The Public Sector, 1984 April 20

SPCROR

Official Publication of The Civil Service Employees Association Local 1000,
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

AFL-CIO.

(ISSN 0164 9949) ‘Friday, April 20, 1984

(SEA LIGHTS A FIRE
UNDER OGS REGARDING

EMPIRE STATE PLAZA

FIRE EXIT PROBLEMS

ALBANY — CSEA is putting plenty of heat
on the state Office of General Services (OGS)
over delays in responding to union complaints
concerning fire safety standards at the huge
Empire State Plaza complex.

A union attorney has charged OGS with

“building or structure ..

“bureaucratic foot dragging’’ over the issue. At
issue is lack of adequate access to fire exits in
the huge office complex in downtown Albany
where thousands of state employees work daily
and which is visited by thousands of other people
daily as well.

CSEA first complained in 1982 that the four
Agency buildings in downtown Albany provide
only one way for employees to reach two fire
exits.

The union noted that federal and state safety
and health regulations, administered by the
state: Labor Department, require “Every
. that _the reasonable
safety of numbers of occupants may be
endangered by the blocking of any single means
of egress (exit) due to fire or smoke, shall have
at least two means of egress remote from each
ere

Last month, OGS aired plans to spend $2.5
million to construct new fire wall corridors and
exits, and to install upgraded fire detection
devices on a total of 72 floors in the structures.

The proposal was made at a Department of
Labor hearing during which OGS requested a
permanent variance to avoid compliance. This
prompted CSEA attorney William Wallens to
note, “A permanent variance is only appropriate
when it is impossible to meet the standards. In
this case, OGS is proposing a plan to meet the

standards at the same time it is requesting the

variance.”

Speaking at an April 16 public hearing,
Wallens also charged “OGS is abusing the
process by which these standards are enforced.
OGS seems to be more interested in bureaucratic
gamesmanship than in the safety of the people
who work in those buildings.”

Wallens added that there is a ‘‘glaring error”
in the $2.5 million estimate. He says it includes
$720,000 for the detection devices, “which are a
good idea but which have nothing to do with this
complaint.” OGS has also failed to document the
$1.7 million estimated cost to construct new fire
wall corridors and exits.

“Tt appears that OGS raised the issue of cost as
a device to try to convince the Department of
Labor and the public that the modifications are
too expensive,” Wallens emphasized.

“Tf a fire were to have the tragic consequences
which occurred at the Stouffer's Inn or the MGM
Grand Hotel, no amount of money could make up
for it. It is impossible to put a price tag on safe-
ty,’’ Wallens concluded.

( oGs feeling heat )

OGS is responding to the pressure. Plans
to correct fire hazards in the Agency
buildings will be expedited.

Originally, the deadline in seeking bids
for proposed construction of new fire exits
was March 1985. But, following CSEA
Attorney William Wallens’ pointed
testimony at the April 16 Labor
Department hearing, OGS Associate
Counsel George Cochran announced his
agency will request funds for the project |
and provide a written schedule within a
week.

Tne breakthrough is described by CSEA
Safety Specialist Angela DeVito as “the
kind of enforcement we sought when public | _

oe OSHA was passed.” a

BRUCE WYNGAARD

CSEA researcher: MH shortstaffing having
ill effects on patients and therapy aides

POUGHKEEPSIE — Addressing members of
the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill here
recently, CSEA Associate Director of Research
Bruce Wyngaard said that the elimination of
thousands of mental hygiene positions last year
has resulted in ‘“‘less than custodial care” for
patients.

“You don’t dissociate layoffs from the quality
of care,” said Wyngaard. ‘‘We identified how the
layoffs have affected the programs, employee
burnout, and how these problems break the con-
tinuity of care.”

Wyngaard also pointed out that the layoffs
came une: ly to the union, which im-
mediately began lobbying efforts to return men-
tal hygiene facilities to their previous staffing
levels. The state Legislature has since passed
the new state budget correcting some of the staf-
fing problems and addressing many of the
recommendations Wyngaard spoke of before the
National Alliance.

Wyngaard said that one present problem is
that facilities are spending excessive funds in
overtime pay for employees who are working
double shifts for six or seven days a week.
Therapy aides are often forced to perform duties
outside their line of work, such as washing win-
dows or storekeeping.

“The work environment has deteriorated,” he
said. “There is a tremendous amount of stress
created by fatigue and an overload of work.”

Another problem is a lack of training which

“perpetuates a poor working environment.”

Several recommendations have been made
by CSEA, Wyngaard noted. Among them are:

¢ the mental hygiene agencies, rather than the
Division of Budget, should determine the level of
staffing needed in each facility;

« the Legislature should better monitor use of
state funds and appropriate sufficient amounts
for mental hygiene;

workers in forensic facilities should be bet-
ter trained to reduce the number of violent at-
tacks on therapy aides.

Wyngaard said that despite the problems en-
countered due to layoffs, state mental hygiene
facilities are ‘‘still the best place to care for the
chronically mentally ill.

“Public employees can and do provide the best
services available,” he said. ‘‘I have been very
impressed with the workers at the state facilities
and their dedication to their jobs.”

Wyngaard, who serves on the governor’s Men-
tal Hygiene Commission, said he believes the
state can develop a system utilizing present
resources. ‘It only makes managerial sense,”
he said. ‘Using a state-operated system is cost-
effective and can work all over the state.”

Mildred Starin, co-founder of the Mid-Hudson
Chapter of NAMI, an advocacy organization for
the mentally ill, pledged her support at the con-
ference for CSEA’s position and said she has urg-
ed members to write their legislators to have
staffing levels increased.

PERB orders Herkimer workers back on job

HERKIMER — An administrative law judge for
the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)
has ordered the reinstatement of six village of
Herkimer employees who were terminated last
November when the village began subcontracting
its trash pickup service to Mohawk Valley Sanita-
tion Inc., a private firm.

The six employees, members of the Herkimer
Village Unit of CSEA Herkimer County Local 822,
now await further disposition of the award.

CSEA filed an improper practice charge in Oc-
tober claiming the village of Herkimer violated the
Taylor Law by unilaterally contracting out its trash
pickup service.

At a formal hearing in December, CSEA argued
that the village never entered into serious negotia-

TV program to air

women and working world

In conjunction with National Secretaries Week (April 23-27), CSEA’s inter-

tions with the union concerning the contracting out
of trash service.

According to Ercole Ventura, CSEA field
representative for the unit, the only subcontracting
talk with the village occurred Sept. 26 after a re-
quest was made by the union.

At that meeting, Ventura, Unit President Bob
Wellington and village Attorney Carl Scalise
discussed options available to employees affected
by the subcontracting.

“Atno time prior to Sept. 26, or thereafter, did the
village seek to discuss its proposal to subcontract
its trash pickup service with CSEA,” Ventura said.

In his April award the judge declared the Taylor
Law had been violated and ordered the village to
offer ‘immediate reinstatement under their prior
terms and conditions of employment to those

employees who were laid off or bumped as a result
of the subcontracting and make them whole for any
loss of wages and benefits suffered by reason of the
violation.”

Of the six employees affected by the November
layoff, one has since chosen to retire and the others
remain unemployed.

In a joint press statement following the award,
Local 822 President Mary Sullivan and Herkimer
Unit President Bob Wellington estimated that back
pay and benefits for the affected employees could
cost the village of Herkimer $40,000 or more.

CSEA Attorney Michael Smith handled the im-
proper practice charge for the employees. Local
and unit officials now await the reinstatement and
disbursement of back pay and other benefits, or
possible delay due to an appeal by the village.

CSEA backs Levittown candidates

LEVITTOWN — The Levittown School District unit of Nassau Educa-
tional CSEA Local 865 is appealing to all members of CSEA living in the
district to vote for three union-endorsed candidates in the election May 9 for

national affiliate, AFSCME, is distributing a 28-minute public affairs television
program to be aired on more than 650 commercial television stations, the
Public Broadcasting System and cable systems.

The program, ‘Facing the Future: Working Women in Tomorrow’s
World,” features Betty Friedan, founder of the National Organization for
Women; Elizabeth Duncan Koontz, chairwoman of the National Commission
on Working Women; and Diana Rock, AFSCME’s director of Women’s
Activities.

The program looks at the issues of pay equity for working women, day care
and the impact of office technology on the workplace. It also features inter-
views with women workers on the job and parents at a child care center.

“Maybe women have ‘come a long way.’ But there’s a long way still to go,”
said Rock. “For women, facing the future means working together to make
sure our institutions keep pace with our people. We need to work toward a
future that builds on the past instead of repeating it. That’s what this program
is all about. We’re pleased that so many stations are using our program as part
of the discussion on this issue.””

Some 200,000 AFSCME members are office workers and secretaries, tens
of thousands of them CSEA-represented public employees in New York state.

AFSCME estimates that the initial viewing audience for the program will
be six to eight million people.

Page'.2° THE PUBLIC SECTOR; 'Friddy, April’ 20,1984 '

school board trustees, it was announced by Frank Fasano, president of the
unit and local.

The candidates are: incumbent board president Connie Loftus, Dr. Alan
Hecht and Rosemary Nestor. The three are allies of two other trustees who
were elected last year with CSEA support. Fasano said those three also con-
curred with Loftus’ conviction that “we are deeply indebted to our many
dedicated school employees who are the backbone of the Levittown school
system and the main reason for its successful operation.”

Meanwhile, the Custodial and Cafeteria Unit of the Hewlett-Woodmere
School District was drumming up CSEA support for school board candidate
Stephen B. Witt, according to John Fitzsimmons, vice president of the unit.
That election is also May 9.

Summer school session scheduled

The Northeastern Summer School for Union Women has been scheduled
for July 22-27, 1984 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Information and application forms are available by contacting Hadas-
sah Santini Coordinator, Labor Education Center, Rutgers University,
New Brunswick, N.J. 08903. Cost of the summer school program is $175.

"4 i

So Eversley, Gary Akers and Steve Edwards.

WATKINS HONORED — Robert Watkins, standing second from left, was
for his work in organizing the re-employment and training programs at Letchworth Developmental here at Letchworth met the challenge. It was hard
Center last year. With him, standing from left, are Bruce Wyngaard, CSEA associate director of work, but it was innovative work.”

MEMBERS HONORED — Robert Watkins, center row, right, honored members of
Committee. Seated are Danny Schuler, Luke Lukenda, Sarah Jackson, Lawrence Buckley and Jose Presented Watkins with a plaque in recognition of
Martinez. Standing, center row, are Keith Cazzola, Brian Pondi, Richard Bryant, committee Chairman his work, while Watkins, in turn, honored members
Ralph Matthews, Region III Field Rep Chris Lindsay and Mickey Avery. In back row are Bill Peterson, of the layoff steering committee and participants of

honored at a dinner recently

research; Letchworth Director Edward Jennings; Local Treasurer Sal Greco; Letchworth Associate
Director Norman Szmanski; Letchworth Personnel Director Joseph Anginoli and Region III President
Raymond J. O’Connor. Seated are Kathy Demarest of PEF; Rosa Bennett, coordinator of the re-
employment program; statewide Secretary Irene Carr; and Micki Avery of CSEA.

the Layoff Steering

Officer, members m
e eo

honored for innovative

re-employment program

THIELLS — When the Letchworth Village
Developmental Center here was among the
heaviest hit last year in a wave of layoffs in the
state mental hygiene facilities, CSEA Local
President Robert Watkins sprung into action to
soften the blow of the traumatic situation.

Watkins, long an advocate of increased staffing
and better care in the mental hygiene facilities
statewide, brought together labor and management
in a successful re-employment and training pro-
gram for the laid-off personnel.

The Local 412 president was recently honored for
his efforts at a dinner held in West Haverstraw.
Watkins, in turn, paid tribute to program Coor-
dinator Rosa Bennett and her staff, Mickey Avery
of CSEA and Kathy Demarest of PEF.

“When there are problems, one person’s crisis is

another’s challenge,” CSEA statewide Secretary
Trene Carr told those gathered at the event. “You

Noting that those involved in the successful pro-
gram ran job fairs, held classes in English as a Se-
cond Language, sponsored numerous training
workshops, and provided funds for child care, Carr
called the program ‘‘an outstanding example of
what can be accomplished when labor and manage-
ment join together.” She said the Letchworth pro-
gram ‘‘can serve as an example to the entire
state.”

Carr also noted that Watkins’ testimony at recent
legislative hearings helped in the successful lobby-
ing campaign for increased funding in the state
budget for staffing this year.

Letchworth Director Edward Jennings praised
Watkins as intelligent and sensitive, saying the
facility was fortunate to have him as a leader.
“He’s as much an advocate of the clients as he is for
CSEA,” Jennings said.

Bruce Wyngaard, CSEA associate director of
research, said, “‘I told Bob we had to do something
for these laid-off people. Bob said they deserved
more than just placement on a preferred list. I was
proud to be part of the effort.” He also credited the
Letchworth administration for their involvement .

Region II President Raymond J. O’Connor

the re-employment program. os,

( TOLL COLLECTOR TOOTING HIS OWN HORN:

KINGSTON — At the end of March, the hand-lettered
sign on the toll booth on the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge read
‘320 No Smoking Days — 102 Cartons of Cigarettes.”

And, like every other day since last May, commuters ap-
plauded toll collector Richard Howard as they passed through
the toll collection area.

For when the CSEA member decided to quit smoking be-
cause he ‘“‘wanted to be around to enjoy my retirement,” he
also decided to share his pledge to quit smoking with his cus-
tomers at the toll booth. And at 11 p.m. on May 10, 1983, he
put up his sign telling passing motorists how many cigarettes
he had not smoked since quitting.

Howard, a 15-year state employee, figured he smoked
about 64 cigarettes a day — more than three packs. In just
one year, he realized, that came to 23,360 cigarettes, or 1,160
packs, or 116 cartons.

His personal campaign all began when he heard infor-
mation on an anti-smoking campaign on a Kingston radio sta-

No, ifs, ands or butts, this cigarette quitter
has no-smoking message for motorists

tion. He quickly visited the Ulster County Lung Association.

“T walked in and said ‘I need help,’ and they proceeded
with a two-hour lecture and gave me brochures to take
home.” He and his wife studied the material and decided to
kick the habit.

Howard says he decided to announce his accomplishment
on the toll booth sign because he hoped it would inspire others
to quit smoking. ‘‘Now, almost a year later, some of the
drivers have quit,” he says.

Some notoriety has also come to the CSEA member, who
has been recognized in the past for being a Hall of Fame bowl-
er with a daily average of over 200. The Poughkeepsie Jour-
nal published a photo story on him, and he received a
proclamation from the Lung Association soon after he quit.
It stated that he would quit for 20 days but he crossed off the
number and wrote in “forever.”

“T never intend to smoke again,” he says.

Howard, who quit ‘‘cold turkey,” has this advice for
would-be quitters: ‘‘You have to want to live.”

PL
RICHARD HOWARD a,

THE PUBLIC: SECTOR, Friday, April) 20.1984, .

Page..3°,

—~e
THIS 15

Publi
SECTOR

Official publication of

The Civil Service Employees Association
Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO

33 Elk Street, Albany, New York 12224

%..WE CAN'T KEEP
THE LOCK WALLS eel
J LOCK WALLS UP,

LOCK WALLS up..."

"THE BARGE CANAL
1S FALLING DOWN, 4
FALLING DOWN,

FALLING DOWN...*

The Public Sector (445010) is published every
other Friday by the Civil Service Employees
Association, 33 Elk Street, Albany, New York
12224,

Publication office, 1 Columbia Place, Albany,
New York 12207.

Second Class Postage paid at Post Office,
Albany, New York.

MICHAEL P. MORAN — Publisher

ROGER A. COLE — Editor
TINA LINCER FIRST — Associate Editor
BRIAN K. BAKER — Assistant Editor

Address changes should be sent to Civil Ser-
vice Employees Association, The Public Sector,
33 Elk Street, Albany, New York 12224.

Montgomery County
CSEA info days held

AMSTERDAM — Two CSEA Information Days
were held in Montgomery County recently, and
the consensus from all involved was that they
provided a valuable resource for members from
Local 829.

“The program’s format allows our members the
opportunity to resolve problems, learn about new
union benefits and become involved in union ac-
tivities,” said Local 829 President William
Zippiere.

“When members see all the services CSEA pro-
vides, they realize they are truly an important
part of the giant union,” said CSEA Field
Representative Joseph Bakerian.

The info days were held for members of the
county infirmary, county office building and
public works department.

Among the participants were representatives
from Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Jardine Insurance
Brokers, Empire Vision Center and The New York
State Retirement System. CSEA staffers provid-
ed information on insurance, OSHA, communica-
tions, field services and organizing.

REGION V PRESIDENT JAMES MOORE recently addressed the annual legislative meeting of the
Rome Business and Professional Women’s Club. Moore spoke on the issue of comparable worth-
comparable pay. Shown with Moore before the meeting are, from left, Chris Carletta, co-chairwoman
of CSEA Region V Women’s Committee; Ann Lenio, president of Rome Business and Professional
Women’s Club and Lucille Argenzia, chairwoman of the sponsoring legislative committee for the club.

Region lll weekend
Yo wn F FISHKILL — A series of workshops will highlight

retroactive pay hike a “Major Education Weekend”’ scheduled for CSEA

members in Southern Region III June 8-10 at the Ar-
YORKTOWN — By a vote of 117-7, members rowwood of Westchester in Purchase.

of the Yorktown CSEA Unit recently ratified a Workshops will include such topics as public sec-

new contract which grants 12 percent in pay tor laws, disciplinary procedures, labor history, un-

hikes over the next two years. Hi ; li '
# ry : ion busting and parliamentary procedures.
Unit President Lawrence Greene said that a Westchester County Executive Andrew O’Rourke

6 percent salary increase is retroactive to i i June 9.
Jan. 1, Members will also receive a $50 in- will be guest speaker at a dinner program Jun
crease in longevity payments.
Serving on the negotiating team with Greene Reservations are being accepted on a first come, CSEA FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Joseph

were Field Representative Donald Partrick, first served basis. Rates are $189.56 per person for Bakerian, right, discusses information with a
Unit Vice President Virginia Rutigliano, Con- double occupancy and $249 for single occupancy. Montgomery County health care employee at
stantine LaPeter and Dominick Mascioli. Additional information may be obtained by con- recent Information Day program.

tacting the CSEA Region III office, (914) 896-8180.

Page 4 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

CARPENTERS Gene Vogel, Eddie Piezzo, Neil Gallagher and Ronald Goetz turn a workbench into a con-
ference table at their work team meeting at Long Island Developmental Center.

| PERSONNEL Department work team members listen as Bonnie
| Lewis speaks.

eo0e
HEATING, Ventilation and Air Conditioning work team members

| at LIDC include Gordon Oliver, at left, Cornell Williams and Keith

Demetres, seated, and Greg Patterson and Leroy LeGendre,

| standing.

| Works teams created

Employee involve

at Long

MELVILLE — An atmosphere of mutual respect, improved staff rela-
tionships and communication, creative thinking, problem solving and joint
decision making — these are some of the goals being set by Quality of Work
Life (QWL) teams at Long Island Developmental Center, as the employee
involvement pilot project there moves into its next phase.

“We're getting at what makes or breaks a person’s life on the job,” said
Long Island Region President Danny Donohue, who, with LIDC Local 430
president Joseph LaValle, pushed hard to see the program come to life.

After one year of groundwork, discussions and planning, members of the
joint labor/management steering committee at the facility have “moved from
confrontation to cooperation and in some cases to collaboration,” said the
QWL consultant working with the group.

The employee involvement project, funded under the auspices of the joint
CSEA/New York State Committee on the Work Environment and Produc-

PLUMBER Sal Russo makes a point at a plan-
ning group meeting.

program underwe

island Developmental Ce:

tivity (CWEP), is designed to improve labor/management relations and to
provide more opportunities for all LIDC employees to become involved in the
decision-making process.

“Through the QWL teams our members now have some say in shaping
their jobs,” LaValle said. “‘They can suggest changes in procedure that ena-
ble them to do a better job. That fact alone lets you get more out of your job
and makes a job that takes less out of you.”

The steering committee selected three areas within LIDC to test the pro-
gram — the shops, the cottages and the personnel department. At each of
the work locations, QWL teams were selected and trained. They set their own
employee involvement goals and began functioning last month.

The initial results are encouraging. Said Gordon Oliver, general mechanic
and a member of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning team: ‘The
QWL program has labor and management working together.”

FISHKILL — New guidelines have been issued to state

on a truck with a wing would have his vision obstructed

Local president
secures ruling
on sand trucks

Department of Transportation employees regarding
trucks that are equipped with snow plow wings.

It is now required that there be two employees on a sand
truck with a wing, and that the wing must be removed if
the vehicle is to be used for any reason other than plowing.

The ruling came about as a result of year-long efforts
by Jack Cassidy, president of CSEA DOT Local 507 in
Region 8. Cassidy argued that one driver operating alone

on the right side, which would be a violation of the law and
a safety hazard.

Management agreed to Cassidy’s decision last July, but
in December, the regional highway maintenance engineer
said the ruling would be rescinded. Cassidy again present-
ed his arguments and won. He was praised by Field
Representative John Deyo for his “diligence and per-
servence,”’

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

€) 08 lia 19 FONDS? ONBUN 2AT

Page 5

Nassau County officia
backs jail expansion

MINEOLA — Nassau County Executive Francis Purcell has reversed his
previous stand against expansion of the Nassau County Jail following public
testimony on overcrowding from, among others, two officials of Nassau County
CSEA Local 830.

Nassau County CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Donahue and Jack
Considine, acting president of CSEA’s Sheriff's Department Unit, both testified
that the numbers of cells and common areas of the facility are insufficient for
the inmate population.

County Executive Purcell later adopted a $10 million portion of a
recommendation by consultants calling for a $35 million expansion of the
facility. The portion adopted includes a 100-bed women’s wing, a new medical
area and new multi-purpose building.

In a crisis atmosphere last month, the county barely met a deadline
imposed by the U.S. District Court to reduce the jail population to 808. The
inmate population had recently been hovering near the 900 level.

Donahue and Considine, who testified before a special committee of
Nassau and Suffolk county legislators, also stressed that the jail had been
repeatedly expanded from its original capacity of 312 prisoners without any
expansion of common areas, such as the mess hall, medical area, court pens,
libraries and recreation areas.

Purcell’s later endorsement of limited expansion included some
improvement in support facilities.

Donohue and Considine also stressed the impact of stress on correction
officers and other employees resulting from a powder-keg atmosphere caused
by overcrowded conditions.

Workshop scheduled on
CSEA/state contracts

ALBANY — Even though the CSEA/state contracts do not expire until
March 31, 1985 preparations for upcoming negotiations will dominate the
annual state workshop.

“We've planned a full schedule,” says Jack Carey, administrative
director of the union’s collective bargaining office. “‘But the central focus
will logically be on the negotiating process.”

Registrations are already pouring in for the May 4-6 event at the Vista
International Hotel in New York City. Registration begins at noon Friday.

Departmental meetings will lead off the Friday afternoon program,

“Negotiations 1985” will be the kickoff workshop on Saturday morning.
It will be followed by individual bargaining unit meetings for members of
the Administrative, Institutional and Operational Services units.

Saturday afternoon workshops will feature such topics as the new CSEA
Employee Benefit Fund Personal Legal Plan, subcontracting, labor/man-
agement, contract interpretation, motivating members and representation
at the board of directors level.

The state workshop will conclude at noon Sunday, following a general
delegates meeting and a political action discussion which will include an
update on the 1984 legislative program.

Negotiations making no
headway in Warren County

WARRENSBURG — A five-hour mediation session between CSEA
and Warren County officials has failed to move the parties any closer to a
settlement.

“The county withdrew four of its proposals but then put them right back on
the table when it declared impasse,” said Harm Swits, CSEA collective
bargaining specialist.

Swits indicated that this action, plus others by the county administration,
bordered on being union-busting tactics.

“They want a unilaterial agreement, not a negotiated contract,” he said.
“Their attitude at the bargaining table and their demands can only be
described as dictatorial.”

Swits noted that the county’s 2.5 percent salary increase offer, plus its 3
percent health care contribution demand created a negative economic
situation for the workers.

“The county is telling the public that it is offering a generous salary
increase. They’re not telling the public that they want to cut salaries by half a
percent,” he said.

CSEA represents both the county workers and the county sheriffs in two
separate negotiating units. Both are now without contracts and at impasse with
the county.

Page 6 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

everay!

On itt and Coolidg

The President of the United States was “an amiable man ge no lofty
intellectual or moral stature; he had no conspicuous urge to improve
anything . .. And he was subsequently discovered to have had among his
buddies in office some egregious grafters.”’

That was Warren G. Harding, as described by 1920s chronicler
Frederick Lewis Allen.

It was the betrayal by his cronies from Ohio that was said to have
broken Harding’s health and led to his.death in 1923. He was succeeded by
Calvin Coolidge, a tightlipped conservative who believed “the business of
America is business.”

Coolidge liked to take afternoon naps in the quiet of the White House.
Meanwhile, the Harding appointees continued their corrupt practices until
congressional investigations blew the lid and forced Coolidge to act.

The worst scandal involved the betrayal of the nation’s defense and
conservation policies. Interior Secretary Albert Fall had taken an interest-
free, unsecured ‘‘loan” of $100,000 and bonds worth $260,000 from two oil
magnates in exchange for leases on the naval oil reserves at Teapot Dome,
Wyo., and Elk Hills, Calif. Fall went to jail while the two bribers profited by
some $100 million and went unpunished.

If business did better than ever before, the ‘Coolidge prosperity”
proved a myth. The excesses of big business, the open shop campaign to
destroy unions, the corruption of government, the unbalanced economy
which left 60 percent of the people below the poverty line — all set the stage
for the Great Depression.

Hopefully for the nation, the 1980s will not have a similar ending, though
the parallels are scary.

The tone of the Reagan era was set when corporations and wealthy
friends kicked in upwards of $10 million for the gaudiest inaugural ever.

Reagan moved into the White House, took down Truman’s picture and
put up Coolidge’s.

The White House, normally thought of as belonging to the people,
needed some fixing up. Mrs. Reagan rejected $50,000 in public funds and the
Reagans solicited private contributions. A few weeks after Reagan
decontrolled the price of domestic oil, some $270,000 poured in from oil
executives. Senator William Proxmire (D-Wis.) called it “as blatant a
presidential conflict as I can recall in more than 20 years I’ve been in
Congress.”

After three years in power, the Reagan administration has chalked up
some 40 cases involving alleged conflicts of interest or improper financial
dealings. The charges involved the attorney general, the head of Central
Intelligence, Reagan’s national security advisers, the top echelon at the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration and various agency chiefs.

The most publicized case to date involves the president’s closest buddy,
Edwin Meese IIT. Meese’s troubles started after Reagan nominated him to
be attorney general, a move seen as positioning him for a Superepe Court
seat. What Senate investigators found out was that Meese had accepted
interest-free, unsecured loans and had not reported them. The people
involved received government appointments. Meese denies any connection.

What standards should be applied to the president’s men and women?

Former Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox notes that simple
ethical guides have governed for a long time: public office must never be
used or appear to be used for personal gain.

President Reagan has a different standard. At his April 4 press
conference, Reagan said “nothing but the highest integrity is required of
those who serve in government.” Then he went on to say he believed “you
are innocent until proven guilty.” That’s a pretty low standard, considering
it took ph nea a decade to round up the Teapot Dome characters.

The allegations against the Reagan appointees will be resolved by
prosecutors, Senate committees and the courts.

The larger issue of the morality and pro-business bias of Reagan’s
policies remains. The planned recession which brought misery to millions,
the assault on unions, the rollback of the welfare state, the attempt to gut
Social Security, the $750 billion tax giveaway to business — all this had sown
the seeds of discord for some time to come.

On Election Day, the people will have a chance to restore decency and
fairness to their government.

CSEA hits state with

IP for ‘broadbanding’
Civil Service titles

ALBANY — A watchman is not a park attendant,
and a park attendant is not a cleaner, except in the
state Office of Parks and Recreation which recently
“broadbanded” Civil Service titles.

Broadbanding is the practice of replacing specif-
ic job titles with general job titles. That is what
Parks and Recreation did recently when it created
three brand new civil service titles: park worker 1,
park worker 2 and park worker 3.

CSEA is fighting the move by filing an improper
practice charge against the state for failing to negoti-
ate the impact of title changes. According to CSEA
Attorney William Wallens, the union is arguing that
the unilateral change in a term and condition of em-
ployment violates the Civil Service law.

The title changes significantly alter and expand
duties of workers in such positions as watchman,
park attendant, cleaner, park worker, janitor,
grounds worker and park caretaker.

Also affected are motor vehicle operator, heavy
equipment operator, construction equipment oper-
ator, maintenance assistant and conservation labor
supervisor.

vd ‘
LOCAL 886 PRESIDENT JULIE LAFFERTY, seated left, signs a two-year contract on behalf of 75
CSEA members employed at the Hopevale Residential Treatment Center for girls. Looking on are,
from left: Robert Taylor, supervisor, cottage life; CSEA Field Representative Vince Sicari; and Ken
Mangione, associate director for finance. The Hopevale Unit is part of CSEA private sector Local 886 in
Region VI. Among other benefits, the unit’s new pact boosts wages by nearly 14 percent over two years.

Putnam Valley contract ratified

PUTNAM VALLEY — Wage increases of 7.5 percent in each of the next
three years are provided for in a recently ratified contract for the employees
of the Putnam Valley School District.

The agreement, which goes into effect on July 1, also includes a $100 in-
crease in longevity payments, a stipend for head custodians, annualizing of
some parttime staff, increased uniform allowance and mandatory clauses
on union rights.

Field Representative Diane Campion credited Unit President Claire Ham-
lyn and her negotiating team for an “‘outstanding job” in settling the contract.

State plans for more staff for OMH

ALBANY — Responding in part to pressures from CSEA, the state Office
of Mental Health is beginning to develop strategies for the deployment of addi-
tional staff in state psychiatric programs.

Commissioner Steven Katz, in a statement released April 2, noted that budg-
et language adopted by the state Legislature requires him and the budget director
to issue a report by May 1 outlining plans to hire additional staff.

The Legislature and Gov. Mario Cuomo recently agreed to provide for more
workers in OMH than called for in the executive budget. This agreement fol-
lowed intense lobbying on the part of CSEA. And, CSEA President William L.
McGowan recently pledged “‘CSEA will be working to make sure the executive
branch follows through on the Legislature’s initiative.”

Katz has also been directed to develop management initiatives to reduce
OMH’s current vacancy level, which is about 1.5 percent.

[fie

CSEA members battle blaze at Rockland County DSS building

|

= “9

FIRE CHIEF JAY GARBUS points to where an electrical sire began which destroyed the Spring Valley:
office of the Rockland County Department of Social Services. Garbus, president of his CSEA unit, works
for the Spring Valley Department of Public Works. Pictured with Garbus are Robert Johnson and
Frank Guarnucci, both firefighters and motor equipment operators for the city.

i
SPRING VALLEY — When an electrical fire

heavily damaged the Spring Valley office of the
Rockland County Department of Social Services
here, CSEA members played key roles in helping
evacuate the employees and in fighting the fire
itself.

Spring Valley Fire Chief Jay Garbus, who is
president of the city’s Department of Public
Works CSEA Unit, led the rescue and fire fight-
ing efforts at the scene. Frank Guarnuccio and
Robert Johnson, motor equipment operators with
the DPW, are also both firefighters and helped at
the scene.

Although it took some six hours to extinguish the
stubborn blaze, no employees of DSS were
injured.

“The firemen were great. It was so smoky you
couldn’t see in front of your nose,” said DSS em-
ployee Ron Duelks, one of several CSEA members
safetly evacuated from the structure.

“Every member of CSEA should be proud of
these Spring Valley members,” said Rockland
County CSEA Local 844 President Frank Bosco.
“This is a fine example of the dedication of these
volunteers,”

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984 Page 7

Local 507
President
Jack Cassidy

FISHKILL — Frustrated by what he saw as a
lack of results from testifying at committee hear-
ings and writing letters, the president of a state
Department of Transportation CSEA local has
turned to another vehicle he hopes will get his
messages across to state legislators — cartoons.

Jack Cassidy, president of DOT Local 507, says
the idea of putting the plights of DOT workers into
cartoon form came to him at about the same time
the state began decreasing the DOT workforce
while increasing the amount of highways the re-
maining workers were responsible for. Members
of overworked DOT crews were being injured and
even killed on the job at an increasing rate, and
Cassidy kept searching for a way to get the com-
plete attention of lawmakers about the conditions.

Cassidy was asked to testify before a state legis-
lative transportation committee hearing, but says
he came away more frustrated than ever. “They
were nice to us, but they didn’t do anything for
us,” he says.

If testifying at hearings proved fruitless, writ-
ing letters seemed a waste of time, Cassidy be-
lieved. What would attract the attention of
legislators? ‘“‘They would take the time to read a
cartoon,” he reasoned, and so he went to work.

He began drawing cartoons depicting the
problems faced by DOT workers, copying and
mailing his artwork to legislators in Albany. Cas-
sidy says he plans to ‘flood the lawmakers” with
ee cartoons until the plight of DOT workers is

‘Back to the old drawing board’
for this local president means
it’s time to fest power of pen
once again on state lawmakers

Art blossoms from frustration
with more traditional means of
trying to create improvements

realized and reversed.

“Road work is difficult,” Cassidy notes, and

The cartoonist is a 14-year DOT employee, and
has also served for seven years on the state-
wide DOT labor-management committee, five
years on CSEA’s statewide Board of Directors
and four years on the safety committee.

Cassidy says he has plenty of material to draw
upon, noting that spring and summer have their
own seasonal problems for highway workers.

Working in the heat is tough, he said. ‘“‘There’s
much traffic on the road.”

0
Fron DoT wk mi
inven tion

Hey Klutch T got q
soe 5 ge aa

and put another
man out of work!)

says drivers blame the workers for traffic
tie-ups. And, he says, there are seldom enough
safety people to monitor work locations for
dangerous conditions, and, too, foremen often end
up working instead of supervising. All of this, and
more, is fodder for his cartoons.

Cassidy says he won’t be silent about such con-
ditions, and intends to let his cartoons speak for
him and his workers until things improve to the
point where he no longer can find a subject for yet
another cartoon.

OF CSEA
OFFICES

(DIRECTORY
REGIONAL

300 Vanderbilt Motor Pkwy
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788

11 Broadway/Suite 1500
New York, N.Y. 10004
212-514-9200

XS

Box 34, Old Route 9
Fishkill, N.Y. 12524

1215 Western Ave,
Albany, N.Y. 12203
518-489-5424

1 LONG ISLAND 3 SOUTHERN 5 CENTRAL
REGIONAL OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE
Hauppauge Atrium Building Rural Route 1 Suite 308

290 Elwood Davis Rd.
Liverpool, N.Y. 13088

516-273-2280 914-896-8180 315-451-6330
516-435-0962
6 WESTERN
2 METROPOLITAN 4 CAPITAL : REGIONAL OFFICE
REGIONAL OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE 4245 Union Rd

Cambridge Square
Cheektowaga, N.Y. 14225
716-634-3540

Page 8

THE PUBLIC SECTOR,

Friday, April 20, 1984

IGN OF THE TIMES — A “wrong
' way” street sign stands as a grim

By Charles McGeary
CSEA Communications Associate
MARCY — “I saw it coming out of the corner
f of my eye... then WHAMO!”
| The flying object described by CSEA member
) Harold “Buzzy” Gallup, a therapy aide at Marcy
| Psychiatric Center, was a hard plastic ash tray
| that shattered against his face, causing a bloody
} gash that later required 10 stitches to close.
| Gallup, an experienced veteran with 12 years
| service at MH and OMRDD facilities, was
| injured in the recent melee involving six teenage
| patients in the adolescent secure unit in ‘HE’
Building on the Marcy Psychiatric Center
campus.
The rampage began at approximately 9 a.m.
Tuesday, April 10, and was finally subdued an
e » hour later after the youths reportedly caused
$10,000 in damage to the room where they had
' barricaded themselves.
A New York state trooper was also reported to
| have been injured when struck by one of the
; youths wielding a leg from a broken chair, The
trooper’s riot helmet averted a serious head
injury.
According to eyewitnesses, the riot began in
“E” Building of the Crane Hill School, a
department for youth with behavioral problems.
e@ Of the 10 teenagers in the building when the
incident began, four left at the request of staff
members. Two additional patients were later
urged to walk out. The four remaining, those
primarily responsible for the fracas and
damage, were eventually subdued and taken into

ae

| the Central New York Psychiatric Center, a
maximum security facility also on the grounds of
the Marcy campus.
i In reviewing the riot and some events from the
§ preceding day, it was learned that several
i patients had talked and “bragged” about a
| possible “rumble” because a patient had been
|) refused leave to go home.
i “An experienced therapy aide is usually alert
} to ‘ward talk’ and it was obvious some of these
|) kids were unusually restless. We could sense it,”
|) Gallup said.
| State and town authorities differ on whether
)) the incident could have been averted with more
& © staff on duty, but Edward ‘Bud’ Mulchy,
4 president of CSEA Local 414 at the facility and a

Peseta ane Coram gen NNR

THERAPY AIDE INJURED

Youths riot at Marcy PC

regional mental hygiene board representative,
replied with much stronger language.

“In mid-March we testified at State Senator
Padavan’s hearing at Rome Dcvelopmental
Center. Jon J. Premo, president of CSEA Local
422 at Rome Developmental Center and I
pleaded with members of the state Legislature
who were gathered there that the need for more
‘hands-on’ staff was at the critical stage. We
strongly emphasized additional staff was needed
immediately and called attention to the
possibility of increased injuries and accidents to
employees and patients due to shortstaffing.

“Well, what we predicted could happen has
happened. If the aim of that patient who threw
the ash tray had been three or four inches higher,
Buz Gallup could have easily lost an eye,”
Mulchy continued. “Will CSEA members here
and statewide continue to be maimed and
mutilated because state authorities continue to
maintain a shortage of MH staff?”

RECAPPING RIOT — Harold “Buz” Gallup, left, shows Local 414 President Edward “Bud” Mulchy |
the type of ash tray that injured him during the recent teenage rampage at Marcy PC. i

a SRE

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

21 REET TNC MALTA ONKOL Ai aR

In reviewing the facts, Mulchy said although
there were 25 employees scheduled for work at
the “E”’ Building, only three therapy aides were
on duty. According to the prescribed state
staffing ratio, there should have been five therapy
aides on duty.

“The state now says it will conduct a complete
investigation of the staffing ratio,” said Mulchy.
“Remember, we are talking about a critical
need for ‘hands-on’ staff. That is where
adequately trained, similar incidents could
occur.

“What happened here at Marcy — and what
could happen at other MH and OMRDD facilities
across the state — is exactly why we took the
state to court to release budget funds needed for
hiring new staff.”

Until those people are trained and on the job,
people like Buz Gallup and other therapy aides
“will continue to work in fear of their safety and
lives,” Mulchy said.

as hat fla’ ki

renserra

case german |

BIOFEEDBACK TECHNIQUES are
explained to a volunteer at the Stress
Disorders Clinic by Dr. Edward
Blanchard, who heads the program in
adult headaches.

?.

2 r aY

Stress — it’s a fact of life, something that affects
all of us at one time or another. And for public em-
ployees, job stress is one of the most serious health
hazards in the work environment.

The effects of this often unseen hazard can be de-
bilitating. Workers suffering from continuous job
stress may experience frequent headaches, sleep-
lessness, loss of appetite, depression, headaches and
stomach aches.

Stress can also contribute to ulcers, high blood
pressure and heart disease, increase the risk of on-
the-job injuries, and lead to marital problems, drug
abuse and alcoholism.

The American Federation of State County and
Municipal Employees, CSEA’s parent union, lists the
following as common causes of job stress for public
workers: overwork and unwanted overtime; harass-
ment from higher-ups; race and sex discrimination;
dead-ended jobs; lack of job security; low pay; and
too much responsibility with too little control.

Physical factors — such as noise, improper light-
ing, video display terminals, overcrowding, poor ven-
tilation and toxic chemicals — can also cause stress.

Of course, some jobs, by their very nature, can be
particularly stressful.

C

@ Get rest and regular sleep
e Eat regular nutritious meals
© Maintain a low-caffeine diet
@ Exercise regularly

© Listen to music you enjoy
© Delegate work

CAN”)
perfection

© Meditate

time

you have no control
¢@ Finish unfinished business
© Take time to clarify your

values, beliefs and goals
© Practice positive self-talk (‘I
© Be realistic — don’t chase

e Brainstorm with others

“People find themselves in very stressful situa-
tions in a number of job titles we represent,’ says
CSEA Education and Training Specialist Peg Wilson,
who has conducted numerous workshops on stress
management for the union.

Secretarial. jobs are considered one of the most
stressful, she said.

“Secretaries work under strict deadlines, they take
orders, they’re responsible for a number of tasks con-
currently, and yet they have no control over their
work.”’

In addition, said Wilson, state institutions are sites
of extreme job stress and employee burnout. ‘‘In the
correctional facilities,” she said, ‘‘a lot of CSEA
members are working side by side with inmates. And
in our mental health facilities, employees are at-
tacked on the job regularly. All of the jobs in mental
hygiene are very taxing physically and mentally.”

The statewide Employee Assistance Program —
a free, confidential support and referral service open
to all state employees and their families — is one
course that many CSEA workers have taken to
reduce stress.

EAP helps workers recognize and deal with a var-
iety of problems in their lives that may be affecting

A FEW METHODS FOR MANAGING

There are several ways you can manage stress in your life. CSEA staff members Peg Wilson and
Sean Turley, of the union’s Education and Training Department, have traveled throughout CSEA’s six
regions conducting numerous sessions on surviving stress. Here are a few of the techniques they advocate:

PHYSICAL COPING INTELLECTUAL COPING EMOTIONAL COPING TECH-
TECHNIQUES: TECHNIQUES: NIQUES: i

e avoid ue and excessive —_ Accept situations over which e Express your feelings
alcoho!

@ Develop a support system
(family and friends)

@ Allow yourself some solitude
© Do something for others
© Be assertive

@ Learn to look at things with
a sense of humor

e Avoid making too many
major life changes at once

@ Seek counseling

© Learn to better manage your

their ability to perform their best on the job.

Employees, who either join the program on their
own or are referred by a shop steward or supervi-
sor, talk with an EAP coordinator who helps ther@
find the best treatment programs in their communi-
ty. Their participation is kept strictly a secret.

There are currently EAP programs set up in more
than 150 state worksites, and EAPs are rapidly ex-
panding into school districts and municipalities.

“Stress is a factor in a number of problems —
divorce, jobs, family friction, even getting to work
on time or taking the subways,’’ says James Mur-
phy, director of EAP for CSEA. “There’s a lot of
stress and worry out there, and a pretty high percen-
tage of the people who come to EAP are sufferin®
from it. While you can’t always change the situation,
you can change the way you react to stress, and learn
to get a handle on it.”

Murphy noted that one resource EAP has recent-
ly discovered to help employees combat stress-
related problems is the Stress Clinic of the State
University at Albany, a nationally-known and
federally-funded program that uses non-drug treat-
ments (see story on page 11).

According to CSEA EAP Coordinator Elizabeth,
Hession, the clinic is a valuable resource.

“There are a lot of people paying a lot of money
for help for these kinds of problems, and it’s nice to
know there’s somewhere you can go for free,” she
said. “It’s also nice not to have to worry about being
put on medications.”

Peg Wilson warns employees who are suffering
from job stress not to blame themselves for not al-
ways reacting as calmly as they would like in stress-
ful situations. e

She suggests employees work through the union
process to reduce stress at the worksite in a number
of ways:

—through negotiating strong contract language to
reduce the causes of stress and increase employees’
participation in decision-making;

—by establishing labor-management committees
to give the union more involvement in the design of
jobs and workplace decisions;

—by setting up employee support groups; e

—and by recommending or negotiating stress
management workshops.

@
By Tina Lincer First

Associate Editor
Louise Stark, a 44-year-old senior data machine en-
try operator at the state Department of Motor Vehi-
cles in Albany, had been suffering from migraines
since she was about 12.

As an adolescent, she frequently missed school be-
cause of the severe headaches. Later, as a young
mother raising three sons, she would have to retreat
to bed for several days at a stretch because the pain
v@s so intense.

And when she joined the workforce fulltime seven
years ago, she found that once more the migraines
had a way of incapacitating her. There were many
days when she had no choice but to call in sick or
leave work early.

“TI never like to take time off, but when I got a real-
ly bad attack, I just couldn’t function,” said Stark,
a member of CSEA DMV Local 674.

For 10 years, Stark took prescription pills — four

ix a day sometimes — and for the most part she
is resigned to her condition.

But six months ago, she got involved in a special
program for headache sufferers at the Stress Disord-
ers Clinic at the State University of New York at Al-
bany. Since then, she has had only one bout with
migraines. She has learned how to reassess how she
reacts in certain stressful situations, and to relax
more.

“Tt’s fantastic,” she said. “It’s like a whole new
me.”

e Stress Disorders Clinic, begun in 1979 and fed-
erally funded by the National Institutes for Health,
offers free treatment to the general public for a num-
ber of stress-related problems. It is recognized na-
tionally as the only large-scale clinical project in the
country that assesses and treats stress disorders
without using drugs.

The clinic is best known for its adult headache
project, but there are also programs in childhood
headaches, hypertension (high blood pressure) and
irritable bowel syndrome (spastic colon). The focus
i@ all of them is on teaching clients relaxation and
biofeedback techniques they can use themselves.

“You see a growing segment of the population that
does not like to take medications or cannot take
them. We offer an alternative,” said Dr. Edward B.
Blanchard, co-director of the clinic, which is part of
SUNY’s Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders (see
story on this page).

The stress clinic is staffed by faculty and doctoral
students from the university’s Department of Psy-
gooey and works closely with Albany Medical Col-

ge. Though most patients are from the Albany
area, others come from as far away as Utica and
Poughkeepsie.

While everybody reacts differently to stress, and
what may cause stress for one person may not for
another, it is known that the more stress someone
accumulates, the greater the chance for illness.
Headaches and hypertension, along with cardiovas-
cular and digestive problems, are among the more
common ways stress manifests itself physically.

nr

‘I felt like | was taking

so many pills. My kids used to
tease me — ‘Ma's into drugs'—
and my doctor was afraid | might
develop kidney problems.’

@ ~—CSEA member Louise Stark

Headaches? Hypertension?
SUNY clinic offers help —
no cost, no drugs

Dr. Blanchard estimates that 10-15 percent of the
male population and 25 percent of the female popu-
lation have a problem with headaches.

Those who come to the clinic suffer from the two
major kinds of headaches — migraine and tension
— as well as from a mixture of both.

A migraine typically starts on one side of the head,
can last anywhere from several hours to several
days, and then stops. It is often accompanied by
nausea or vomiting.

A tension headache starts in the back of the head
and “‘feels like a cap or band is squeezing down
around the whole head,” said Dr. Blanchard. ‘‘This
kind of dull ache is there most of the time — four,
five, six or seven days a week.”

Those with mixed headaches “have the worst of
both worlds — dull aches all of the time punctuated
by severe aches.’”

Some 250-300 people have gone through the adult
headache project since it began. Like Louise Stark,
most want to get off their prescription medicine.

“T felt like I was taking so many pills,” said Stark.

“My kids used to tease me — ‘Ma’s into drugs’ —

and my doctor was afraid I might develop kidney |

problems.”

It was when she got promoted two years ago from
a grade three DEMO to a grade 7 senior DEMO that
Stark realized she needed a better way to cope with
her migraines. The added responsibilities from her
new position meant more stress and more
headaches.

“The new job was a big change and the first few
months were really tough,” she said. “If I made a
mistake it seemed magnified in my mind and I wor-
ried more than I should.”

Stark found out about the SUNY clinic from a co-
worker whose husband was being treated there for
hypertension. She attended hourly sessions twice a
week for about eight weeks, and is now under follow-
up care.

The relaxation training at the clinic involves the
systematic tensing and relaxing of major muscle
groups in the body, while the biofeedback uses a
specialized electronic environment to help people
gain control over certain bodily responses such as
blood flow. Both techniques teach clients relaxed
responses which they can recreate during stressful
situations and which have been shown to significal-
ly reduce headaches and hypertension.

Says Pat Guarnieri, a doctoral student at the clin-
ic: ‘‘As long as people can understand what’s going
on in their bodies, they can learn to control and
change it.”

According to Dr. Blanchard, about 75 percent of
adult tension headache sufferers and 50-60 percent
of migraine sufferers who've been treated at the clin-
ic have had their headaches reduced drastically.

In the childhood headache project, meanwhile,
some 50-60 children have been helped with an 80 per-
cent success rate. Now two-years-old, this project
treats migraine and muscle contraction headaches
in children between the ages of eight and 16.

The hypertension project treats individuals with
moderate to severe hypertension which has required
the use of two or more medications. In addition, there
is a new project for individuals with mild hyper-
tension.

The project for irritable bowel syndrome is also
new. Since this one is not federally funded, par-
ticipants must pay for initial medical checkups, but
everything else is free.

The Stress Disorders Clinic is located on the down-
town campus of SUNYA. The address is: Draper
Hall, Room 107, State University at Albany, 135
Western Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12222. The phone num-
ber is (518) 455-6294,

i

:

State University of New York at Albany
Downtown (East) Campus

Draper Hail 107

135 Western Avenue

Albany, New York 12222

(518) 455-6144 or 455-6145

CENTER FOR STRESS &
ANXIETY DISORDERS

ALBANY — The Center for Stress and
Anxiety Disorders of SUNY Albany is the

largest program in the country focusing on
treating a number of disorders without

drugs.

It has two major clinics — the Stress Dis-

orders Clinic, which is detailed on this
page, and the Phobia and Anxiety
Disorders Clinic, which treats four basic
disorders. They are:
_ @ AGORAPHOBIA: This program treats
people who experience anxiety in a variety
of situations — such as crowds, stores, driv-
ing, public transportation, traveling long dis-
tances from home — and then develop
patterns of avoiding these situations.

© GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORD-
ER: For those who suffer from a persistent
anxiety that is typically accompanied by
muscle tension, inability to relax, sweating,
upset stomach and irritability.

@ PANIC DISORDER: Program for in-
dividuals who have a sudden rush of intense
fear or anxiety and often experience trouble
breathing, dizziness, hot or cold flashes and
feelings of unreality or being out of control,

@ SOCIAL PHOBIA: For people who wish
to avoid situations in which their actions
may be observed, fearing they will be em-
barrassed or humiliated.

The Phobia and Anxiety Disorders Clinic
charges an initial evaluation fee that is
based on a sliding scale. The fee for treat-
ment varies, but is set up so as not to res-
trict participation. The number is (518)
455-6144 or 455-6145. t

STATEWIDE
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

HOTLINE
1-800-342-3565

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

Page 11
| Four
CSEA
members

elected
Mondale
delegates

Several CSEA members will be
among Democratic delegates
hoping to deliver their party’s
presidential nomination to Walter
F. Mondale when the Democratic

TSEC PETS

SERIA

CATES

While Mondale was rolling to a
major victory over Sen. Gary Hart
and Rev. Jesse Jackson in New
York’s primary April 3, four CSEA
members were winning election as
Mondale delegates to the
Democratic convention.

CSEA members elected as
Mondale delegates were:

4th Congressional District —
Jeanne Angiulo, president of CSEA
Local 606, SUNY Farmingdale.

23rd Congressional District —
CSEA Executive Vice President
Joseph McDermott as an alternate
delegate.

25th Congressional District —
Patricia Crandall, president of
CSEA Local 605, SUNY Cortland.

26th Congressional District —
Kathleen Conley, member of CSEA
)} Local 818, Fulton County.

___ Ina very interesting race in the
| 24th Congressional District, CSEA

SEES

NE RISE A TAPE

| President William L. McGowan
| garnered an impressive 6,308 votes
, to become the top male vote-getter.
» However, Mondale captured only
| one of the four delegates available,
| and that went to Dutchess County
| Executive Lucille Pattison.

National Convention is held in July.

WN
CSEA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESI-

DENT Joseph E. McDermott was
elected as a Mondale alternate

delegate in the 23rd District.

seaman CRESTRON 1

A DROP IN THE BUCKET — Emergency roof -repairs are
desperately needed at 67 North Pear! Street in Albany, where
15-20 employees at the Social Services Department are
working among buckets that are catching leaking water.

Page 12

[ABOR'S
CAMPAIGN
FOR

MONDALE

+

AFSCME PRESIDENT Gerald
McEntee, center, came to Albany
to campaign for Walter F. Mondale
in New York’s April 3 primary.
Here he is joined by CSEA
statewide Secretary Irene Carr,

left, and CSEA, Region IV
President C. Allen Mead in
distributing campaign material to
employees leaving the Alfred E.
Smith State Office Building in
downtown Albany. Georgeanna
Natale is about to accept material
as she leaves the building.

SES SIP SD ESE OTS IO TLE ENC

Pee &

JEANNE ANGIULO, president of SUNY Farmingdale CSEA Local 606, is
praised by CSEA Long Island Region President Danny Donohue following her f
election as a Mondale delegate. ‘(Jeanne has achieved the involvement that |
CSEA’s political action program encourages. She has set an example we can i
all follow,” Donohue said.

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON THEIR HEADS

Working conditions ‘pour’ at
Albany social services office

ALBANY — Employee morale at the state Department of Social Services
at 67 North Pearl Street in the downtown here has literally been dampened
thanks to a leaky roof that has caused problems for two years.

The building, originally a department store, was converted into office
space several years ago. During the past two years CSEA has filed numerous
complaints about the roof with management, and appropriate steps were taken
to address the problem. But the winter of ’83 and the spring of ’84 have proved
too much for the structure's roof.

On the third floor, where 15 to 20 public employees are usually at work,
wastepaper baskets, rolling gondolas, buckets and other containers are slowly
filling with dripping water from rains and melting snow, and employees are
forced to crowd together in spaces which remain dry.

“These are terrible working conditions,” said Frank Morgan, chairman of
the CSEA Social Services Local 688 health and safety committee, who has been
working with management to rectify the situation.

Morgan noted that the attorney representing the structure’s owner, North
Pear! Associates, has stated that the roof is the wrong type for the building and
that a roofing company would begin replacing it as soon as the weather and
the ‘‘other element” cooperated.

The other element referred to is the city of Albany. Apparently, when the
owners of the building had hired a crew to shovel the snow off of the building
and help relieve the dripping, city police ticketed the crew for dumping snow
on city sidewalks.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

So
x YS OVAL

Technology is rapidly. changing society. Be-
cause of concern about the implications such
changes have for working people, two CSEA offi-
cials recently participated in a two-day AFL-CIO
conference on the theme “‘Anticipating Technolog-
ical Change for Office and Professional Em-
ployees.””

CSEA Statewide Secretary Irene Carr and
CSEA County Executive Chairwoman Mary Sul-
livan, who also is Herkimer County CSEA Local
822 president, attended the conference.

Carr emphasized that local union leadership
must learn “both the technical details of new
office tools and also the labor relations impli-
cations.

“Computers, word processors, electronic infor-
mation networks, new diagnostic and treatment
technologies in the health sector are having pro-

Future office technology

Conference looks at implications for workers

found effects on job design and office organiza-
tion,’’ she said.

The conference included formal presentations
and detailed workshops with emphasis on how un-
ions can develop contract language to protect em-
ployees. Other topics included educating the
rank and file about current needs and future pro-
blems, dealing with new office technologies, get-
ting advice and information, and seeking
legislative protections at the state and federal
levels.

Sullivan, a member of AFSCME’s Committee
for Professional Employees, said ‘““CSEA must
look into the long term effects of technology.” She
urged CSEA members who are elected as
delegates to the upcoming AFSCME Convention
to “go there with issues and ideas to discuss with
the Professional Employees Committee.”

Ron Crouse
Maintenance Man,
Oneida County
Airport.Member,
CSEA Local 833

CARMEL — A Putnam County employee will receive
10- and 15-year increments now, despite an earlier denial
by county management.

The case revolved around the dismissal of Maureen
Labraico from her job with the Putnam County Sheriff’s
Department in 1974. She claimed that she was discharged
from her job of six years because of sex discrimination.

Labraico won reinstatement in a different county
department in 1977 and as part of her settlement was
santas seniority credit for the three years she was without
a job.

In January, 1979, the county paid her a 10-year incre-
ment crediting her with continuous service dating from
1968. But in 1983, when Labraico requested her 15-year
increment, she was refused.

Instead of a check, she received a letter from the
county personnel director telling her that since her serv-
ice with the sheriff’s department was under a different

bargaining unit, she was not only not entitled to the 15-year
longevity payment, but she was also required to pay back
the 10-year increment that she received in 1979.
Labraico filed two grievances. At issue was whether
she was entitled to the two longevity payments, and CSEA
took the case back to arbitration on her behalf.
Referring to a Putnam County Board of Super-
visors resolution approved in 1978, the arbitrator found
that the county had accepted the obligation of continuous
service from 1968. The arbitrator decided last month that
Labraico was, indeed, entitled to both increments.
CSEA Field Representative Diane Campion said she
was pieased with the outcome of the grievance. ‘We knew
we would prevail. I was glad to see Labraico win. She’s
gotten a raw deal. I’m glad we could fight the issue without
any cost to her,” she said.
Campion noted that the original lawsuit was costly for
Labraico.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Frida

y, April 20, 1984

Page 13

For 8.8 million Americans

still seeking work it's

Easier to find the beef

WASHINGTON — The nation’s civilian unemploy-
ment rate showed no improvement between February 3 ew
and March, remaining at 7.8 percent, the Labor Depart-
ment reports.

The department said 8.8 million Americans sought
work but were unable to find it in March. An additional
1.3 million have dropped out of the labor force and are not , e.
counted. ‘

Nonagricultural payroll employment was up by
145,000 in March to 92.5 million, a smaller gain than in re-
cent months. Most employment gains were in the service
and durable goods manufacturing sectors.

In manufacturing, total employment has recovered
just over three-fifths of the jobs lost during the recent
recession.

The unemployment rate for adult males edged down to 6.8 percent in
March. But the jobless rate for Hispanics rose to 11.3 percent and the rate
for black workers increased to 16.6 percent.

The number of discouraged workers and partially unemployed workers
continued to decline.

AFL-CIO Chief Economist Rudy Oswald, reacting to the latest report
noted that unemployment ‘remains stuck at 7.8 percent, with 8.8 million of-
ficially unemployed and another 1.3 million too discouraged to continue the

.

fruitless search for work.

“Employment in manufacturing still falls 1.5 million short of 1979
pale Oswald said. “Overall unemployment is 2.7 million higher than in
1979,”

__ Programs are needed to alleviate unemployment, particularly for
displaced manufacturing workers, minorities, and young people entering
the labor force, | he said.

WORKERS — Don Gleason and Bob Patschki, two of the
Dutchess County employees who helped renovate the old
courthouse.

SOMETHING OLD — A picture of the old Dutchess County Courthouse annex
before renovations by the Department of Public Works crew members.

Page 14‘ THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

POUGHKEEPSIE — When Dutchess County
officials decided to renovate their nearly
100-year-old courthouse annex building to house
the offices of the county grand jury, it not only
preserved a historical structure, but is saved
taxpayers thousands of dollars by using its own
skilled workers rather than contracting out the
job.

Dutchess County CSEA Unit Shop Steward Ken
Monahan, head building maintenance mechanic,
explained that like other counties, Dutchess has
been in dire need of additional office space. Con-
structing a new building or leasing space would
have been expensive, so the county turned to
renovation of two floors in the annex that were
vacant and in ill repair.

Using its own public works crews on the job,
the county was able to save about 50 percent on

‘Contracting-in’ saves
cash for Dutchess Co.

costs and weeks of time involved in red tape, said
Joseph Beben, director of Physical Facilities for
Dutchess County.

Public Works Commissioner James Spratt
noted, that the workers also have successfully
completed other renovation projects, including
conversion of an old downtown supermarket into
a modern facility for three departments.

Employees who work in the new grand jury of-
fice are pleased with the comfort and the modern
look of the old courthouse annex with its panelled
walls, recessed lighting, dropped ceilings, a new
sound system and a complete new electrical and
plumbing system.

Beben credits his “dedicated and profes-
sional” crew with an excellent job.

Next on tap for the talented workers? The
renovation of the District Attorney’s office.

Oba

SOMETHING NEW — A new electrical system, panelled walls and air
conditioning makes an old building look new. Here, Ken Monahan shows grand
jury secretary Linda Phelan how to keep cool in her newly-renovated office.

The passage of the current state
budget means many victories for
CSEA members — victories that
came as the result of much
strenuous work by CSEA activists
and staff.

1983 was a very difficult year. A
new governor inherited a huge
budget deficit. Layoffs and staff
reductions through retirement and
attrition created havoc with staff
levels in many state agencies,
causing hardship for thousands of
CSEA members.

CSEA has fought hard to soften
the blow of these hard times for our
members. Last year the union suc-
ceeded in dramatically reducing
the number of layoffs proposed by
the governor.

Ever since, we have been
fighting to restore some sanity to
the staffing levels in state agen-
cies. In large part we have suc-
ceeded. The current budget should
provide relief for many agencies
where understaffing has been
critical. OMH Commissioner
Steven Katz is taking action to hire
more staff. (see story on page 7).

CSEA will be working now to

make sure that the agencies live up
to the intent of the Legislature and
governor to provide more direct
care staff in mental hygiene and
put more maintenance workers on
the highways in DOT.

This budget also contains vic-
tories for CSEA members who
work in school districts. The
Legislature and governor agreed to

‘We cannot rest and bask in
the light of success. We must
keep working.’

President’s
Message

ig gs
we
WHE PPRATT PE MCGOWAN

a school aid formula that should
help most districts.

Perhaps the biggest victory for
school district members is an in-
crease in the parity aid for district-
owned transportation system
retirement costs. This helps to
eliminate one economic incentive

for districts to contract out bus
service.

-——Buadget victories soften the
of hard times in past year

ow —\,

CSEA also lobbied for increases
in aid to local governments which
the governor and Legislature
agreed to in the final budget. This
will not eliminate all the problems
faced by our members in political
subdivisions, but it will provide
many local governments where
CSEA members work with the
funds they need to provide ade-
quate services.

All of the CSEA members who
gave their time to help in the lobby-
ing that produced these successes
should be proud of their work.

The governor and legislative
leaders showed courage in taking
action to meet the needs of CSEA
workers and the public we serve
despite intense lobbying by those
forces that would cut government
no matter what the impact on vital
services.

But we cannot rest and bask in
the light of success. We must keep
working now to make sure that we
always have the resources to pro-
vide quality services with decent
working conditions, and to make
sure that our members work in

safe and healthy environments.

CSEA wins in transcript fee case against OCA

SYRACUSE — Court reporters have won another battle gainst the Office of
Court Administration. A state Supreme Court justice has ruled that OCA was
circumventing state law by directing trial judges to order free court

transcripts only.

Since 1909, state law has given the judges a choice of paying for transcripts
or requesting them free of charge. The judges are to use their discretion,
however, in deciding whether or not to reimburse stenographers. They are to
consider such factors as the amount of transcript time required, necessity for

speed in supplying it and costs and time needed.

In a case initiated by CSEA, state Supreme Court Justice Eugene Bergin
declared the OCA directive null and void. He ruled on April 2 that OCA “cannot
in effect by directive repeal or amend a valid constitutional law.

‘... itwas clearly the Legislature’s intent to let the trial court, in its sound
discretion, determine if the transcripts should be ordered free of charge, or
whereby the stenographer would be reimbursed,” Bergin commented.

Metropolitan

Region education
workshops focus
on diverse topics

NEW YORK CITY — Displaced employees, political
action, employee rights and time management are
among the topics to be discussed at the Region II spring
education and training workshops to be held May 18-20 at
the Pinegrove Dude Ranch in Kerhonkson.

The session on displaced employees will cover
retraining, resources and other alternatives for those
employees who, because of budget cuts or new
technology in the workplace, are out of a job.

A political action session will look at the objectives

and goals of CSEA political action and the strategies us-
ed to achieve them.

The topic of employee rights will focus on what rights
workers have in the workplace, while time management
will offer constructive suggestions and techniques on
how to make time a friend instead of an enemy.

“These workshops address the pressing problems
and issues that affect workers’ everyday lives,” said
Region II President Brenda Nichols.

For information on fees and registration, call the
Region II office at (212) 514-9200 before May 11.

{fe

Region Vi seminar slated

BUFFALO — A Western Region VI conference
scheduled for April 27 and 28 at the Buffalo Hyatt Regen-
cy Hotel will feature a voter registration seminar.

State Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve and Norman

~

CSEA staff openings

Region V organizer sought

CSEA is accepting applications for the position
of organizer in the union’s Central Region. The

(‘Join WalkAmerica )

ALBANY — CSEA members
throughout the union’s Capital Region IV
are being urged to make plans to par-
ticipate in one of several 1984
Wi eamwalk events being
held in the region this month and next to,

e Adler, political action director for AFSCME District
Council 37, will conduct that seminar on Friday at 8 p.m.

The Saturday agenda will include state and county
workshops with Marie Romanelli, supervisor of Region
CWEP representatives, and speakers from the Center
for Women in Government and the Employees Retire-
ment System. PERB Chief Regional Mediator Marilyn
Zahm will be guest speaker at a noon luncheon.

Room reservations may be made directly with the
hotel, located at Two Fountain Plaza in Buffalo, by call-

ing (716) 856-1234.
ne ) ey

benefit the Mareh of Dimes Birth
Defects Foundation. =.

Interested CSEA members should con-
tact Region IV First Vice President Joan
Tobin at either (518) 457-2360 or (518)
869-0055 for information on participating
in events set for Saturday, April 28 in
Hudson, Sarslogs and Glens Falls, in
Albany and Schenectady on inde:
(iia 29, and in Plattsburgh on aes

May 6.

position is based in Syracuse.

Interested candidates should be familiar with
labor relations, union organizing and PERB and
NLRB procedures. Candidates also should
possess a bachelor’s degree, but may substitute
years of experience in labor relations areas for
the educational requirement.

Interested candidates should submit a resume
with salary history to CSEA, 33 Elk Street,
Albany, N.Y. 12224 no later than May 7.

Page 15

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

ern ebay on

ALTHOUGH CSEA HAS LONG BEEN the largest labor union in New York
state, and for the past several years a major part of AFSCME, one of the finest
and largest unions in the nation, there is no room for complacency. Indeed, con-
solidating the potential strength where the union maintains a stronghold and
expanding into areas still unorganized is a continuous effort.

There may be no truer adage than that a labor union is only as strong as
its members make it. For that very reason, itis vitally important that non-members
Join as members to protect and improve union gains where unionism already
exists, and that the pockets of unrepresented workers be identified and provid-

CAFETERIA WORKERS in the Ausable School District line up with June
Venette, feisty organizer. From left are Janet Norman, Venette, Elva Blaise,
Bernadette Lesperance and Dorothy Siddon.

An officer and a membership campaign

June Venette's personal
drive pays off with 26
new members, agency shop,
and @ good contract

_ AUSABLE — ‘‘Building membership boils down to a one-on-one cam-
paign. You have to sell it directly to the non-member or it doesn’t work.”

So says CSEA’s June Venette. And she should know. As president of the
Ausable School District Unit of Clinton County Local 810, she recently com-
pleted a membership campaign in which she signed up 26 members and trig-
gered an agency shop provision in the district’s new contract.

“How could I ask someone else to do something that I, as president, should
be doing each and every day?” Venette asked. “Signing up new members
and converting non-members are the two most important jobs a union officer
can do, next to representing them before management.”

Venette said her personal membership campaign came about because
she was angry at the school district for their position on agency shop. As a
member of the unit’s bargaining team, she came to believe that management
had set up a trigger mechanism for agency shop, rather than granting it out-
right, because it believed CSEA would never be able to sign up the requisite
number of new members to trigger the provision.

CSEA Field Representative Charlie Scott, who was assisting in negotia-
tions, said many public employers agree to a trigger mechanism as a way
thwarting the union’s demand for agency shop.

- Page 116

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984
+3 POCA LORD FAD IME IS ST Set

ed the opportunity to become a part of the American labor movement as we!

The right of workers to organize as a union and bargain collectively is one
of the basic tenets of the American system. It is a right guaranteed in federal
and state law. The campaign to bring that information to those who may not |
be fully aware of it, and to convince those who are to use that right, goes on|
daily throughout New York state and the nation.

Security and dignity are but a couple of the rewards for workers who real-
ize the value and the need to be united — to be organized. Here are a few exam-

les of how such efforts are showing dividends for workers in New York state.
hy

we

Gee

-) e ;
CLERICAL EMPLOYEES show their work to June Venette, left. Standing is
typist Kay O’Neill; seated is guidance secretary Nancy Darling.

BUS DRIVERS in Ausable schools receive union literature from June
Venette. From left are Clarence Allen, John LaDieu, Ron Bailey and John
Bombard.

Said Scott: “It’s a turning of the tables which puts the ball right back
in the union’s court. We can have agency shop if we can get the non-members
who are against the concept to join. Often it’s a long and hard uphill fight.”

Venette’s campaign included contacting all employees to let them know
the seriousness of the bogged-down negotiations.

“J started going to work early to catch the bus drivers and I stayed late
to talk to the cleaners,” she said. “In between I used coffee breaks and lunch
hours to personally contact every employee. I even went to the homes of some
of the hard-to-find workers so they knew just how important their member-
ship was in helping CSEA help them get a good contract.”

In the end, Venette’s campaign strategies paid off with a good contract
and the agency shop provision. Said Scott: You should have seen the reac-
tion of management. They were in shock.”

LOCKPORT
CHOOSES CSEA —
Allan Rutter, left,
Elizabeth Taylor and
CSEA Organizer
Thomas Mullen
celebrate the recent
vote count that
brought a new unit in-
to the CSEA fold.

Workers want ‘experienced organization with power and expertise’

Lockport city employees vote for CSEA

LOCKPORT — City of Lockport employees,
spurred by ‘‘a desire for fairness,” have elected
CSEA as their bargaining agent as they prepare
to negotiate wages and working conditions.

A PERB-supervised vote count shows nearly
80 percent of voting white cc..ar and supervisory
employees chose to join New York’s largest
public employee union.

“For too many years we’ve seen unionized city
employees, such as firemen and policemen,
bargain for substantial wage increases and
benefits, while non-unionized employees got
nothing or next-to-nothing,” said Allan Reutter

a \
East Rockaway

school custodians
join Nassau
Educational
Local 815

LEVITTOWN — A new unit,
representing custodial
employees of the East
Rockaway School District, has
been welcomed into the ranks of
Nassau Educational Local 865.

The new unit has 100 percent
CSEA membership, a showing
of solidarity that prompted the
school district to recognize
CSEA as the bargaining agent
without a formal election. As a
result, negotiations for a
contract were started im-
mediately,

The workers had previously
belonged to an independent local
association. According to Frank
Fasano, president of Local 865,
the employees “realized they
needed more muscle.”

“e a5

BRAINSTORMING — The CSEA Town of Am!

and Elizabeth Taylor, organizers for the union
election effort.

They say 40 layoffs of non-unionized employees
also spurred their desire to have ‘‘an
experienced organization with power and
expertise to guide us.”’

Previous attempts to form an independent
union were shot down, they said, because people
can be too easily intimidated in our situation,
and threatened with job loss just for talking
about unionizing.”’

Another incentive to join CSEA was the city’s

He

roars a oak

failure to live up to its own unilateral pay plan,
by not paying a promised pay step for last year,
the organizers said.

After election of officers and a negotiating
committee, the city will be notified of the unit’s
desire to begin bargaining for an agreement
“that will bring us fair treatment. That’s all we
want.”

The 50-member unit will be part of CSEA’s
Niagara County Local 832, which represents
more than 800 county employees.

CSEA Organizer Thomas Mullen assisted the
unit’s organization efforts.

Amherst maps out organizing strategies

i. Se ooh
herst Employees Unit of Erie County Local 815 met recently to
discuss strategies for increasing the unit’s membership rolls. Organizer Thomas Mullen details plans on
blackboard for, from left to right, Shop Steward Frank Merrill, Board of Directors members Nick Paolini and Bill

Weber, Field Representative Vince Sicari and Vice President Ellen Brown.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20,'1984

* Page '17
poe
By
fl

laTarall reo roa —
Tal

Tuer

455 ro

AGENCY SHOP
$.4358 A.5827 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill received bi-partisan support from those legislators who felt that non-

members should be required to contribute toward the cost of services provided
them by the unions. Public employee unions have demonstrated a responsible
and aggressive attitude in bargaining on behalf of all of those they represent, not
just union members. The law should be made both permanent and uniform for all
public employees in New York State.

LIMITED RIGHT TO STRIKE

$.6530 A.5138 In Senate, Assembly committees x
Several other states, including Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana,

Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin allow public employees, other than those
engaged in essential services, the right to strike where both parties have par-
ticipated in impasse resolution procedures which have been unsuccessful. This
bill is modeled after the Hawaii approach, and would provide a right to strike for
public employees who do not have resort, by law or agreement, to an impasse
resolution procedure which culminates in final and bindina interest arbitration.

EMPLOYER IMPROPER PRACTICE
Introduction pending
Where a public employee strike has been caused by an employer improper

practice, the penalties against the union and individual employees would be
mitigated.

LOBA FOR POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
$.3728 A.4832 In Senate, Assembly committees
The final resolution of an impasse in negotiations would be resolved with the

system of last offer binding arbitration, under which a panel consisting of one
member appointed by the public employer, one member appointed by the union
and one member appointed jointly, would select the most reasonable final offer
of either the public employer or the union. This bill is particularly designed for the
political subdivisions, and is to be utilized as an optional method to finally resolve
an impasse.

U-GRADES

$.3903 A.5109 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill amends the Civil Service Law and the Education Law to prevent the

Chancellor of the State University from unilaterally changing positions in the
university from the classified service to the unclassified service in derogation of
the constitutional concepts of merit and fitness.

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
§.8319 A.8696 In Senate committee, PASSED Assembly
This General Construction Law presently sets forth public holidays. Although

Dr. Martin Luther King Day is designated as a public holiday, the law does not
provide for its public celebration. This bill would change that provision so that Dr.
Martin Luther King Day would have the same status and importance as other
public holidays.

SECTION 75 REVISION —
INDEPENDENT HEARING OFFICER

S.1521A A.1982A In Senate, Assembly committees

Civil Service Law Section 75 presently provides the procedure by which an
employee of the State or political subdivision with permanent status may be ter-
minated for incompetence or misconduct. CSEA and the State have negotiated
an alternate disciplinary procedure which ends in final and binding arbitration
Under Section 75 however, the hearing is to be held by the appointing authority
or his designee. As a result, the employer becomes the prosecutor, judge, and
jury, a most unfair procedure. This bill would require the selection of an indepen-
dent hearing officer.

“Page 18

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984

CSEA’S

Many of CSEA’s 1984 Legislative Pro- LEGISLATIVE

gram bills are in various Senate and As-
sembly committees for consideration.

A few have passed either the Senate
or Assembly and some are awaiting in- PROGRAM
troduction in the Legislature. With the

State Legislature in the midst of its
traditional break for Easter and Jewish
holy days, further action on the bills
will not occur until lawmakers return to
Albany around May 1. The following is
an updated report on the 1984 CSEA
Legislative Program, including the
Senate and Assembly bill numbers as-
signed and the current status where
appropriate.

ATTORNEY FEES — WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
$.2402A A.2826A_ In Senate, Assembly committees
Present law requires an injured employee to file a claim for workers’ com-

pensation or death benefits where injury or death arose out of and in the course
of employment, and prevents an employee from suing the employer directly.
Unlike a direct suit, benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Law are severely
limited to a percentage of an employee's average weekly wage. Where an
employer controverts or denies the claim, a hearing must be held. If the
employee retains a licensed representative or an attorney, those fees are taken
out of the extremely minimal award. This bill would require fees to be paid by the
carrier, in addition to the award, where the employee is successful.

LAYOFF UNITS
$.3544 A.6194 In Senate, Assembly committees :
This bill amends the Civil Service Law to provide that the layoff unit ina

political subdivision with a population of fewer than 50,000 shall be all of the
departments or agencies in the political subdivision, rather than the single
department or agency as is the present case. A political subdivision could “elect
out” of these provisions by filing an appropriate resolution.

LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE NOTIFICATION
S.4180 A.7781 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill would require the personnel officer or local civil service commission

to provide written notice of proposed rule changes to persons interested, and is
similar to the procedure presently provided for the New York State Civil Service
Commission under the Administrative Procedure Act

COMMUNITY SERV!CE BOARDS
$.4048 A.3036_ In Se , Assembly committees
This bill would allow employees of the Department of Mental Hygiene to

serve on Community Service Boards.

MILITARY LEAVE (30) WORKING DAYS
$.2398A A.2146A PASSED Senate, in Assembly committee
The New York Court of Appeals, New York's highest court, has recently

determined that the provisions governing military leaye for public employees pro-
vides for paid military leave for 30 calendar days, instead of 30 work days. As a
result, employees who work on the second shift or who have pass days on other
than weekends, may be required to attend ordered military drills without being
paid. This bill would merely restore the practice as it existed prior to the Court of
Appeals decisions.

WHISTLEBLOWER

S.1153_A.8552 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill protects public and private employees from retaliatory personnel ac-

tion by an employer against an employee who discloses policies or practices
reasonably believed to pose a threat to public safety or health, or who discloses
substantial mismanagement, gross waste of funds or abuse.

VETS MEDICAL LEAVE

A.1210 In Assembly committee
This bill would provide veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam with the

ability to attend appointments at VA hospitals or other similar medical facilities
without charge to leave credits, for treatment and care related to service-
connected disabilities.

STENOGRAPHERS FEES —
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

Introduction pending

Under the Employee Rights category, we need a bill which would implement
a collective bargaining agreement between CSEA and all other unions represen-
ting court reporters within the State of New York and the Office of Court Ad-
ministration with respect to the amount of money to be paid for the production of
transcripts.

CONTINUED

(CSEA'S LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR 1984 )

HEART BILL — CORRECTION OFFICERS

$.6042 In Senate committee
This bill would provide a presumption that diseases of the heart occurring in

correction officers were caused by employment for retirement system acciden-
tal disability hearings.

TIER fl REVISION
Introduction pending

The bill would provide for various improvements in the Tier Ill section of the
retirement system.

Invoduetion ponding FIRST $20,000 EXEMPTION

This bill would allow the first $20,000 of a pension allowance to be exempt
from Federal Income Tax and would prevent retirees from being taxed on the in-
come resulting from tax exempt securities.

RETIREE EARNINGS
Introduction pending

This bill would increase the amount a retiree from the State of New York or
its political subdivisions could earn without loss or diminution of retirement
allowance. It is the intent of the committee that such amount keep pace with the
amount provided with respect to federal social security.

DENTAL PLAN
S.1706 A.2242 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill would allow retirees to be eligible for dental insurance under the

group coverage.

HEALTH INSURANCE — 25% OF COST FOR DEPENDENTS
$.3783 A.4829 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill would provide that the surviving spouse of a retiree who had family

coverage in the health insurance plan would be allowed to continue such
coverage after the employee's death, at no more than 25% of the full cost.

CORRECTION OFFICER 25 YEAR PLAN
§.5598 A.5437 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill would provide, on a local option basis, a 25 year half pay retirement

plan for correction officers of political subdivisions.

ROME COMMUNITY STORE
$.3396A A.5432A in Senate, Assembly committees
This proposal would provide retirement system credits for employees of the

Rome Community Store in the Department of Mental Hygiene who have been
denied service credit for years of service prior to June 21, 1973, because the
Retirement System has determined that they were not authorized retirement
credit prior to that date.

EARLY RETIREMENT —
POLITICAL SUBDIVISION & PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

Introduction pending
This bill would grant an additional three (3) years retirement service credit

similar to that provided by Chapter 17 of the Laws of 1983, upon local option,
‘Yor employees of the political subdivisions and public authorities. Each such par-
ticipating employer would be required to make the necessary contributions to
fund the early retirement option applicable to them.

STENOGRAPHERS FEES
Introduction pending

This bill would increase the transcript fee in areas not covered by the agree-
ment between CSEA and OCA.

MONROE COUNTY TRANSFER

Introduction pending
This bill is intended to insure that employees of the Monroe County Sheriff's

Office who are transferred to the City of Rochester will continue to be employed.

VDT SAFETY
$.6528A A.7158A_ In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill would provide for establishment of health and safety standards for

operation of VDT equipment

EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK

Introduction pending
This bill would amend Civil Service Law Section 115 to make New York

State's public policy of equal pay for equal work applicable to the political sub-
divisions as well

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
S.686A A.737A In Senate, Assembly committees
The Employees Retirement System is presently administered by the Com-

ptroller, who is also the sole trustee of more than $18 billion in assets. Public
Employees who are members or pensioners of that system have no voice in in-
vestment decisions made by the Comptroller, unlike those in the five pension
systems in New York City and the New York State Teachers Retirement System.
This proposal would guarantee public employee and retiree voting membership
‘on the Board of Trustees for the Employees Retirement System.

PARITY BILL

$.7285 $.2253 A.8555 A.9733 In Senate, Assembly committees

The Education Law presently encourages the contracting out of transporta-
tion services by school districts by giving private contractors a more favorable
State-aid formula. This bill would eliminate that advantage

CONTINGENCY BUDGET
$.1333 PASSED Senate, referred to Assembly committee
This bill would provide for a local school board to adopt an alternate budget

procedure which would provide for continuation of cafeteria services and
transportation services after a regular budget has been defeated by the voters.

BUS SEATS
Introduction pending

The Transportation Law would be amended to require motor vehicles seating
eleven passengers or more and used in the business of transporting school
children, to be equipped with padded seat backs at least twenty four (24) inches
in height, rather than twenty eight (28) inches in height.

SUPPLEMENTATION

$.8298 A.10080 In Senate, Assembly committees
In order to offset inflationary increases occurring during the last year, this bill

would add to the supplementation provided by Chapter 422 of the Laws of 1981
and continued in 1983. The increase in the amount of supplementation would
vary from year to year, be computed on the first $10,500 of annual retirement
allowance, and be available for those who retired at age 55.

VETS BUY-BACK — WORLD WAR I
S.3734A A.4831A_ In Senate, Assembly committees
Veterans of World War Il would be allowed to purchase up to three years of

credit in the Retirement System.

VETS BUY-BACK — KOREA

Introduction pending
Veterans of Korea would be allowed to purchase up to three years of credit
in the Retirement System.

VETS BUY-BACK — VIETNAM

Introduction pending
Veterans of Vietnam would be allowed to purchase up to three years of
credit in the Retirement System.

HEALTH INSURANCE — UNUSED SICK LEAVE
$.1532 A.2019 In Senate, Assembly committees
This bill would allow an unremarried spouse of an active employee of the

state who died on or after April 1, 1979, to continue individual coverage and ex-
haust any accumulated and unused sick leave up to 165 days.

TIER | AND fi REOPENERS

$.3905A A.5107A_ In Senate, Assembly committees
This would allow employees who were on the payroll prior to the cutoff date

for eligibility in the lower tier and who, through no fault of their own, were both
eligible for membership and reasonably believed they had properly applied for
the membership, to file to become members of the lower tier.

UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO
$.3229 A.4009 In Senate, Assembly committees :
This bill would allow employees who were employed by the University of

Buffalo prior to its acquisition by the State of New York to purchase retirement
credits from the New York State Retirement System for the time of employment
by the University, with electing employees contributing both individual and
employer contributions, together with appropriate interest.

SECTION 75 REVISION — PROTECTION FOR NON-
COMPETITIVE POSITIONS IN POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS

Introduction pendi
At present, Civil Service Law Section 75 provides tenure protection for in-

dividuals in the state service only who occupy positions classified to be non-
competitive class. This bill would extend that protection to employees of the
political subdivisions with at least five years of continuous service in the non-
competitive class.

ABOLISH MINI-PERBS
Introduction pending

This bill would abolish mini-PERB's other than the New York City Office of
Collective Bargaining

SOUTH AFRICAN DIVESTMENT

Introduction pending
This bill would amend Section 199-b of the Retirement and Social Security

Law to require the divestment of monies of the retirement funds invested in en-
tities doing business in or with the Republic of South Africa, and allows a three-
year period for such divestment to occur

j , “Pe 19
THE PRBS SECTOR, FAIS APALGY TAM PBS RA

to:

Through this service, you will be able

is a “Preventive Law” plan providing free,
easy and immediate telephone access
to an attorney at the PLSO located in
Albany, New York. These attorneys are
familiar with the practice of general law
and have experience handling day-to-
day questions like the ones you may have.

e Ask specific questions about legal
documents
(Leases, loan agreements, real estate
transactions, mortgages, etc.)

@ Obtain one simple will per year for
you and your spouse at no cost

e Have your Area Attorney supervise the
execution of those wills at no cost

© Be advised of potential losses or un-
anticipated risks

@ Learn more about your legal rights or
benefits to which you may be entitled

Avoid further complex and costly legal

problems

e Learn how to enforce your rights in
Small Claims Court

® Have your attorney in the PLSO contact

third parties on your behalf, if he/she
determines that it might be helpful

For state employees in three units only

PERSONAL LEGAL PLAN:
A new benefit providing
low-cost legal services

ALBANY — An exciting new benefit — a Per-
sonal Legal Plan (PLP) — goes into effect on
May 1 for state employees only in the Adminis-
trative, Institutional and Operational bargain-
ing units.

The CSEA Employee Benefit Fund, accord-
ing to President William L. McGowan, is initiat-
ing the PLP because ‘‘our fast-paced way of life
makes legal advice more important than ever.”
He adds it’s another example of how the CSEA-
administered Employee Benefit Fund is provid-
ing members more services.

Phase I of the legal plan features free, easy
and immediate telephone access to an attorney
who is familiar with the practice of general law.
A staff of five lawyers will handle inquiries un-
der the theory that early intervention often pre-
vents matters from growing into expensive
litigation. If necessary they will also make
follow-up.contacts.

Examples of problems which might be
resolved here include difficulties with warran-
ties for such purchases as appliances, televi-
sion sets and automobiles, or the failure of
carpenters, plumbers, mechanics, etc. to
properly complete repairs. Landlord-tenant
disputes might also be alleviated.

A document review service will also be avail-
able May 1. Legal papers such as leases, install-
ment contracts, real estate contracts, loan
agreements, mortgages, etc. can be sent to the
Preventive Legal Service Office for exami-
nation.

Finally, wills which do not contain trusts andy
provide for the simple disposition of assets will
be prepared at no cost to eligible EBF mem-
bers and their spouses.

Phase II of the legal plan establishes a net-
work of ‘area attorneys”’ throughout the state
who will represent PLP participants in legal
matters at rates far less than normally
charged.

Services available through “‘area attorneys”
include family law matters, real estate trans-
actions, civil litigation, negligence cases, estate
planning, criminal matters, bankruptcies and
landlord-tenant disputes.

“Area attorneys” are expected to provide the
same high caliber of services which CSEA
offers through its Legal Assistance Program.

Names and addresses of designated ‘‘area at-
torneys”’ and a fee schedule of available serv-
ices will be sent to eligible EBF members.

The Personal Legal Plan, administered by
the law firm of Roemer and Featherstonhaugh,
is an important new benefit for state employees
in the Administrative, Institutional and Oper-
ational bargaining units. Other employers may
negotiate PLP coverage in CSEA-represented
bargaining units.

A descriptive brochure-including the toll-free
Preventive Legal Service Office telephone
number is being mailed to eligible CSEA
members.

of your PLP is designed to provide you with
comprehensive personal legal services when
required, Qualified attorneys or law firms have
been selected throughout the state to
represent you in legal matters at rates far less
than those they normally charge.

Some of the services available
through your Area Attorney are:

CIVIL LITIGATION
Including consumer related

problems

7

NEGLIGENCE CASES
Reduced fees in negligence
cases, including personal
injury, malpractice and
product liability cases where
a contingent fee arrange-
ment is customary.

ESTATE PLANNING Baa)
And probate or administra e

h
}
tion of decendent's estate M

CRIMINAL MATTERS
Traffic violations, driving

E fa
while intoxicated, other mis- fas Le =

demeanors and felonies x : .

FAMILY LAW MATTERS
Divorce, separations, adopt-
ions, custody proceedings

BANKRUPTCIES *

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

LANDLORD-TENANT DISPUTES
Representation of tenants
only

Ss

Page 20

THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, April 20, 1984