight; and
Manhattan, eight.

The planned closings for 1988-89 and the number of members now
employed are: Pilgrim, 11; Central Islip, nine; Bronx, five to six;
Kingsboro, eight; South Beach, one; Harlem Valley, six; Hudson
River, four; Rockland, six; Gowanda, three; Buffalo, four; and
Rochester, three.

April 20, 1987

® inl Gaonevcallective The St. Lawrence and Willard psychiatric centers will retain
arwaliing specialist their own labs. Hutchings, Elmira and Middletown, which now
ji contract out their lab work, will send it to regional labs. One CSEA
employee at Middletown could be affected. The Mid-Hudson
Psychiatric Center has no CSEA employees in its lab.
Cooney said CSEA is talking with OMH officials about the plan
as it develops. :
Webb talks, CSEA walks
\y A %
| )
e
— Ce
PUTTING IT ON THE LINE for job security, Rome Developmental Center employees picket a speech by Office of Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Arthur Webb. More than 100 union members from CSEA, PEF and AFSCME Council 82 walked in the
informational picket. Those pictured above are, from left, Gail Rushford, Barbara Vinci, Rome Developmental Center CSEA Local 422 President Jon
0 Premo, Gary Rushford and Local 422 Vice President Jim Martin.

9

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

By Kathleen Daly
Associate Editor, The Public Sector

For Marjorie E. Karowe, the job of general
counsel to CSEA’s first in-house Law Department
is an opportunity to continue her long association
with the union and to practice her philosphy as a
lawyer.

“My first job was with labor law with CSEA,”
Karowe said. “I really am a union person. I
believe workers should be represented by
unions.”

As general counsel, Karowe oversees the new
law department that represents the union and its
members before various boards and courts over
contract grievances, improper practice charges,
disciplinary actions and other matters.

She works in an office that two weeks ago was
a small conference room at CSEA Headquarters.
Her work table is covered with legal pads and
neatly stacked file folders. ;

Karowe recently talked about her interest in
labor law and her background. Busy with
meetings and case reviews all day, she was still
sorting messages and case schedules at 7 p.m.
Then she took time out for the interview, easily
switching gears from work to discuss the
philosophy that motivates her.

“Workers are people who usually don’t have

MARJORIE KAROWE to

power individually, but they do collectively.
Individually they have to rely on the generosity
of the employer,” she said. ‘Collectively they
meet the employer as equals.

“T also like to see people help themselves.
Unionism is really self help. I really think my
role is to give the elected officers and the
members the information and expertise to help
themselves.”

She is no stranger to self help. The mother of
six children and the wife of a physician, Karowe
entered law school in 1971, 20 years after earning
a bachelor of arts degree from Smith College.
Her youngest child was in first grade.

“My kids loved it,” she said. ‘They were very
proud.”’

Some of her adult relatives frowned on her
return to school, but Karowe carefully scheduled
her time and classes to meet all her
responsibilities.

For three years, she drove the children to
school each morning, then went on to Albany
Law School. She planned her classes so she could
pick them up by 3:30 in the afternoon,

The next four hours were devoted to family,
chores and dinner. Then she studied from 7:30 to
10:30 each night.

“T told the kids, if they wanted me, to stand in
the door where I could see them. If I didn’t look

up, that meant I was doing something important
and they shouldn’t bother me unless the house
was on fire.’’ She smiled at the recollection.
“They were really very good about it.’’

With her family’s support and her own
commitment, Karowe did well. She earned a
position on the Law Review, a berth at the top of
her class, membership in the Justinian Honor
Society and a degree with honors when she
graduated in 1974.

“Tt was a very positive thing for the kids,” she
said. ‘‘There was no need to tell them education,
was important or studying was important. The:
knew it was because they saw my commitment to
ity

Karowe entered law school because she was
disturbed by the anger and unrest of the 1960s.

“T started seriously thinking about law in the
late ‘60s. The whole time period was full of
confrontation, particularly with the kic
said. “It just seemed to me a terrible way to
resolve conflict. My interest in going into law
was to become involved in a system that solves
conflicts in an orderly fashion.”

That system has recognized Karowe’s
contributions over the last 13 years. She has
earned several special appointments: Committee
on Character and Fitness, Appellate Division, @

Third Department; Judicial Screening
Committee, Appellate Division, Third
Department; Judicial Nominating Committee,
Court of Claims; New York Task Force on
Women in the Courts; Advisory Commission on
Equal Opportunity to the Commissioner of
Education; and Advisory Committee on Civil
Practice.

She was president of the Women’s Bar
Association of the State of New York from 1982 to
1984. A member of the state Bar Association, she
re on the Board of Editors for the book ‘‘The

eloping of Public Employment Labor Law.”
She was a charter member of the bar’s Labor
Law Section and a member of the Committee on
Specialization in the Law.

Since her appointment as CSEA general
counsel April 6, Karowe has been organizing the
new department, including hiring attorneys. That
will take time, she said.

“T want to build a team that interacts with
each other day after day. What I really want to
do is build a union team.”

Karowe has been involved with labor law,
specifically with CSEA in one role or another,
throughout her career.

“‘T like the field. It’s very down to earth,” she
s@i. “I like the people. I especially like resolving
that conflict between labor and management.”

MARJORIE E. KAROWE, right, the new general counsel for CSEA, met recently with the regional
attorneys who will continue to work with union members in the region. Two of the Region V attorneys
talk with her just two days after her appointment by the delegates. They are John Scholl, left, and
Earl Boyle, center.

Results of a roll call vote by delegates a

Following is the roll call vote on the
resolution adopted at the Special Delegates
Meeting on April 6 at the Concord Hotel,
Kiamesha Lake, which terminated the
union’s relationship with the law firm of
Roemer & Featherstonhaugh and created.a
Law Department within CSEA. A “yes” vote
supports the resolution to terminate the
services of the law firm and create a CSEA
Law Department and a “no” vote opposes
the resolution. (The resolution is printed
verbatim on page 3 of this issue of The
Public Sector.) A few delegate groups
require their votes to be recorded as a
“block” total based on the majority position
of their delegates or their local membership,
and that may be reflected in some of the
vote totals below.

STATEWIDE OFFICERS

William L. McGowan, President Yes
Joseph E. McDermott, Executive

Vice President No
Danny Donohue, Region I

President Yes

George Boncoraglio, Region
II President
Pat Mascioli, Region III
President Yes
C. Allen Mead, Region IV
President No
James Moore, Region V
President Yes
Robert L. Lattimer, Region VI
President No
Irene Carr, Secretary No
Mary E. Sullivan, Treasurer No

DELEGATES

LOCAL YES NO
002 Binghamton State Employees 4
003 Buffalo State Employees 2 5
004 Delaware Valley State

Employees 2
005 Elmira State Employees 1
007 Hornell State Employees 5
009 Mid-Hudson State Employees 6
010 New York City State

Employees 40
011 Oneonta State Employees 1
012 Rochester State Employees 4
013 Syracuse State Employees 8
014 Utica State Employees 3
015 Black River Valley State

Employees
016 Long Island State Employees
017 High Peaks State Employees ~
050 Bridge Authority 2
058 Thruway PT&S Unit II 3
059 Olympic Regional

Development Authority -
060 Gore Mountain 1

1 0 THE PUBLIC SECTOR

ou

LOCAL YES LOCAL
066 Waterfront Commission of NY 180 Sullivan Correctional Facility
Harbor 181 Mid-State Correctional
102 Long Island Inter-County Facility
State Park 182 Shawangunk Correctional
104 Niagara Frontier Parks & Facility
Recreation 2 183 Washington Correctional
105 Palisades Interstate Park Facility
Commission 184 Franklin Correctional Facility
106 Saratoga Spa A. L. Dunckel 200 NYS School for the Blind
107 Allegany State Parks & 201 School for the Deaf
Recreation Commission 250 Capital District Armory
108 Taconic State Park Employees
Commission 251 Genesee Valley Armory
110 Genesee State Park Employees
Commission 252 Hudson Valley Armory
112 Finger Lakes State Park Employees
Commission r 253 Long Island Armory
116 Environmental Conservation Employees
Region 4 Field : 254 Armory Employees
117 Environmental Conservation Metropolitan Area
Region 5 Field F 255 Mid-State Armory Employees
118 Environmental Conservation 256 Armory Employees of
Region 6 Field Syracuse and Vicinity
120 Hudson River-Black River 257 Western New York Armory
Regulating District Employees
181 Albion Correctional Facility 258 Division of Housing and
182 Attica Correctional Facility 1 Community Renewal
153 Auburn Correctional Facility 2 259 New York Parole District
154 Clinton Correctional Facility 2 261 Troop A — NYS Police
155 Downstate Separation Center 2 (Batavia)
156 Elmira Correctional Facility 2 262 Troop B—NYS Police (Ray
157 Great Meadow Correctional Brook)
Facility re 3 263 Troop C—NYS Police
158 Green Correctional Facility 2 (Sidney)
159 Eastern New York 264 Troop D — NYS Police
Correctional Facility 2 (Oneida)
160 Fishkill Correctional Facility 265 Troop G — NYS Police
161 Ossining Correctional Facility 2 (Loudonville)
162 Coxsackie Correctional 266 Troop K — NYS Police
Facility ; at 2 (Poughkeepsie)
163 Wallkill Correctional Facility 1 215 Troop E—NYS Police
164 Bedford Hills Correctional (Canadaigua)
Facility a 1 276 Troop F — NYS Police
165 Woodbourne Correctional (Middletown)
Facility , 1 277 Capital District DMNA
165 Mid-Orange Correctional 302 Helen Hayes Hospital
Facility . a 1 303 Roswell Park Memorial
167 Hudson Correctional Facility Institute
168 Mt. McGregor Correctional 305 Oxford — NYS Veterans
Facility Home
169 Otisville Correctional Facility 1 315 Health Research Buffalo
170 Adirondack Correctional Division
Facility . 316 Health Research Albany
172 North Country Correctional Division
Local 2 330 Judiciary Region I
173 Groveland Correctional 382 Judiciary Region IIT
Facility f i 333 Judiciary Region IV
174 Collins Correctional Facility 334 Judiciary Region V
175 Alden (W :nde) Correctional 335 Judiciary Region VI
Facility 336 Westchester State Judiciary
176 Taconic Correctional Facility 1 Employees
177 Orleans Correctional Facility 350 New York City Department of
178 Wyoming Correctional Labor
Facility 2 351 State Insurance Fund
179 Greene Correctional Facility 1

YES

1

won

ererers)

NO

LOCAL

352 Department of Labor Buffalo
District

400 J.N. Adam Developmental
Center

401 Bronx Psychiatric Center

402 Brooklyn Psychiatrie Center

403 Buffalo Psychiatrie Center
1 abstained

404 Central Islip Psychiatric
Center

405 Craig Developmental Center

406 Creedmoor Psychiatric
Center

408 Gowanda Psychiatric Center

409 Harlem Valley Psychiatric
Center

410 Hudson River Psychiatric
Center

411 Kings Park Psychiatric
Center

412 Letchworth Village
Developmental Center

413 Manhattan Psychiatric Center

415 Middletown Psychiatrie
Center

416 Wilton Developmental Center

417 Newark Developmental
Center

418 Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
14 abstained

419 NYS Psychiatric Institute

420 Rochester Psychiatric Center

421 Rockland Psychiatrie Center
1 abstained

422 Fort Stanwix (Rome
Developmental Center)

423 St. Lawrence Psychiatric
Center

424 Syracuse Developmental
Center

426 Wassaic Developmental
Center

427 West Seneca Developmental
Center

428 Willard Psychiatric Center

429 Staten Island Developmental
Center

430 Suffolk Developmental Center

431 Sunmount Developmental
Center

432 Westchester Developmental
Center

433 Manhattan Children’s
Psychiatric Center

434 Mohawk Valley Psychiatric
Center

435 R.J. Hutchings Psychiatric
Center

437 Elmira Psychiatric Center

438 NYS Inst. for Research in
Mental Retardation

439 Monroe Developmental
Center

441 Binghamton Psychiatric
Center

YES

10
21

NO

16

April 20

resolution creating a Law Department

987

LOCAL YES NO | LOCAL
3 Manhattan Developmental 550 Division for Youth Facilities
Center 5 at Highland
44 Upstate Supply & Support 551 Brookwood Center
Distribution Center 2 | 552 Industry Local
45 0.D. Heck Developmental 553 Harlem Valley Secure Center
Center 6 2 | 554 Goshen Center for Boys
46 South Beach Psychiatric 559 Tryon School for Boys
Center 6 561 South Lansing School for
7 Brooklyn Developmental Girls
Cater u 562 Division for Youth Buffalo
8 Mit-Hudson Psychiatric Area
Center 2 600 SUNY Ag & Tech at Alfred
H9 Broome Developmental 601 SUNY College at Brockport
Center 9 602 SUNY at Buffalo
60 Metropolitan Public Service 603 SUNY Ag & Tech College at
‘orp. i Canton
pO Region II Taxation and 605 SUNY College at Cortland
Pinance 5 606 SUNY Ag & Tech College at
pO Eastern Barge Canal 2 Farmingdale
pi District 2 Barge Canal East 607 SUNY College at Fredonia
2 District 2 Barge Canal West 1 608 SUNY College at Geneseo
P3 District 3 Central Barge 609 SUNY Ag & Tech College at
Canal 2 Morrisville
)5 Transportation District 2, 610 SUNY College at New Paltz
Utica fs 611 SUNY College at Oswego
bé Transportation, Region 4, 612 SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Rochester 5 | 613 SUNY College at Potsdam
)7 Transportation, Region 8, 614 SUNY at Stony Brook
PRhkeepsie 7 | 615 SUNY at Syracuse (Upstate
8 Transportation, Region 10, Medical Center)
Babylon 7 | 616 SUNY Ag & Tech College at
b9 Chautauqua County State Cobleskill
‘Transportation 618 SUNY at Old Westbury
0 Clinton County State 620 Alfred Faculty Student
‘Transportation Association
1 Columbia County State 622 Oswego Faculty Student
Transportation 1 Association
2 Franklin County State 624 Brockport Faculty Student
Transportation Association
3. Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming 625 Potsdam College Food
State Transportation z Service
4 Hamburg Shop 2 2 | 627 Fredonia Faculty Student
5 Orange County State Association
Transportation 2 | 628 Delhi Faculty Student
Oswego County State Association
‘Transportation 1 629 Geneseo Faculty Student
17 Ot@so County State Association
Transportation 1 630 St. Lawrence University
gs St. Lawrence County State 635 SUNY College at Oneonta
‘Transportation 2 637 SUNY College at Purchase
f Finger Lakes State 638 SUNY at Delhi
‘Transportation 2 | 640 SUNY College at Buffalo
p Cortland County State 641 Empire State College
Transportation 646 Downstate Medical Center
ft Floyd Culligan Sullivan 647 SUNY College of
County State Trans. Environmental
p Chenango County State Science,Forestry
Transportation 1 648 State University at
Schoharie Residency State Binghamton
Transporation 650 Ag and Markets, Albany
b Lockport State Employees 651 Audit and Control *(vote
DoT results challenged)
} Cattaragus County State DOT 652 Employees’ Retirement
| Western Barge Canal System
653 Civil Service, Albany

YES

NO

LOCAL

654 Commerce Department,
Albany
655 Environmental Conservation,
Albany
656 Correctional Services, Albany
657 Education, Albany
1 abstained
658 NYS Teachers Retirement
System
659 Executive, Albany
660 Office of General Services
661 State Liquor Authority
662 State University Construction
Fund
663 Division for Youth, Albany
664 James B. Christian Memorial
Health Department
665 Laboratories and Research
666 Insurance, Albany
667 NYS Higher Education
Services Corporation
668 Division of Probation
669 Division of Parole
670 Department of Labor, Albany
671 Workers Compensation Board
672 Law Department, Albany
673 Mental Hygiene Central
Office, Albany
674 Motor Vehicle, Albany
675 Public Service Commission,
Albany
676 Transportation, Region I
687 Transportation, Main Office,
Albany
688 Social Services, Albany
689 State Department, Albany
690 Taxation and Finance, Albany
691 SUNY at Albany
692 Capital District Psychiatric
Center
693 SUNY Central Administration
694 Capital Region Judiciary
695 Division of Criminal Justice
Services
696 Office of Alcoholism &
Substance Abuse, Albany
697 NYS State Police
Headquarters
698 Dormitory Authority
699 Office of Parks and
Recreation, Albany
801 Albany County
802 Allegany County
804 Broome County
805 Cattaraugus County
806 Cayuga County
807 Chautauqua County
808 Chemung County
809 Chenango County
810 Clinton County
811 Columbia County
2 Cortland County
813 Delaware County
814 Dutchess County

YES

eo esen

NO

wtwon

LOCAL

815 Erie County

816 Essex County

817 Franklin County

818 Fulton County

819 Genesee County

820 Greene County

822 Herkimer County

823 Jefferson County

825 Lewis County

826 Livingston County

827 Madison County

828 Monroe Coynty

829 Montgomery County

830 Nassau County

832 Niagara County

833 Oneida County

834 Onondaga County

835 Ontario County

836 Orange County

837 Orleans County

838 Oswego County

839 Otsego County

840 Putnam County

842 Rensselaer County

844 Rockland County

845 St. Lawrence County

846 Saratoga County

847 Schenectady County

848 Schoharie County

849 Schuyler County

850 Seneca County

851 Steuben County

852 Suffolk County

853 Sullivan County

854 Tioga County

855 Tompkins County

856 Ulster County
3 abstained

857 Warren County

858 Washington county

859 Wayne County

860 Westchester County

861 Wyoming County

862 Yates County

864 Saratoga County Educational
Employees

865 Nassau County Educational
Employees

866 Broome County Educational
Employees

867 Dutchess County Educational
Employees

868 Erie County Educational
Employees

869 Oneida County Educational
Employees

870 Suffolk County Educational
Employees

871 Rensselaer County
Educational Employees

872 Niagara County Educational
Employees

873 St. Lawrence County
Educational Employees

YES NO
44

4

8

3

5

4
8
5

5
5

21

3.5 15
196

ll

2B x

41 5

5
a7

3

pb 7
5

4 2

8 4
31
9

6

1 12

1

2

8

3 2

7
4

10

re

2

6

104

4

2

9
20
7
13
3
48

7

THE PUBLIC SECTOR 1 1

Fume fight

e
Work ill f ti
orKers I rom renovation
By Anita Manley foam, Wood said, those employees with visited the building and recommended that
CSEA Communications Associate allergies were more sensitive and felt the the spraying be soppet but the contractor
symptoms most severly. didn’t listen, Wood said. Later, a state
Hee fae vi pec B CONT aeer The contractor refused to halt spraying Department of Labor health and safety
fat h i aan He gle lovee | fine” during working hours, further frustrating employee said the chemicals were not toxic.
state offi is ay il ee P. whee CEES the employees. Wood’s concern was not just Sundmark emphasized that all the
ies caution BUSH e LOE OER LS for the workers but for the many local workers should file worker’s compensation
P " residents who enter the building each day. forms, even if they have not had to take e

Region III Field Representative Al
Sundmark advised the employees of the
state Department of Taxation and Finance
and the state Division of Housing and
Community Renewal in White Plains to file
the claims to retrieve the time they lost
because of the ill effects they suffered from
the presence of the foam.

The workers, members of Mid-Hudson
State Employees CSEA Local 009, suffered
for more than a week from sore throats,
bloody noses and burning eyes and sinuses
because of the foam that was being applied
in the building.

According to Region III Health and Safety
Specialist Don Wood, a bank purchased the
building that houses the offices. The state
offices are renting space on a monthly basis
and are scheduled to relocate soon.

However, most of the building tenants
have already moved out. The new owner,
apparently anxious to renovate the
structure, had contractors start work. They
began gutting some offices and spraying the
foam, although the state offices are still
occupied.

Although there are no known long-term
effects from the chemicals contained in the

“The place was slick with foam,” he said.
“Hoses were all over the floors, running up
the elevator shafts and the stairways.”
A county health department inspector

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR — Division of
Housing and Community Renewal employee
Naomi Earle, at right, opens a window in her
office to get relief from fumes of a flame-
retardant spray used in her building. Above, a
contractor uses hoses to spray the foam that has
made state workers ill.

time off because of the spraying.

“Tf they become ill in six months and it’s
due to inhaling these fumes, I want it
documented,”’ he said.

Reg. V psych center workers

learn about asbestos dangers

UTICA — What you don’t know can hurt you, especially when
you're talking about asbestos.

That was the key message at a recent ‘‘Right-to-

Know” workshop on asbestos for state employees at the Mohawk
Valley Psychiatric Center (MVPC).

More than 50 workers from Mohawk Valley and Central New
York psychiatric centers attended the afternoon session, 3
organized by MVPC CSEA Local 434 President Edward ‘“‘Bud’’ ok ®@

: Mulchy and the Labor-Management Committee at the two
facilities.

The employees, represented by CSEA, PEF and AFSCME
Council 82, were carpenters, plumbers, painters, engineers, fire
fighters and powerhouse helpers.

The workshop focused on employees’ awareness of asbestos
dangers, control and abatement. It is the first of several
workshops planned for the two centers.

Following an introduction to the dangers of toxic materials

es and the part played by the union’s Occupational Safety and
Health Department (OSH), CSEA Region V OSH Specialist Chris
Jamison turned the program over to Ken Cutler, a safety and 1
security officer at MVPC and a member of AFSCME Council 82. ° tC
After an in-depth film on asbestos hazards, Cutler answered
¢ questions from the workers.

CSEA, through its Occupational Safety and Health
Department, is working to increase all public employees’
awareness of asbestos dangers, Jamison noted.

“Hopefully, with the aid of state and local regulatory
officials, we can improve the educational training and encourage
the use of more safety equipment where the dangers of asbestos
occur,” he said. ‘“‘Although we (New York State residents) have a
Right-to Know Law, monitoring for asbestos and other toxic
materials will continue to be an important job and calls for top
priority status if we are to make any headway.”

12

REVIEWING PROGRAM NOTES before a “Right-to-Know” workshop on
the dangers of asbestos are, from left, Ken Cutler, safety and security
officer and a members of AFSCME Council 82, and CSEA Region V
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Chris Jamison. More than 50
members of CSEA, PEF and AFSCME Council 82 attended the workshop
presented at Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR April 20, 1987

-Grievance reps get training

When you have trouble on the job, you
may want to file a grievance to right the
wrong. But who takes your complaint
through the complicated procedures? And
where do they get the expertise?

Thanks to a new training program
designed and put on by the CSEA Education
and Training Department, local and unit
grievance representatives statewide are
learning more about the grievance process

@,and their duties.

Pe. i

“ee a ere
EDUCATION SPECIALIST Sean Turley explains
grievance procedures at the Region I training
session.

Since the program began Feb. 28, more
than 1,000 members throughout the state
have attended the Grievance Representative
Orientation sessions.

“This orientation is to teach you how to
best represent and protect our
membership,” said Region I President
Danny Donohue told participants in his
region.

The workshops are being conducted at
several locations in each region to reach
as many grievance representatives as
possible. Registration is limited to 75
participants per session, and currently
scheduled sessions are filled. New
sessions in the ongoing program are being
scheduled continuously.

The three-and-a-half-hour sessions explore
various contract grievance procedures and
spell out the representative’s responsibilities
to protect members’ rights, including
getting all the facts and filing the complaint
quickly.

Along with the instruction, the activists
receive a copy of a Grievance Procedure
Manual. The education department has
compiled one for members of Institutional,
Operational and Administraive Services
Units and the Division of Military and

Naval Affairs and a second to cover all
other CSEA contracts.

The comprehensive guides spell out what
a grievance is and combines, for the first
time in one source, the many aspects of
grievance representation. Chapters cover
topics including the duty of fair
representation, causes and prevention of
problems, complaints and grievances,
arbitrations, special proceedings and the
National Labor Relations Act for private
sector employees.

All members completing the course will be
certified as grievance representatives and
will receive pins recognizing their status and
achievement.

Education and Training Director Sally
Engelhart and department staff Sean
Turley, Peg Wilson, bob Knower and Connie
Wunderlich conduct the sessions.

——+

eft, and

of Erie County

e advantage
nee training in

EDUCATION
SPECIALIST Peg
Wilson leads the
workshop for grievance
representatives in
Region I. The workshop
is one of a statewide
program to train and
certify grievance
representives.

ARD WARMUS
of West Seneca
Developmental Center

Region VI.

studies one
handouts at the Region VI
_x Srievance tra ning.

April 20, 1987

|

THE PUBLIC SECTOR 1 3

Y
4

makes the
grade in
Yonkers

YONKERS — School was out, but the
CSEA members who work in the Yonkers
School District spent the day in the
classroom.

Nearly 800 unit members recently took 4
part in the district’s first in-service : ny .
workshop for the non-teaching employees. ! ia or “SP ae ~ iS
Unit President Ray Moniz and the district’s | NEARLY 800 YONKERS School District employees attended the first in-service conference for CSEA
new superintent called the day a success. members recently. Workshops covered topics including job advancement, health benefits and

In the past, Moniz said, CSEA employees computers.
had to take a day off without pay while
teachers attended occasional in-service
workshops.

But this year, Moniz and the district
committee organized a conference and
informational fair geared especially for the
district’s non-teaching employees.

The workshops addressed job
advancement, civil service examination
preparation, record maintenance,
retirement, college preparation,
communication skills, computer awareness,
employee assistance programs, family
financial management, health benefits,
Social Security and tax reform.

Praise from school district officials
capped the day-long session.

Board of Education President Martin
Fareri Jr. told CS9EA members he was
pleased and grateful for their support during
past budget crunches, integration orders and
the transition the district went through with
the appointment of the new district
superintendent, Donald M. Batista.

Batista praised the planning committee
for the program’s quality, quantity and
professionalism.

IN THE CLASSROOM, several CSEA members
shown above take part in workshops during the

REGION III PRESIDENT Pat Mascioli, right,

pledges a working relationship with newly- in-service conference for the non-teaching LOCAL 860 PRESIDENT Janice McGuiness
appointed Yonkers School Superintendent Donald employees of the Yonkers School District. It was addresses Yonkers School District Unit members
M. Batista. the first for that group of workers. during the day-long conference.

1 4 THE PUBLIC SECTOR April 20, 1987

sd

€

aie

to study delivery of services

ANY — At the direction of CSEA’s
lelegates, President William McGowan has
appointed a special committee, chaired by
Region V President James Moore, to
examine the delivery of services to the
membership.

games’.”’

OUGHKEEPSIE — Does it pay to be a dedicated, loyal
emPloyee? Andy Abbott is pondering that question very carefully.
“They say I’m a good employee, but what good has it done me?’’ he
asked.
Abbott, a 25-year Hudson River Psychiatric Center employee, has
had such an excellent work record that he’s been presented with
commendations for his attendance. But he’s had good reason to wonder
if he’s really appreciated. ee
Recently, the mental hygiene therapy aide (MHTA) was notified
that he had until March 31 to use up some of his vacation accruals or he

McGowan has told the committee:
“Your mission is not going to be ‘fun and

He added that it is their responsibility to
take a long, hard look at CSEA and

COUNTING THE DAYS —
MHTA Andrew Abbott, shows
Local 410 President Marge Har-
rign the notice he received in-
forming him that he must use
his vacation accruals or lose
them. But Harrison has been
denied leave each time he has
requested it.

3

CSEA backs big winner
in Nassau Assembly vote

recommend improvements.

The committee will talk to all department
heads, headquarters and regional staff, and
members in state and local government, and
school district units before reporting to the
delegates next October.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

would lose them, because he was over the maximum limit. But
according to Region III Field Representative John Deyo, Abbott has
repeatedly requested vacation leave and each time his request was
either denied because of claims of understaffing or “misplaced.”

To add insult to injury, the last winter snowstorm found him
shoveling snow drifts in his driveway for 2’ hours. Exhausted, he called
his supervisor to report that he could not make it to work and asked if
he could use his vacation accruals to take the day off. He was refused
and was penalized a day’s pay for not coming to work.

According to Deyo, other employees, MHTAs included, have
called in and informed their supervisors that they were too tired to
report to work and requested a vacation day which they were granted.

“T believe that the administration and the personnel office are
using different rules for different employees. We cannot allow them to
selectively enforce the negotiated agreement and the rules.”

In the past few months, Abbott also requested vacation time to
take a member of his family to the hospital. Again, his request was
denied, but he was permitted to take sick leave. ‘

Local 410 President Marge Harrison says the administration is
forcing the employees to lie if they want time off. “They are inviting
the employees to call in sick rather than asking for a vacation or
personal day.”

Deyo emphasized that he did not feel that the administration could
deduct leave accruals that are over the maximum limit when it could
be demonstrated that the employees had repeatedly had leave requests
denied “‘under the guise of lack of manpower.”

“They continuously manipulate minimum staffing levels to build
in extra personnel so they can have an extra employee or two available
to be re-assigned to other wards which may be short,” he said.

Region III President Pat Mascioli commented ‘We need less high
paid administrators hiding in meetings and in their offices and more

direct care employees to better care for our clients.”

3 ALDWIN — CSEA-endorsed candidate
Charles O’Shea was an overwhelming
winner in the April 7 special election to fill
the vacant seat in Long Island’s 19th
Assembly District.

The special election was called following
the resignation of long-time incumbent
Armand D’Amato earlier this year.

O’Shea, a 28-year-old lawyer, was making
his first bid for public office. He has been

pril 20, 1987

extensively involved in Republican party
activities for nearly a decade.

He has served as a legislative aide and
most recently as a deputy Nassau County
attorney.

The 19th Assembly District includes
portions of Baldwin, Bellmore, Freeport,
Island Park, Levittown, Merrick, North
Bellmore and North Merrick.

O’SHEA

THE PUBLIC SECTOR 1 5

By Daniel X. Campbell
CSEA Communications Associate

BOLTON LANDING — “You're not just a
grade 3. You are an important part of your
office, you are a unique individual and you
are a key to the smooth operation of your
daily worksite.”

That’s what Linda Swietlicki, co-chair of
the Region IV Women’s Committee told
participants of the Women’s Committee
Workshop recently.

Those few sentences summed up the
theme of the workshop, called “Reaching
out, Coping and the Beat Goes On... .

“People have to realize that the worth of
the job is actually tied to the feeling of the

| worth of the person doing the job,” said

| Ellen Diange, the Capital Region women’s

| committee chair. ‘‘We create our own
pecking order, grade 3s, the 5s, the 16s, the
18s. But they’re not people, and we’re not
acting as people if we put ourselves down as
a simple number.”

| Using humorous skits in the morning

| session, the committee helped show how
workers deserve and can push for respect in
“How About a Little Respect Around Here?”

Each skit dramatically illustrated how
employees, male and female, allow job and
academic titles to override common sense
and normal social relations.

For example, in one skit, a male
supervisor leaves the office and calls to his
female employees, ‘‘Goodnight, girls.” When
the boss tosses his normal remark the next
evening, the women call back in unison,
“Goodnight, boy.”

“The most important thing to
remember is that you can
overcome any situation you
want to overcome.”

Respect yourself:

stresses

They made their point.
During the afternoon session, consultant
Marge Woods continued the upbeat rhythym
by encouraging the participants to take

control over any situation.

“Tf you let a situation master you, you can
just as easily master the situation,” she
said. ‘‘The most important thing to
remember is that you can overcome any
situation you want to overcome. It may take
some reading, some practice, some
persistance, but YOU can do it.”

The committee also came up with “The
Bill of Rights for Region IV Workers,”
calling for equal rights and respect.

The Region IV Women’s Committee
Workshop didn’t stop with the meeting.
Cornell University’s New York State School
of Industrial Labor Relations video-taped
the skits. The manual ‘How About Some
Respect Around Here,”’ authored by Diange,
Swietlicki and committee adviser Peg
Wilson, a CSEA education and training
specialist, with the help of the labor school,
will be published later this spring.

Both the video and the manual, to be used
for clerical employees nationwide, will be
available sometime after June.

Region IV Women's conferenca,

self-worth, strength

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, consultant Marge
Woods tells participants at the Region IV
Women’s Commitee Workshop.

THE REGION IV WOMEN’S COMMITTEE poses for a picture. The members are from left: Helen
Corina, Cathy Vallee, Kathy Noack, Linda Swietlicki, Chair Ellen Diange, Mary Kilinske, Judy

Remington and Lynn Stalker.

SUMMERSCAPE

If you’re one of the thousands of CSEA
members planning your summer vacation
right now — don’t forget to include
SUMMERSCAPE in your plans.

SUMMERSCAPE is a unique vacation
program which will operate between July
18 and Aug. 9 at five SUNY campuses for
CSEA members and retirees and their
families. SUMMERSCAPE is sponsored
by the joint CSEA/State Committee on the
Work Environment and Productivity
(CWEP) in cooperation with the Central
Office of the State University of New
York (SUNY).

SUMMERSCAPE provides a very

16

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

affordable vacation utilizing dorm rooms
and facilities at any of the five SUNY
campuses. Participating SUNY campuses
this summer are Potsdam, Plattsburg,
Cortland, Oswego and Fredonia.

The average per person charge will run
about $18 a night for a single room or $14
for a double, and CSEA members and
retirees and their families can stay
overnight or up to a week. Meals will be
available at very reasonable rates also.
Many campus facilities will be available
to the vacationer, and each participating
campus is near tourist attractions and
state parks.

Complete details on how and where you
can make your reservations to stay at any
of the five SUNY campuses as part of the
SUMMERSCAPE program will be
published in the next issue of The Public
Sector. A coupon making you eligible for
a chance to win a free vacation at the
campus of your choice will also be
published in the next issue. Information
about obtaining a brochure describing
SUMMERSCAPE will also be included.

If you need immediate
information to include
SUMMERSCAPE as part of your
vacation planning now, contact the
CSEA/State Labor Management
Committees at (518) 473-3417.
Otherwise, complete details will
appear in the next edition of The
Public Sector.

April 20, 1987

r®

Comp worth has arrived

Summertime will mean more than just sun for
42,000 CSEA-represented state employees targeted to
receive comparable worth pay adjustments. The
Governor’s Office of Employee Relations (GOER)
expects the new monies to start appearing in
paychecks “during the early summer” although they
went into effect April 9 (ISU payroll) and April 16
(ASU payroll). The actual date is still to be
announced. Releasing the good news at an Albany
press conference were, from left, GOER Director
@vhomas Hartnett, CSEA President William L.
McGowan, union Research Director William Blom and
CSEA General Counsel Marjorie E. Karowe. The
union has been fighting for pay equity since 1981 and
McGowan is generally pleased by the results although
disappointed that ‘‘some other titles we wanted
reallocated are not on this list.’” Employees will share
over $30 million in the first round of pay equity
adjustments. In addition, several millions of dollars
will be going to employees as “hazardous duty pay.”

CSEA: Civil Service change
a chance for improvement

ALBANY — Calling it ‘‘an opportunity to

D.C. demonstration

A national coalition of labor and Service department as well as head the

religious leaders, including a number of
AFSCME officials have called for a
demonstration against Apartheid and
other human rights violations.

The demonstration is scheduled for
Saturday April 25 in Washington D.C.
For more information contact New York
Mobilization for Justice and Peace in

ventral America and Southern Africa at
212) 315-2933.

right what we think are some of the wrongs
in the system,” is how CSEA President
William McGowan reacted to Governor
Mario Cuomo’s choice for new Civil Service
chief.

Cuomo has nominated Walter D.
Broadnax, a 44-year-old Harvard University
professor to be President of the state Civil
Service Commission. In that capacity,
Broadnax who also served as a high-ranking
social services administrator in the Carter
Administration, will administer the Civil

commission which establishes policy.

McGowan said the choice of Broadnax
“looks good, but we don’t know that much
about him.”’ The union leader said he would
reserve judgment until he sees how issues |
such as the number of provisional |
employees, zone scoring and test reporting |
delays are addressed.

Broadnax must still be confirmed by the
state senate before assuming his

State budget impact still unclear

ALBANY — It took two different
stopgap measures to make sure state
employees got paid and was still 10 days

THE GOOD NEWS LABOR DEPARTMENT,

1S THAT YOUVE (GOT LA OFFS late, but New York lawmakers and
ANOTHER REPRIEVE... — yf Governor Mario Cuomo finally agreed
THE BAD NEWS 1S THAT » Sse — on a state budget.

At press time, CSEA officials and
staff were still reviewing the impact of
BASS the massive document on CSEA
members and state operations. But
there appeared to be across the board
gains in aid to school districts and local
government.

The Public Sector will provide details
on specific department budgets in a
future issue.

One department that is receiving
supplementary funding is the State
Labor Department — where an
additional $3 million will again hold off
layoffs, this time until June 30.

The action is based on an assumption
that Congress will act in June to restore
federal monies previously cut from the
DOL budget. The expectation is that the
federal action will eliminate the need
2 | for layoffs.

a Even before the legislature acted,
CSEA efforts had placed all but a
handful of members targeted for layoff.

NOBODY KNOWS \
How TO GET
YOU QUT OF
THIS THING!

{
|
responsibilities. |

THE PUBLIC SECTOR 1 7

April 20, 1987

' ‘*\.10,000

i Mrs. Peluso 9, she plans to retire so she
can spend more time with her
, — grandchildren. Her husband, however, said
f he plans to keep working.

“T don’t know what I’d do with my time,”
he said at a recent press conference.

“Stay home and count your money!”’ his
wife suggested.

This isn’t the Peluso’s first Lotto win. Just
‘a week before, they won $1,300. They spend
$6 a week on Lotto tickets. The numbers
that made them millionaires on April 1,
however, won them nothing at all when
played the preceeding Saturday.

The Pelusos have big plans for their
winnings. They have lived for 25 years in a
rented apartment in Mechanicville, and they
plan to buy their own home.

They also plan to share the wealth with
their family. They have three children:
Peggy, a kindergarten teacher; Kathleen, a

ALBANY — CSEA may well be
representing its first multi-millionaires.

Louis and Kathleen Peluso of
Mechanicville claimed the April 1 Lotto
Jackpot of $10 million.

Earlier this year, eight CSEA members
who work at the Melville North state
Department of Transportation (DOT) yard nurse; and Louis Jr., a physicist.
on Long Island split a $2 million Lotto prize. Since Peggy is getting oeried i

Both the Pelusos are CSEA members who August, the money will help not only with
work in Saratoga County. She has been a the wedding but with the couple’s new home.
family court hearing examiner for two While the Pelusos planned originally to help
years, and he is a maintenance worker at the newlyweds with an apartment, they now

Saratoga State Park. 1 help th ith house.
Their ‘take home” from the jackpot will [DE RNgD IST Sen aN ee CO OTE

be 20 annual checks, the first of which will
be for $380,952. The remaining checks will
be approximately the same amount. That’s
what’s left from the $476,190 annual
installment after 20 percent goes to the
cote Revenue Service.

AND THE WINNERS ARE Louis and Kathleen
Peluso, two CSEA members from Mechanicville.
They are pictured at a recent press conference
during which they were introduced as winners of
the $10 million Lotto Jackpot. Their lucky
numbers were picked April 1.

= an (Gen!
YORK’S
Loney

000

CSEA has established an internship program in
journalism for a son or daughter of a CSEA
member and is inviting interested qualified
candidates to submit applications.

The internship is restricted to children of CSEA
members and candidates must be an enrolled
college student majoring in journalism.

The internship will last up to 12 weeks, or one
school semester, and the position will pay $6 per
hour or a maximum of $2,880 annually.

The successful candidate will be assigned to
CSEA’s Communications Department at the
union’s statewide headquarters in Albany and
work with the staff of CSEA’s official publication,
The Public Sector, in the capacity of an assistant
editor.

Interested qualified candidates must complete
an application form and submit it along with an

April is not too early to begin thinking about your education plans
for the fall,

CSEA/LEAP has already sent its request for proposals to approxi-
mately 200 colleges and BOCES throughout New York in preparation
for the Fall 1987 LEAP course announcement, to be available in your
personnel or education and training office during the last week of June.

If you need help making your plans, several resources are availa-
ble. Your education and training office may have a list of programs

A great way to quench
a thirst for knowledge

Journalism internship announced

essay of 100 words or less explaining why the
candidate is interested in serving the internship
with CSEA.

Applications, essays and individual
qualifications will be reviewed by members of
the Public Sector Committee of CSEA’s statewide
Board of Directors. The committee wjll narrow
the candidates to three finalists with the
internship winner being selected by CSEA
President William L. McGowan.

Interested qualified candidates should
immediately request an application form by
writing or calling:

Aaron Shepard, Director of Communications

Civil Service Employees Association
143 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12210

(518) 434-0191

18

available at colleges, BOCES or school districts in your area. You may
want to contact the continuing education department at local colleges.
Your local library may have lists of educational programs in your com-
munity.

If you are in the Albany area or can travel there easily, you may
want to consider the College Assessment Program, which offers infor-
mation and counseling to help people obtain college degrees.

Trained counselors at the CAP Center can provide you with infor-
mation on college options. They also have a wide range of resources
to help you decide on a program and a school best suited to your needs,

. THE PUBLIC SECTOR

LEAP is the Labor Education Action Program of CSEA. It
offers tuition-free courses at two- and four-year public and
private colleges, BOCES and various state facilities across
New York, LEAP is available only to CSEA-represented
state employees in the Operational Services, Administrative
Services and Institutional Services units, Health Research
Ine., SUNY Construction Fund and Division of Military and
Naval Affairs. CSEA/LEAP courses are designed to
increase upward career mobility in state service and
improve ghe quality of life on and off the job.

Labor Education Action Program

The members of the newly organized Town of Southeast Unit were given a warm
welcome to CSEA at a dinner in Putnam County recently. Shown here with Region III
Field Representative Richard Blair are Unit Secretary Paulette Sullivan, Treasurer
Joan D’Ottavio, Vice President Mary Tarnowski and President Mickey Sheil.

Chautauqua County CSEA Local 807 is
really cooking for its 40th anniversary.

To celebrate, the local is compiling a
cookbook. The local’s Board of Directors
is asking CSEA members and officials to
contribute their favorite recipes to the
book.

The contributed recipes will be in a
special section of the 40th Anniversary
Cookbook.

A photograph of the signing of a Delhi that ran in the last issue of The
contract between the SUNY Delhi CSEA Public Sector was provided by the SUNY
Local 628 and the College Association and Delhi Communications Department.

Do you think CARMEN GARCIA LEE BASSETT Reed
eo epe Central Islip School School, Local 870
policitians are District, Mullivan “To a point. I also
School, Suffolk believe most politicians
honest? Educational CSEA are actors. That’s why
Local 870 Ronald Reagan is such

“No, because when a good president.”
you need them, they’re

Where asked: never around to come
REGION I through for you.”

AND THE OTHER THING |

HARRISON — Reva Surow will be
remembered at the S.J. Preston
Elementary School.

A plaque honoring Mrs. Surow, a retired
library aide, was dedicated in the school’s
new library, media and computer center.
The center was established through the
efforts of the Preston Library Committee
and partially paid for by the school’s
PTA.

Mrs. Surow’s plaque was placed in the
library’s Primary Children section. She
retired last June after 20 years.

ALBANY — CSEA is currently
accepting applications for the following
positions:

Health and Safety Specialist (Vacancies
in Albany and Long Island) — Minimum
qualifications include bachelor’s degree or
associate’s degree in related field or three
years experience of an
investigatory/safety nature; driver’s
license and car for business use required.

Submit resumes immediately to:
Personnel Director, P.O. Box 7125, Capital
Station, Albany, N.Y. 12224.

CSEA is an equal opportunity employer.

\

DORINE A. HOLMES ‘VIRGINIA QUINN
Pilgrim Psychiatric Senior Steno, SUNY at
Center, CSEA Local Stony Brook, CSEA

418 Local 618

“No. I feel they have “On the whole? No.
good intentions, but A lot of them seem to
due to social pressures, make promises they

they’re not able to never fulfill. When
maintain them. voting I usually take
They’re forced to go the stand that I’ll vote
along with the flow.” for the one least
dishonest.”

9 sar mm A oS SS SLATS

April 20, 1987

THE PUBLIC SECTOR 1 AS ]

Layoffs
faked

By Charles McGeary
CSEA Communications Associate

SYRACUSE — The threatened lay off of 52
Onondaga County employees may have been
fictional, but the three months of agonized
waiting by those employees was very real.

Angry CSEA officials charge the
employees, members of Onondaga County
CSEA Local 834, were pawns in a plot by
County Legislator Gerald Mingolelli (R-
Syracuse) designed to further his own
political ambitions while discrediting
Legislature Chairman Nicholas Pirro, also a
Republican.

According to a telephone conversation
secretly taped in October, Mingolelli created
a ruse by declaring that the county needed
to lay off 52 employees. He was then able to
“save” the jobs at the last minute,
enhancing his political stature at Pirro’s
expense, it is charged.

The jobs were never in real danger, but
the county employees who held them didn’t
know that.

Local President Dale King blasted
Mingolelli at a press conference attended by
more than 200 sign-carrying county
employees.

“What Mr. Mingolelli has done to hurt
county employees and the anguish he has
caused to their families is unforgivable,”
King said. ‘‘Speaking for the more than 3,700
employees who work for the county and
thousands more of our CSEA brothers and
sisters throughout the area, we will not
forget!”

Mingolelli’s scheme came to light when
the tape was made public three months
after the conversation. He was forced to
resign as chair of the legislature’s powerful
Ways and Means Committee.

CSEA blasts lawmaker for -
using workers as ‘pawns’

ENDA CAWTHON
Id Mingolelli was;
Thursday by a co}
union official whi :
workers as "pol

play
“What Mr. Mingolelli ha:

AiG
‘ spun nendagn |

day calle, pI
galled the on

We will not forget,” said Dale King) 8 Scandal a

dent of Civil Service Employees
tion Local 834,

Contract negotiations betw]
county and the union, which re
3,500 workers, stalled several mq
when the parties could not ag!

Wane aon Hemet pack ing domanden 2

ucsef Able" contract
air 1 union ror

tices against the co

ments Mingolelli n

“The Mingolelli tape scam is a disgrace,”
said Region V President Jim Moore. ‘‘To
use dedicated county employees as political
pawns is cruel and unforgivable.”

King also used the press conference to
lash out at county leaders. The union has
been without a contract since Dec. 31, and
negotiations have been at impasse for
several months.

Mingolelli’s blatant ‘misuse of public
trust” is indicative of a general disrespect
for county employees among legislators and
officials, he charged.

DALE KING, president of Onondaga County CSEA Local 834, blasts County Legislator Gerald
Mingolelli for his political power play that had 52 county employees believing they would be laid off.
King also criticized county legislators who agreed to a seven-point security plan but have failed to
implement it.

20

THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Tele lane octave (eniias wet
pees
ict Since Dec. out acon. | Such
Last weok, sis
vere
feats
Mirgoet pot wag ©

‘eal maneuvering he

——

Local 834 leaders have created a crisis
team to plan more communication and
political action with rank-and-file members
in all county units covered by the expired
contract.

Moore has pledged the total support of
CSEA regional and statewide services to
help the local reach a fair contract
settlement.

King also criticized county officials for
failing to correct security problems in
several county buildings. The county had
agreed to a safety proposal covering seven
areas recommended by the CSEA safety
task force, but has yet to implement it.

has done to hurt county
employees and the e
anguish he has caused
to their families is
unforgivable ... We
will not forget!9

Dale King, Local 834
president
Na y

April 20, 1987