Vol. 2/No. 8
AFSCME members greet Goy. George Pataki in Montana
recently, urging the governor to show CSEA members some
respect in state contract negotations. They confronted the
governor at CSEA’s request and gave him “Peanuts from
Pataki.”
It’s hot, but nothing’s cooking
yet on the state contract table
The summer’s heat and haze haven't fazed CSEA contract
negotiators, who continued to meet in July to hammer out a pact
for the union’s 77,000 state government workers.
Despite the union’s repeated arguments on important contract
points, there’s been little movement by the state on any issue.
While negotiators talk, members holler for a fair contract
across the state.
“CSEA’s rallies and demonstrations are putting pressure on the
governor,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue.
The contract pressure was even evident in Montana recently,
where Gov. George Pataki was greeted by members of the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME), CSEA’s international union, who staged a Peanut Man
demonstration. See related information on pages 14 and 16.)
“We will follow the governor wherever he goes and demand
contract justice,” Donohue said.
A similar union demonstration, organized by AFSCME, greeted
Pataki in Detroit.
“We need to keep it up to support our team at the table. The
outside pressure will eventually bring movement in the
negotiations,”said Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan, who
leads the union’s statewide membership mobilization effort.
Donohue said members should call Pataki toll-free at
1-877-373-7920 “and ask him why he keeps saying CSEA members
are the best work force in the nation, but refuses to back it up at
the bargaining table with a respectable package.”
Check out CSEA’s Web site
CSEA members looking for news and updates about the
negotiations can surf their Web browsers to www.cseainc.org.
State may be breaking the law:
Records reveal
secret scheme
The state has been quietly dumping patients and appears to
be preparing to cut hundreds of jobs at psychiatric centers across
New York. They now may be breaking the law by keeping the
scheme secret, the union has learned.
The discovery of these damaging state Office of Mental Health
(OMH) documents which outline the slashing of inpatient beds
coincides with CSEA’s continuing pressure on Gov. George Pataki to
change the state’s “shameful” mental health policy.
Internal OMH papers obtained in a CSEA lawsuit reveal the
state’s covert plan to close more than half the psychiatric beds in
New York City.
“These cuts are a recipe for disaster,” said CSEA President
Danny Donohue.
“Even after all the incidents and horror stories with mentally
ill patients killing citizens, the governor wants to slash services
even more by irresponsibly cutting desperately needed services,”
Donohue added.
Manhattan Psychiatric Center would be hardest hit by the
proposed cuts, with 149 of the 527 inpatient beds at Wards Island
lost by March 2000.
More than a quarter of the beds for violent patients will also
be cut, the OMH secret plan revealed. Pilgrim, Rockland and
Hudson River Psychiatric Centers would also be especially hard hit.
CSEA sued the state, claiming these proposed wholesale staff
cuts violate the state law which requires OMH to give the union and
the community a year’s notice before any downsizing.
1999 Inside Albany (www.insidealbany.com)
INSIDE ALBANY broadcast schedule [\emy
ALBANY
Albany-Schenectady-Troy WMHT Saturday 6:30 p.m.
WMHQ Sunday 11 p.m.
Binghamton WSKG Saturday 4 p.m.
Buffalo WNED Friday 9:30 p.m.
Long Island WLIW Sunday 11 a.m.
Tuesday 6 p.m,
New York City WNET Saturday 1:30 p.m.
Sunday 6:30 a.m.
Plattsburgh WCFE Sunday 9 a.m.
Rochester WXXI Saturday 5:30 p.m.
Syracuse WCNY Saturday 6:30 p.m.
WCNY II Sunday 7am.
Watertown WPBS Saturday 5:30 p.m.
Correction
In the June issue, it was incorrectly reported the national Moose
lodge has a directive saying labor unions are not community-service
oriented. Leaders of the fraternal group stressed there is no such
directive and added: “Tell your CSEA members we still love them!”
ery ae THE WORK FORCE August 1999
Organizing drive helps workers find powerful voice
LONG BEACH — CSEA’s organizing victory
at Long Beach Hospital and Nursing Home
last month succeeded where other unions
failed because of the organizing committee’s
strength and commitment to stay focused.
But CSEA couldn't have won this key
organizing victory without the 445 new
members’ determination and courage.
Management's inability to employ tactics
beyond basic bullying also helped.
After months of a fierce organizing
campaign, workers who were often rushed by
management to do their jobs with antiquated
equipment, low pay and few benefits now
enjoy union protection and benefits.
“I've been here 25 years. I have a wife and
three kids and I have to say, I feel great!” said
Angel Alverez, a transport aide.
“Tam sure everything is going to change for
the better. There is too much abuse,
especially in housekeeping and the laundry. I
know this will stop now,” said Alverez.
“It’s pathetic sometimes. We bathe a
resident and it’s rush, rush. Their skin is
delicate and they have pain. It’s not fair to
rush them,” Nursing Assistant Noemi Marri
“The beds and equipment are still cranked
and it’s very hard on the workers,” she added.
Persistence, professionalism pays off
After a decade of unsuccessful attempts by
other unions to organize the private-sector
hospital and nursing home, workers called
CSEA last year during the union’s statewide
organizing blitz.
CSEA Lead Organizer Mary Bryant
attributes the win to “sticking around and
sticking it out.”
“We were consistent. We worked with our
committee and the committee stayed
together,” Bryant said.
~~ N
From left, transport aide Marcene Sutton makes a nomination
during the meeting, while transport aide Angel Alverez and
Sutton take part in the membership meeting.
“In this campaign, 90 percent of the
workers we identified were identified by
someone on the committee. That one-on-one
was vital,” she said.
“We never promised the workers anything
but the right to sit at the table and negotiate,”
said Bryant.
Management blunders
Management may have indirectly helped
the CSEA campaign.
“Management shot themselves in the foot
by using textbook memos and tactics,” said
Organizing Supervisor Phoebe Mackey.
Workers endured being questioned about
CSEA in administrators’ offices and the
relentless threats about having their benefits
reduced.
After CSEA won the right to represent the
workers, hospital administrators immediately
challenged the election with the National
Labor Relations Board. That challenge will
stall the negotiation process, union officials
said.
“We predicted their campaign,” said
Director of Organizing Diane Campion.
“By the time they did each thing we had
already inoculated the
workers by warning them
about what was coming,” she
added.
CSEA’s strength
The campaign workers
agreed CSEA’s strong presence
in the region, the solid job
CSEA does representing a
number of health care facility
ingredients of CSEA’s success.
“We were methodical. We
worked through every single
aspect of our plan. We learned
about the workers and how they
would vote,” Campion said.
“The assistance by other CSEA
members, other unions and the
CSEA staff was also closely linked
to the final victory. We needed
support and will continue to
need support while we get
through this first contract,” said
Campion.
Victory fans organizing flames
“A win like this gives other workers hope.
We have already received calls from other
workers who need CSEA,” said Campion.
AFL-CIO Director of Organizing Kirk Adams
said, “This (organizing victory) was good
work. Health care workers around this
country are looking to organize. Workers see
unions not just for wages and benefits but
also to have a voice.”
CSEA is working with the new local to elect
officers and planning to negotiate the first
contract.
“This campaign took hard work and
dedication, We will apply that same energy to
getting a contract,” said CSEA President
Danny Donohue.
“While the initial victory was the election,
the quest for a first contract is the next goal,”
added Long Island Region President Nick
LaMorte.
“We won. We worked hard and it is a good
feeling to have accomplished something very
positive. Now we have to stand together and
keep on going,” said Nursing Assistant Marri.
— Sheryl C. Jenks
Bie
workers and strong Long
Island contracts, especially
the recent Nassau County
Local pact, were all
CSEA officers and staff flank new members from the Long Beach
Hospital and Nursing Home, expressing their happiness to be
members of the union family. while they hold signs depicting
what CSEA means to them.
August 1999 THE WORK FORCE [ec]
ISSN 1522-1091
Official publication of
CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
143 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12210-2303
Danny Donohue, President
STEPHEN A. MADARASZ
Director & Publisher
NLEY HORNAK
-ctor of Communications
RONALD S. KERMANI, Editor
LOU HMIELESKI, Assistant Editor
CATHLEEN HORTON
Graphic Design & Support Services
RALPH DISTIN, Graphic Artist
JANICE NUSBAUM.
ions Production Coordinator
BETH McINTYRE
Communications Secretary
Communic
In Touch with the
WorkK FORCE
f you're looking for an example of what real unionism
is all about, look no farther than 445 workers at Long
Beach Hospital and Nursing home.
These courageous men and women recently stood up for their rights and joined
CSEA.
In doing so, they said “No!” to management intimidation. They said “No!” to
inferior wages and benefits. And they said “No!” to substandard working conditions.
The Work Force (USPS 0445-010) is
published monthly by The CSEA Publication Office:
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
Periodical Mail Postage paid at Post Office,
Albany, New York 12288.
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
CSEA, Attn: Membership Department,
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
CSEA on-line: The CSEA web site
can be accessed at www.cseainc.org
The workers at Long Beach Hospital found a powerful voice through CSEA and
we are proud to represent them.
The story of the Long Beach Hospital workers is important for all CSEA members
in many ways. I hope that you will read the inspiring cover story in this edition of
The Work Force.
The addition of 445 new members to the union ranks is a significant victory, not
only for CSEA and its dedicated organizing team, but for organized labor nationally!
Readers:
Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to:
Publisher, The Work Force, 143 Washington Avenue,
| Albany, NY 12210-2303,
COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATES
SHERYL C. JENKS Long Isla
(516) 462-0030
Metropolitan Region
(212) 406-2156
Southern Region
(914) 831-1000
Capital Region
ANN CARROLL
ANITA MANLEY
DAN CAMPBELL
MARK M. KOTZIN
RON WOFFORD. =rn Region
(716) 886-0391
Headquarters
(518) 257-1272
ED MOLITOR
The Committee
LONG ISLAND REGION Joha C. Shepherd
_ METROPOLITAN REGION vacant
SOUTHERN REGION Diane Hewitt
CAPITAL REGION Marguerite Stanley
CENTRAL REGION Bruce Damatt, Chair
WESTERN REGION James V. Kurtz
{LABOR COMMUN IC4
e
ERNATIONAL
enroossy SN
7 Ag CcIorcL vaaren st
d Region
It is even more significant to gain a victory of this size in the health care
industry, where employers are notorious for their hell-bent resistance to worker
organizing drives.
By adding to our ranks, we become a stronger union because there is clearly
increased strength in increased numbers. We can also build on our successes and
help other workers to organize.
But most importantly, we can all learn from our new union brothers and sisters.
We can learn not to take our union gains for granted. We can learn that we have to
fight every day to protect our rights and benefits.
We can also learn that no matter how far we’ve come, we still have a long way to
go before working men and women are treated with the dignity and respect we
deserve.
Each of us has a part to play in building a better CSEA. We should each measure
our efforts against the courage, determination and solidarity of our new Long Beach
Hospital members.
Pr THE WORK FORCE
August 1999
US
AUTHENTIC
‘et
Blanche Hamilton, a Brooklyn
Developmental Center worker, (not
related to Teresa Hamilton mentioned at
right) shows her relief while leaving
another long shift. Short staffing has
meant grueling overtime for staff here
and elsewhere in the state, and union
members said they have been given less
than one hour notice before being
called in on mandatory overtime.
Forced overtime takes its toll
It’s midnight. You are:
a) Asleep in your bed.
b) Watching Letterman.
c) Finishing your 16th hour on the job?
For more and more CSEA members,
midnight signals the end of dangerous and
energy-sapping double shifts in state-run
developmental centers.
Short staffing, worsened over the years
by layoffs and budget cuts, has forced the
remaining union members into a cycle of
mandatory overtime which
union leaders said is dangerous
for employees and clients.
The ripples these forced
double shifts create do not
stop at the facility.
Spouses, children, and other
family members — and their
schedules — are also paying
for what many said is the state’s refusal to
adequately staff these huge institutions.
“You are supposed to be informed one
hour before your first shift ends that you
have to work overtime, but that doesn’t
always happen, because they say there is
an ‘emergency’ at the facility,” said Teresa
Hamilton, a developmental aide at Brooklyn
Developmental Center.
“When we do mandated overtime, it
forces us to have emergencies at home
too,” she added.
“You never know when you come in if
you're going to be forced to work
overtime,” said Tanya Sullivan, a
developmental aide at Brooklyn
Developmental Center who is forced to
work overtime once or twice a week.
[SEA REPRESENTS
“I have a family and another job. With
inadequate staffing, you have to doa
16-hour day, even if you can’t,” Sullivan
said.
Better for clients, too
Adequate staffing also affects the clients,
members said.
“Clients act better when there is more
staff,” Sullivan said.
“With adequate staffing, you can see the
difference in their behavior. When we are
understaffed, the clients don’t
get the attention and the
one-on-one time they need.
Health Care They act out, and it gets
. Services
60,
20 wore i158
harder. There are more
injuries,” Sullivan noted.
“It affects us too,” said
Hamilton. “With all the
overtime, you get tensed-up,
you don’t have patience, and you're
drained mentally as well as physically.”
Injuries, families affected
“While you can’t always see it,
exhaustion is a major contributing factor to
workplace injuries,” said CSEA Safety
Specialist Dan Morra.
“While people may not be falling asleep
on the job, they are not as attentive and
responsive as the need to be,” he added.
Mandated overtime also has a huge effect
on members’ families, especially children.
“They let you know at three o’clock that
you have to work overtime, when it is too
late to make arrangements for your
children,” said Hamilton.
— Ann Carroll
XS of the Work Force )
ICE
66] ‘ve been here for 17 years, and I feel our main concerns are staffing and the contracting out
issue. There are a lot of people here who do give 110 percent and they still expect more from
you. There are days that you feel very overwhelmed, and with the contracting out issue, you give
your all, and you still don't know if you're going to have a job when they're done with it.??
Robin Young, LPN — The Meadows (Otsego County Adult Care Facility)
August 1999 THE WORK FORCE Mere)
No day at the beach for these deputies
ONOVILLE MARINA — As he maneuvers
his 19-foot cruiser on the vast waterway
that is the Allegheny Reservoir, Deputy
Sheriff Brian Mohr isn’t looking to dampen
summer fun for boaters.
“We're not trying to hammer the boating
public with tickets or
summonses,” said Mohr, a
four-year deputy and
member of the CSEA
Cattaraugus County Local's
| Sheriffs Unit.
“Our primary concern is
safety, and making sure
boaters have the required
safety equipment, and
operate their craft in a safe
manner so they're not
1 causing a safety problem for
Deputy Sheriff Brian Mohr patrols the Allegheny
Reservoir with an eye toward boater safety.
supervise the cooks and do paperwork, as well as cook myself. | like it, but sometimes it gets
themselves or others,” Mohr
said.
“We're also out here to
quickly come to the aid of
those in need of rescue or
assistance.
A typical day on the
24-mile long Allegheny
Reservoir and its 90 miles of
shoreline may produce calls
from boaters with engine
problems who need towing
back to the marina and an
occasional call about
capsized canoers.
Safety first
In addition to patrolling
the reservoir in
southwestern
Cattaraugus County near
the New York-Pennsylvania
line and the smaller Lime
Lake, Mohr
and fellow
boat patrol
deputies Al
Loffredo and
Kim Scanlon
teach a
boating and
water safety
course.
“It’s a good idea for new boat owners to
learn as much as they can about operating
a boat safely,” said Mohr.
“And young people, 10 to 18 years old,
are required by the state to take an
approved boat safety course, and we
provide it for county residents.
“Work like this is a perfect example of
the essential service CSEA members
provide and how easy it is to take it for
granted,” CSEA Western Region President
Robert Lattimer said.
The deputies have materials and
literature to help boaters learn the rules
on water craft registration, operation and
safety, that also extends to the newest and
highly popular personal watercraft, the jet
ski.
“The jet ski is very popular,” said Mohr.
“But it calls for even more:careful
operation, and we have a handout that
spells out personal watercraft laws
prescribed by the state,” he said.
“We want the boating public to have an
enjoyable experience on the water,” said
Mohr. “And the only way to do it is to stay
aware and operate safely.”
— Ron Wofford
SEA REPRESENTS
and Law
Enforcement
15 at
200 WorKeRs in THIS WO
66 I
frustrating because there are not enough workers. 99
Louise Clayton — head cook, Queensboro Correctional Facility
Page 6
THE WORK FORCE
August
19:99
Reading better:
Can you spell m-o-n-e-y?
Reading may be fun, but it also pays. many of our test-taking problems.
For many CSEA members, poor reading How can we expect people to
comprehension is the broken rung on answer correctly on civil service
the civil service career ladder. tests when they can’t even
Knowing job promotions are linked to understand the question?” she
reading ability, one union é gE REPRESENTS asked.
member in New York City is A trained adult basic
helping CSEA members hone (SYafelfs|itel=imVileays ¢ducation tutor, Pianin
their reading skills. ai fand, 2 found members in her
“There is a lot of shame 1 office who could benefit
and guilt attached to not Services from better reading
reading well,” said Sandra 50.009 WORKERS IN THIS wos skills.
Pianin of the state Banking At first, almost no one
Department. wanted to take her free reading
“Yet our literacy skills are the root of class to help them prepare for an
upcoming civil
service test.
“Part of the
motivation to do Above and below, left, CSEA state Banking
this is getting Department member Sandra Pianin prepares for
people over the the free reading class she offers to co-workers
guilt and shame to help them improve their civil service test
they sometimes scores.
feel” because they “This is a perfect example of CSEA
are poor readers, said members helping others and working
Pianin. together to make a stronger union,” said
Her first remedial group _ Metropolitan Region President George
worked on grammar and Boncoraglio.
reviewed old civil “It’s a win-win situation,” Pianin said. “I
service tests and union get to reinforce my skills, and it’s
booklets to polish their wonderful to see people learn.”
skills. — Ann Carroll
695
,
66m what makes the agency run. Everything used by the agency is provided by me and my
staff. I like my job because I enjoy extending myself — helping other people. It’s why I got
involved in the union. It is sometimes difficult making management understand what is the easy
way and what is the right way. You try to explain what will save them money in the long run, but
they are only concerned about their budget. 9
Frank Cosentino, senior mail and supply clerk — State Liquor Authority, New York City
August 1999 THE WORK FORCE (rws
Hot, back-brea
FE on am p
® f
king smelly work, but
Someone’s got to do it!
ELMIRA — It’s an overpowering
stench, a sour-smelling funk that
smothers your body like plastic wrap
and stains your lungs and breath for
days.
The thousands of CSEA members who
haul garbage and trash during these
stifling summer days may get used to
the smell, but they’ll never enjoy it.
“It smells like maggots,” says City of
Elmira Sanitation Specialist Tom Decker,
“kinda like rotten hamburger.”
“They put just about anything in the
bags. They don’t realize how much it
stinks. You don’t like wearing their
garbage juice,” added Sanitation
Specialist Jamie Plaisted.
Despite the withering heat and the
gut-churning stench, CSEA members are
hauling the trash from Elmira curbs to
the landfill, where it’s sorted, recycled,
milled and eventually buried by
Chemung County Solid Waste
Department workers.
There are unique job hazards.
Solid Waste Specialist Frank Garrison
said it’s always a surprise to find what
environmentally conscious homeowners
will try to recycle.
He recently found the body of a cat
carelessly tossed into a recycling bin.
The dangers for these men and
women on the garbage route are real.
“People don’t understand that you
can’t put sharp objects in the bags,”
Solid Waste Specialist George
Springstead said. Sticks, broken glass,
and needles present potential danger.
Springstead also said he worries about
diseases carried by improperly bagged
medical waste.
“You get stuck with a needle, who
knows what it was used for?”
Springstead asked.
Contracting out garbage
Another big threat in municipal waste
management continues to be the
ever-present threat of contracting out.
“| don’t think the public understands
how much it costs to process their
garbage,” says Bill Fairchild, who works
at the county milling station.
“We do a good job and it’s cost
effective,” he added.
CSEA Chemung County Local President
Tom Pirozzolo said the county has
agreed with the union
that the waste
management operations
are not for sale.
While the political winds
on waste management
may vary, the Chemung
County landfill employees
agree: the best place to
be on a sultry summer
day at the landfill is
upwind.
— Mark M. Kotzin
Above, Elmira Sanitation Specialist Tom
Decker hauls trash to the curb, where
sanitation workers Beau Simpson, right, and
Jaimie Plaisted hoist it into the truck.
ES
he worst part of the job on a hot day is cleaning the bulldozer tracks at the end of the day.
Mud and garbage pack in the tracks, and every day at the end of my shift I have to clean
them. 99
Larry Wolfe, operator — Chemung County landfill
THE WORK FORCE 1999
August
Page 8
Zapped from his job, college electrician plugs into CSEA for help
TROY — A community college electrician
zapped from his job for repeatedly trying
to protect students and the public from
electrical hazards is using a novel
high-voltage plan to win his job back.
James Reid, a senior electrician at
Hudson Valley Community
College, was abruptly fired
from his provisional job after
18 months of outstanding
performance reviews and an
impressive record of
repeatedly telling college
officials about hazardous electrical
connections that violated national building
codes.
CSEA and Reid are trying to short-circuit
the firing by filing a complaint with the
Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH)
Bureau of the New York State Department
of Labor (DOL).
“This firing is outrageous and unfair,”
CSEA Capital Region President Carmen
Bagnoli said. “James Reid is an outstanding
employee who puts public safety and
professional integrity first.”
“Apparently someone at the college
wanted Reid fired because he made sure all
events involving the use of electricity at
the McDonough Sports Complex and
elsewhere on campus were done according
to code, not according to profit margins,”
CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Kate
Luscombe said.
“Perhaps if Reid had not been
conscientious about doing his job, if he
had ignored code violations and let private
vendors have their way over electrical
code requirements, he’d still have his
(GSEA REPRESENTS
$5, :
200 WoRKeRs in THs WOO"
position at HVCC,” she added.
CSEA and Reid are fighting the firing with
the PESH complaint “because the shoddy
history of HVCC concerning the health and
safety of its employees may be a means of
job protection for the worker,”
Luscombe said.
Power Hungry
Reid’s job was to make sure
all electrical service at the
ai college met national codes,
including hookups for lucrative
trade shows booked into the college’s
sports complex.
During his 18 months there, however,
Reid routinely battled with college officials
and show promoters about
dangerous
jerry-built electrical
hookups which could cause
fires and fatal shocks.
Built as a basketball
arena, the complex doesn’t
have the necessary
electrical capability to
handle the various events
such as computer shows
and dog shows.
Vendors, therefore, are
forced to string extension
cords and concoct other code-breaking
hookups which regularly trip the circuit
breakers.
Show promoters and college officials
also repeatedly asked Reid to ignore these
dangerous conditions, union officials said.
“Reid believes that as an electrician he
should always act in the best interests of
Electrician James Reid
safety and health rather than profit and
vendor development,” Luscombe said.
“That apparently was the wrong attitude
to have at HVCC. Profit first, safety second
might have been a better philosophy for
Reid,” Luscombe added.
— Daniel X. Campbell
Fifi’s blow dry blows
circuits everywhere
Fired Hudson Valley Community
College electrician James Reid tried to
pull the plug on these dangerous power
overloads and bogus wiring which
mj trade show vendors used to
power their booths.
% Electrical circuits kept tripping
during a dog show because dog
owners were plugging in
1,600-watt commercial hair dryers
to fluff Fido’s hair before the
mandatory stroll, before the
judges.
* During a garden show, Reid
noticed a reading light was
clipped to the side of a fish tank.
Knowing a person could be
electrocuted if the lamp fell into the
water, Reid asked the vendor to remove
the light. When told about this code
violation during the show, a college
administrator quipped: “Don’t worry
about it, that’s what they have
insurance for.”
of the Work Force )
66 J think the main concern is the safety of the students and the staff, in light of the tragic things
that are happening in our schools and our communities. We are taking training and we
hope we never have to put it in use. 99
Grace Hagar, secretary — Gardner Road Elementary School,
Horseheads Central School District
August 1999 THE WORK FORCE [orca]
AAP EBIELISIGINES:
Pree ee THE WORK FORCE
erry Condon
nervously
fingered the
weightiness of victory
in his right hand.
He had struck
gold.
Hours earlier, the
Olympian hefted the
nine-pound steel shot
to his chin, grinned
once more for the
crowd, and hurled the
ball with all the force
his 43-year-old body
could summon.
Condon
celebrated his shot-
put victories not just
with medals, but with
the currency which
Special Olympians like
Condon have come to
member
Liz Condon
and her gold-
medal winning
son, Perry.
appreciate: hugs and kisses.
CSEA again played a large role in this year’s New York
Special Olympics Summer Games and hosted a tent which
attracted hundreds of members, competitors and their
families.
“I'm so proud to be a CSEA member and to see my
union here,” said Liz Condon, Perry’s mother and CSEA
member, who works for the state Higher Education
Services Corp. in Albany.
Throughout the three-day, sun-splashed event, scores
of union members volunteered to help with the
competition, coach athletes and meet participants at the
finish line with cheers, handshakes and hugs.
“My CSEA is trying to do the best it can for all of the
community,” said Ruth Coschignano, a CSEA member who
works for the Town of Oyster Bay on Long Island.
Her son, Peter, won two gold medals in swimming.
“It’s nice to come to a job every day and know my
union helps my son” achieve his goals by supporting the
August 1999
Special Olympics, she said.
CSEA represents more than 15,000 workers statewide
who care for the developmentally disabled.
“There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the joy
on these athletes’ faces as they make friends, compete and
share the true spirit of the events,” said CSEA Treasurer
Maureen Malone, a long-time supporter of the games.
“Now you see why | volunteer!” exclaimed union
member Judy Puccetti, as she dispensed bundles of hugs
to runners bounding across the finish line.
“You appreciate your life so much more when you see
the challenges these athletes face,” said Puccetti, a CSEA
member who works at Schenectady County Community
College.
Terri Harrigan, a CSEA member who works at
the Finger Lakes DDSO, talks with wheelchair
athlete Justin Randall before his race.
Left, Perry Condon, son of CSEA
member Liz Condon of Albany,
hurls the shot-put in one of two
medal-winning efforts.
Above, Special
Olympian Sade John
from Queens shares a
hug with CSEA member
and Special Olympics
volunteer Judy Puccetti
of Schenectady.
Above, Ruth Coschignano, a CSEA
member from Long Island,
discusses the upcoming swimming
For CSEA member and event with her medal-winning son,
Special Olympic gold- Peter, and two other competitors.
medal swimmer Stephen
Caruso of Albany, the
games are a way to meet
friends.
“Winning is not
everything for me,” said
the 23-year employee of
the state Office of Mental
Retardation and
Developmental
Disabilities.
“IT enjoy being able to
compete and have fun
with my teammates,”
Caruso added. Re
“And I was RY
overwhelmed to see the
union supporting the
Special Olympics!” he said.
ol
CSEA member Charlotte McDonnell from Dunkirk, and her
son T. J. who is a Special Olympics swimmer, look over the
Two-time shot-put gold medalist Perry Condon latest swim race results.
celebrates his victories. — Ronald Kermani
August 1999 THE WORK FORCE
bi Mei é
Shop Steward Mike Ricciardi shows fellow Shop
Steward Jack McPhillips a tick, preserved in a small
specimen bottle.
py islilaes
Take the sting out of summer
CSEA members working outdoors need to be
aware of stinging insects, spiders, ticks, and
poisonous snakes and plants. A single sting or
bite can kill in minutes if a person is allergic.
Life-threatening reactions include:
_] Bluish or grayish skin color
| Seizures a
_] Unconsciousness
1] Swollen airway passages
Workers can protect themselves by:
(J Using insect repellent.
(1 Wearing heavy jeans and boots that cover
ankles.
C1 Carrying a first-aid kit with two or three
epinepherine pens.
_] Wearing long-sleeved shirts, gloves and hats.
(J Using respirators when burning or clearing
poison ivy, oak or sumac.
Ticks, poor sanitation pose
risks to health on the job
WHITE PLAINS — Whether tromping around a gn nto 100 seas AR
field or working inside a facility, union members
are exposed to seasonal and year-round dangers
ranging from ticks that carry Lyme disease to
hepatitis.
Westchester County Unit shop stewards recently
learned the dangers of and ways to avoid
contracting Lyme disease and hepatitis.
Representatives of the pharmaceutical company that developed a Lyme
disease vaccine given in three doses said the $150 cost is not covered by
many insurance plans.
Treatment of the disease, however, can run as high as $60,000 a year
including lost wages, according to a 1991 study. Today’s costs are higher,
researchers said.
265,000 mempens STON
Tiny bite, big problem
Workers who spend considerable time outside should consider receiving
the vaccine which has proven 90 percent effective among people under the
age of 65.
The Immunization Advisory Council recommends the vaccine for persons
who live in areas known for Lyme disease, travel to those areas, have a
prior history of Lyme disease (it can be contracted again), work outdoors,
especially in grassy or wooded areas, carry out recreational activities
outdoors, own pets they take outdoors or live close to wild animals such as
deer, mice and birds.
For more information, call the American Lyme Disease Foundation at (914)
277-6970 or visit the organization’s Web site at www.aldf.com.
-
Hepatitis a common danger
Hepatitis is more common than most people think, researchers said.
There are three types, A, B and C; all are preventable and treatable,
although hepatitis C is the most deadly and is the cause of most liver
transplants.
Discovered in the 1980s, hepatitis C is caused by injecting drugs, a blood
transfusion before 1992 or unprotected sex with multiple partners.
In fact, according to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care,
the potential cost for treating hepatitis C (which is 10 times more infectious
than HIV) among prison inmates could run into the millions of dollars.
Hepatitis B, a liver infection caused by a virus, is also deadly and is
transmitted much the same way as hepatitis C. It can also be passed from
pregnant mother to infant, is the cause of cirrhosis of the liver and can
result in liver cancer. A three-dose vaccine controls the disease.
Hepatitis A can come from eating food or drinking water cantaminated
with human waste or traveling to underdeveloped countries.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, jaundice and dark
urine. The risk of hepatitis A is 100 times greater than for typhoid and 1,000
times higher than for cholera.
It is often transmitted by food handlers. Sewer and water workers and
plumbers are also at risk.
Up to 22 percent of adults require hospitalization. There is also a
vaccination for hepatitis A.
Frequent hand washing is the best way to prevent hepatitis A.
— Anita Manley
page L2 Ea ea August 1999
cee t ee:
meme
All in the fa m i ly Pr oamih “AR cyy
Ys
at this state office Friends ana
Some people carve a special “quality family time” out of Neighbors
their busy day to devote to their loved ones. 265.000 mempens STON
For the Shine and Sanford families in New York by
City, it’s always family time because several
relatives have the unique advantage of working
together at the state Insurance Fund offices.
“After my daughter Sonia got an honorable
discharge from the service, I really talked her
into coming and working with me at the state
Insurance Fund (SIF),” said CSEA member
Jacqueline Sanford.
“At that time, all my children worked at
the SIF.” While her son now works for the
U.S. Postal Service, Jacqueline and Sonia
have worked in the same building for
almost 10 years.
“My brother used to call her “Miss
Union,” said Sonia. “When we were little, I
remember her always going from this
meeting to that — union, union, union, all
the time. When we were all working at the
SIF, it was rough. My mother was always on
the go, and everyone knew her.
“Wherever I would go, they'd tell me ‘call
your mother.’ One Christmas, my brother and I
bought Mom a beeper so we could find her in the
building!” Sonia exclaimed.
Shines shine at work
“I never wanted to work,” said Juanita Shine. “I was
content as a housewife raising my kids. When I first started,
they were making crazy kinds of bets on me that I wouldn’t
last three days.”
She is retiring this month after 30 years of state service.
“Juanita didn’t get involved until after she had been
here a while,” said the elder Sanford.
“The situation here was very tense and they had started
layoffs. But once she got in, there was no stopping her,”
Sanford added.
Living, working together
Working day in and day out with your mother is one
thing, but both Sabrina and Sonia also live with their
mothers.
“It really works out well,” said Sonia, “we still eat lunch
together every day.”
“After so many years, everything is gelling. Everybody is
involved. In the old days, unions used to be separated from the
other groups you belonged to, but now, everything is gelling,” said *
Jackie. “There are more labor people in the community and in the
churches.”
“One of the men in this local was in my Cub Scout troop when he was young,” added
Juanita. “You are really able to see what our mothers worked so hard for,” said Sonia.
“You see the union right here in the building. You see the better benefits and the
flexible hours for child care,” Sonia said.
— Ann Carroll
CSEA praised
for community
service efforts
The overwhelming
generosity of CSEA members
across the state was formally
recognized by the Pataki
administration as the union
received the prestigious
Governor’s Community Service
Award. E
Given for outstanding
community involvement, the
award recognizes CSEA
members’ long-standing
commitment to help those in
need.
“CSEA members really do
make a difference in the lives
of real people and they are
truly the heart of New York,”~
CSEA Secretary Barbara
Reeves said after accepting the
award.
“Our members’ concern for
people doesn’t end with their
workday,” she said. “That is an
invaluable part of making New
York a better place to live,”
Reeves added.
From helping the United Way
and State Employees Federated
Appeal (SEFA) reach their
annual goals to helping
communities devastated by
tornadoes and ice storms last
year, CSEA members went the
extra mile to help their
neighbors, union leaders said.
Above, Jacqueline Sanford sits with
her daughter, Sonia, at their work
place in the state Insurance Fund
offices. Below, Juanita Shine and her
daughter, Sabrina.
: : August 1999 THE WORK FORCE Page 13.
Cheap, and Good for You Too!
Elephants work for peanuts.
CSEA members
refuse to, for good
reason.
Peanuts wholesale for
$1.15 a pound.
Each New Yorker
consumes about 12
pounds a year.
The governor's press office refused to say if
Pataki preferred his nuts roasted or his peanut
butter creamy or chunky.
Tale of the Peanut
Georgia, home of the
Atlanta Braves and media
magnate Ted Turner, is the
leading producer of peanuts.
By contrast, no peanuts
are grown in New York, which now boasts
to be the leading producer of late state budgets,
layoffs, and understaffed mental health hospitals.
In Georgia, the average state worker earns
$24,000 a year. Peanuts — and zeroes — are not
part of their contract with their governor.
Did You Know...
It takes 850 peanuts to make an
18-ounce jar of peanut butter?
Most New Yorkers like their
peanut butter smooth, with
only 30 percent preferring the
chunky variety that gums up dental work.
Spread Too Thin
Peanut butter and jelly
is the most popular
sandwich in the country. In
some New York City delis, this
gooey combo fetches $10,
Wanting it on a hard roll costs more.
CSEA members are demanding a contract
offer that includes a living wage so they can
afford to serve more than peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches at dinner.
On the farm:
U.S. President Jimmy Carter N
was a peanut farmer from Georgia. ht
Pataki was a farmer in \
Peekskill before he ran for the
state Legislature several years ago.
THE WORK FORCE
Page 14
the Peanut Page
ov. George Pataki is finding goobers distasteful. Everywhere Pataki
travels, from Montana to Montauk, from Detroit to the Department of
Environmental Conservation, CSEA’s Peanut Man dogs him and passes
out small paper bags containing only four peanuts — one for each zero Pataki
is offering as a “raise.”
The last year, Pataki has shelled out bountiful raises to his inner circle.
CSEA members have told him they refuse to work for peanuts, and have
taken their fight for fairness to the streets.
Notorious Nut Junkies:
President Jimmy Carter's
peanut farm and Annette
Funicello’s “Choosy mothers
choose JIF!” ads aren’t the only
celebrity peanut connections.
Elvis Presley was known to
push several peanut butter and
banana sandwiches, grilled in butter, down his
throat at one sitting.
Tennis star Chris Everett downed peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches before her matches.
Political writer George Will munches on a
peanut butter and sweet pickle sandwich at least
twice a week.
Peanut Man’s Recipe
for Contract Cream Pie
— Take 77,000 dedicated,
hard-working C. members in
state government;
— Fold in constant threats of layoffs, chronic
short staffing, budget cuts;
— Garnish with zeroes;
— Bake 100 days without a contract until ready
to explode.
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
(Pataki’s favorite)
16 oz. cream cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tbs chopped peanuts.
from Pataki’s Peanut Farm, Albany
1/4 cup honey
1 graham cracker
crust
In a mixing bowl,
combine all
ingredients
except crust and
chopped peanuts.
Blend until very
smooth. Pour
into crust and
top with chopped peanuts.
Chill 3 hours before serving to
Pataki, \ &
“PEANUT MUTTER’
August 999
Please Mister Peanut
Sung to “Mr. Postman”
(Wait!) Oh yeah, wait a minute Mister Peanut
(Wait!)
Waa—aa-aaaaa—ait Mister Peanut
Mister Peanut look and see (oh yeah)
Is that a zero in your bag for me?
(Please, please, Mr. Peanut)
T've been waiting such a long time (woah yeah)
Since [ heard about that contract of mine
Verse |
There must be some word today
From my benefits so far away
Please Mr. Peanut look and see
If there’s a contract from Guy Pataki
Verse 2
We've been standing waiting Mister Peanut
Soo000000 so patiently
For something fair and something better
Than the insult sent to CSEA!
Chorus
Verse 3
So many days you pass us by
While 38 percent pay hikes fly
We're working hard and making you look better
But now our faces are getting redder.
Chorus
Outro
You better drop the zeroes, drop the zeroes
(oh yeah) :
Drop the zeroes, drop the zeroes, (You gotta)
Drop the zeroes, drop the zeroes
Come on and deal, guy, it’s time to get real
(You gotta)
Drop the zeroes,
drop the zeroes
(oh yeah)
Drop the zeroes,
drop the zeroes
(oh yeah) “i
Mister Pea—
eaa—ee—nut,
Deliver a fair deal,
one we won't re-peal
CSEA helps shape national trade union group
NEW ORLEANS — CSEA members continue to be key players
and shape the direction of large trade union groups, and a recent
convention here was fitting testimony to the union’s clout in the
national labor arena.
Scores of CSEA
members and staff
participated in the
28th annual Coalition
of Black Trade
Unionists (CBTU)
conference —
evidence of the
union’s broad reach
and solid reputation
across the national
labor spectrum.
Union activists
from across New
York joined a
massive march
through the streets
of New Orleans to
support the
organizing efforts of
workers in three
local unions,
Operating Engineers,
Hotel Employees
and Restaurant
4| Employees Union
and the Service
Employees
International Union.
Above right, CSEA staffer and CBTU*
member Sharon Lovelady Hall conducts a
workshop. Below, a CSEA/CBTU
contingent in New Orleans.
bg:
Activists in action
“This was a great
gathering of the
family of labor,” said
Robert Mootry, a
CSEA member who
works at the Buffalo
Psychiatric Center.
“Activists from so
many different
unions were there,
and it was truly
i e a Vy diversity in action.
And I'm really proud our president, Danny Donohue, was so
visible in support of CBTU.”
Donohue, a longtime CBTU member, introduced the
conference’s keynote speaker and marched in the organizing rally.
More than 1,500 union delegates attended workshops
addressing issues important to working people, including a
session led by CSEA representatives Portia Given, Wally Nash, Ira
Baumgarten and Sharon Lovelady-Hall, fittingly, on the National
Coalition Building Institute (NCBI).
‘VOCAL 1000 AFSCME 6
ol Alay
Learning and doing
“I especially enjoyed the NCBI
workshop because it got the participants 265.000 mempens STR"
involved and doing things together,” said Dan Barton, a CSEA
member from Erie County.
“It was a very interesting approach to cultural diversity,
identifying and working through stereotypes and misinformation
about other groups. | learned a lot,” he added.
“| loved joining in the rally for workers struggling to organize
under resisting employers,” said Denise Berkley, another CSEA
member who works at the Brooklyn Developmental Disabilities
Service Office.
“It showed real solidarity. | was fired up, and glad to give
encouragement to workers, such as those who told the rally about
being harassed, and sometimes fired, just because they wanted to
unionize,” she said.
Albany’s new chapter
The newly formed Albany CBTU chapter received its charter,
presented to Portia Given and other elected officers by CBTU
President Bill Lucy, who is also secretary-treasurer of the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME), CSEA’s international affiliate.
Lucy was one of the visionary labor leaders who founded CBTU
at an AFL-CIO conference in San Francisco 28 years ago.
“This was an exciting labor event,” said Terry Melvin, CSEA
presidential assistant and director of CBTU Region I.
“CSEA was one of the best-represented unions there. It was
great to be a part of it,” Melvin said.
— Ron Wofford
Harvard’s Bernard pushes workplace
democracy, fighting for justice
LAKE GEORGE — Labor unionists must use their collective
power to stand up for something slowly diminishing in our
country and workplaces — democracy.
That was the message Elaine Bernard, director of Harvard
University’s Trade Union Program, delivered to CSEA Central
Region activists at a recent conference.
Bernard cautioned the activists that they cannot simply “check
their rights” at the door when they enter the workplace, and let
their bo: rule as “benevolent dictator:
Workers must continue to fight for wha’
and out of the workplace, Bernard said.
“Why is it that when we walk in the door, we feel like it’s OK to
give up all our rights?” she asked.
Bernard said unions are one of the last bastions of democracy
left in America and they have the responsibility to pass that
knowledge on to future generations.
Union members working together have the power and ability to
shape their futures, the speaker said.
Central Region President Jim Moore, a graduate of the
Harvard Trade Union Program, said Bernard energized union
members with a “dynamic and thought-provoking program.”
— By Mark M. Kotzin
Page 15
ight, just and fair, in
August 1999
THE WORK FORCE
Local mobilizers:
Personal contacts key
to member involvement
THIELLS — CSEA members working at Letchworth Developmental
Center know there is strength in solidarity — and solidarity in strength.
Both factors are helping spread the word about state contract
negotiations and motivating members to get involved in union activities.
The program is so successful at
Letchworth that union leaders
want other local activists to take
Letchworth’s successes and use
them with their members.
Letchworth Local President
Sara Bogart credits her well-run
mobilization team with rallying
the troops around the state
contract.
Bogart knew it would be
difficult to rile up her members
‘who work in 135 group homes
spread over three counties.
“When we took office,” said
Bogart, “we knew we had to
organize a communications
network. We had a lot of work to do,” she said.
“Members are the backbone of this union and the power for
everything we do,”
Letchworth Local President Sara
Bogart leads a mobilization session.
said Southern Region
President Carmine
DiBattista.
“This is a perfect
example of union
members getting
involved and making a
“We want to send a message to the
governor that we're mad. I want our
members to feel this is a powerful union
— and it is with their participation.”
Sara Bogart
Letchworth Local President
difference,” he said.
Individual responsibility
Bogart said she began meeting with her local board and delegates.
“We trained them,” she said. “Each person was in charge of contacting
other small groups and each person in the groups had to contact others
and so on — like a pyramid operation.
“If someone said they were never talked to, we knew exactly who to
call and who was responsible,” said Bogart. Each worksite also has a
“mobilizer” or a contact person whom the employees in each house can
go to for answers and resolutions to workplace problems.
Members cranked up
Bogart said the mobilizers are building their network so the team can
rally members quickly when activities must be organized. Fliers and
newsletters can also quickly be distributed.
This is a good time to mobilize members, said Bogart, because “people
are angry.”
“If you're going to get someone to do something, this is the time. We
want to send a message to the governor that we’re mad. | want our
members to feel this is a powerful union — and it is with their
participation,” Bogart said.
— Anita Manley
CSEA members take it to the streets once again in the Town
of Smithtown. The union members’ dedication helped bring
about a four-year deal that was overwhelmingly approved.
Union tact nets good pacts
It was a yearlong, arduous journey, with many battles
along the way, but the Town of Smithtown CSEA members
have ratified a four-year contract that includes 13 percent
raises plus increments.
The Smithtown deal was reached after the unit brought
its fight for a fair contract to the taxpayers, said CSEA
Labor Relations Specialist Larry Borst.
“Unit President Doug Keltner and the negotiating
committee really put pressure on the town supervisor and
town council by holding many demonstrations throughout
the town,” Borst said.
“The CSEA unit never backed down. They remained
unified despite the town’s efforts to divide them,” he
added.
“Most of my members live in the town and put their
money back into the local economy. The majority of the
workers hold second jobs to make ends meet,” Keltner
said.
Different tactic also wins
The contract scenario was different in the Town of
Southold on Long Island, where negotiations were “very
amicable,” said Unit President Lois Atkinson.
According to CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Pat Curtin,
who led the unit in negotiations, part-time employees will
see an hourly increase of $2.20 by the end of the contract,
while full-time members will receive up to 20 percent more
during the life of the contract.
“We also retained fully paid health insurance. There were
no givebacks and it was a breath of fresh air to negotiate a
good contract without antagonism at the table,” Curtin
said.
— Sheryl C. Jenks
page LO TW aa i
Free CSEA workshops to set course
for new century of union involvement
Workshops which will help educate, agitate
and organize CSEA members to face the
challenges and opportunities of the new
century are starting in mid-September.
The free series of weekly programs, open to
all CSEA members, is designed to cultivate
members into union activists who can tap into
the union’s power in their workplace and
communities.
Programs begin the week of Sept. 14 and
continue through December.
Topics include union values and labor
history, which explores the rich history of
union organizing, and organizing workers
around issues, which covers identifying
workplace issues and working to develop
strategies.
The workplace and the law program focuses
on employment laws that protect workers, and
the mobilizing worker power course highlights
worker solidarity and community coalition
building.
For program dates, times and locations,
contact a CSEA region office or call the union’s
Education and Training Department at 1-800-
342-4146 ext. 1363.
New appeals process available
for health insurance denials
Health insurance consumers, including all
CSEA members, now have the right to request an
external review by a third party if their health
plan denies coverage of a service or procedure
because it has been determined to be medically
unnecessary, experimental or investigational.
The new appeals process, which is part of
state Insurance Department regulations, started
July 1.
The rules covering the appeals process are
very specific and include strict deadlines for
filing papers.
Members are urged to call their health plan for
more information about the appeals process or
the state Insurance Department at 1-800-400-8882
for an external appeal application.
Tax break for those providing child, elder care
Union members who pay for child, elder or
disabled dependent care may save thousands of
dollars in taxes next year by enrolling in a special
CSEA-sponsored savings account.
Enrollments may be made from Sept. 1 to
Nov. 19 by calling 800-358-7202.
The Dependent Care Advantage Account
allows eligible union members to set aside as
much as $5,000 in pre-tax dollars to pay for elder
or child care. Union members who use the
program save an average of $1,500 annually in
taxes
“This program can ease the financial burden
for our members who must pay for child care,
elder care or disabled dependent care so they
can go to work,” said CSEA President Danny
Donohue.
Kaiser Permanente (CHP) members: plan transfer period
Although health care giant Kaiser
Permanente is leaving the state, enrollees and
their families should continue to seek medical
care from their current provider.
Members who have Kaiser as a health
insurance plan will need to change health
plans during the upcoming transfer period this
fall.
Meanwhile, Kaiser has assured CSEA it will
honor all obligations through Dec. 31.
The Capital Area Permanente Medical Group
has already begun the transition and is seeking
to contract with other health insurance plans,
Although your health insurance will change
in the future, your provider may participate
with one or more other health plans available
to you under New York State’s Health
Insurance Program.
For more information, call the health benefit
administrator (HBA) at your personnel office,
or call the Capital Area Permanente Medical
Group at (518) 786-2535.
The CSEA WORKERS?’
COMPENSATION
LEGAL ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
covering
Workers’
Compensation
and Social Security
Disability
If you are injured on the job or
sustain a job-related illness,
CSEA’s Workers’ Compensation
Legal As: ice Program can
help you navigate the maze known
as Workers’ Compensation. If you
become disabled, the program can
help you obtain Social Security
Disability benefits.
The Frogram Services
Are Absolutely Free,
And So Is The Call
@ If you have a pi
Compensation 0:
Disability c IMPLY CALL
1-800-342 OLL-FREE z
the proper tenu options. Your ca
he firm of Fine, Olir
through its
who specialize i
and Social Security
nation before i
available from Cs
EGAL
| ‘ PROGRAM __
1-800-342-4146
Follow the menu options
for instructions
to access the program
August 1999 THE WORK FORCE (ates
Notice of nomination and election
Based on the actions of the
delegates at the 1998 CSEA Convention,
our election cycle has been changed.
Elections for statewide officers and
region officers, as well as for the Board
of Directors, will be held at the same
time. CSEA members are urged to
carefully read the election information
on this page and related stories in future
issues of The Work Force,
Elections for the following
positions will take place between Jan.
18 - Feb, 8, 2000.
Statewide Officers:
President, Executive Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer
Region Officers:
Region 1: President, Executive VP, Ist
VP, 2nd VP, 3rd VP, Secretary, Treasurer
Region 2: President, Executive Vice
President, lst VP, 2nd VP, Secretary,
Treasurer
Region 3: President, Executive VP, 1st
VP, 2nd VP, 3rd VP, Secretary, Treasurer
Region 4: President, Executive Vice
President, Ist VP, 2nd VP, 3rd VP,
Secretary, Treasurer
Region 5: President, Executive VP, 1st
VP, 2nd VP, 3rd VP, Recording Secretary,
Treasurer
Region 6: President, 1st VP, 2nd VP, 3rd
VP, Secretary, Treasurer
Statewide Board of Director
Representatives of the State Executive
Committee and the Local Government
Executive Committee
CSEA Election Schedule for Statewide
Officers, Region Officers, Statewide
Board of Directors
Sept. 13: Start of petitioning period:
Nominating petitions available at CSEA
headquarters in Albany and all CSEA
region offices.
Oct. 15: Deadline for nominating
petitions to be received at CSEA
headquarters (5 p.m.)
Nov. 16; Ballot position drawing
Jan. 18: Ballots mailed
Jan, 25: Replacement ballots available
Feb. 8: Deadline for receipt of ballots (8
a.m.). Ballots counted.
Any CSEA member who is
considering the possibility
of running for office may
obtain information about
the election process by
calling the Election
Committee at CSEA
headquarters
1-800-342-4146 ext. 1477
Election results will be announced
after the ballot count. Candidates will
be notified by mail of the results.
Election results will be published in the
March 2000 edition of The Work Force.
Availability of Petition Request Forms
and Nominating Petitions
Beginning Aug. 23, nominating
petition request forms will be available
from local presidents, CSEA
headquarters and region offices.
Petition request forms may be filled out
and returned to CSEA headquarters
and/or region offices at any time, but
the nominating petitions will not be
released until Sept. 13, the first day of
the petitioning period.
Individual or Slate Petitions
Persons seeking an office may
petition individually or as part of a
slate to appear on the ballot.
No person may be a candidate for
statewide and region office during the
same election year. No person may be a
candidate for more than one region
office.
In statewide elections, the slate
must contain a candidate for each of
the statewide offices listed herein,
In region elections, the slate must
contain a.candidate for each of the
region offices listed herein for the
particular region.
For the board of directors
elections, slate petitioning is available
in those departments or political
subdivisions which, in accordance with
the CSEA Constitution and Bylaws, are
entitled to more than one board seat. In
such instances, to constitute a slate,
there must be a candidate for each of
the seats to which the department or
political subdivision is entitled in that
election.
Voting Eligibility Date
Only CSEA members in good
standing as of Dec. 1, 1999 will be
eligible to vote in the election
Rules for Running for:
CSEA Statewide President, Executive
Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer
To be eligible to seek office, a
candidate must be at least 18 years old;
a member in good standing since Jan. 1,
1999; shall not have been a member of
a competing labor association or union
since Jan. 1, 1999; and shall not
currently be serving a disciplinary
penalty imposed by CSEA’s Judicial
Board.
Any CSEA member who meets the
above criteria may become a candidate
and have his or her name placed on the
ballot for a specific statewide office by
obtaining on official petition forms the
signatures and Social Security numbers
of at least 1,000 CSEA members eligible
to vote in the upcoming election.
Signatures must be of CSEA dues-
paying members who are not serving a
suspension and who have no
delinquent dues.
The statewide president,
executive vice president, secretary and
treasurer terms will start July 1, 2000
and shall be for a single term of three
and three-quarter years, ending March
1, 2004,
Rules for Running for:
Officers for CSEA’s Six Regions
To be eligible to seek office, a
candidate must be at least 18 years old;
a CSEA member in good standing of the
region since Jan. 1, 1999; shall not have
been a member of a competing labor
association or union since Jan. 1, 1999;
and shall not currently be serving a
disciplinary penalty imposed by CSEA’s
Judicial Board.
Any CSEA member who meets the
above criteria may become a candidate
and have his or her name placed on the
ballot by obtaining on official petition
forms the signatures and Social ;
Security numbers of at least 500 CSEA
members eligible to vote in the
upcoming election. All signatures must
be from the region where the person is
seeking office.
Signatures must be of CSEA dues- «
paying members who are not serving a
suspension and who have no
delinquent dues.
With the election year 2000,
region officers will serve four-year
terms, commencing March 1, 2000,
Rules for Running for:
Statewide Board of Directors
To be eligible to seek office, a
candidate must be at least 18 years old;
a CSEA member in good standing of the
department, county or educational
local he or she seeks to represent since
Jan. 1, 1999; shall not have been a
member of a competing labor
association or union since Jan. 1, 1999;
and shall not currently be serving a
iplinary penalty imposed by C
Board.
Any CSEA member who meets the
above criteria may become a candidate
for a board seat and have his or her
name placed on the ballot by obtaining
on official petition forms the required
number of signatures and Social
Security numbers of CSEA members
eligible to vote in the election.
Signatures must be of CSEA dues-
Within the next few weeks,
check the CSEA bulletin
boards at your workplace
for more election details.
paying members who are not serving a
suspension and who have no
delinquent dues.
The board of directors terms will
begin July 1, 2000 and will run for a
single term of three and three-quarter
years, ending March 1, 2004.
Election Oversight
The election process will be
overseen by the union’s Statewide
Election Committee. The balloting will
be conducted by an independent
election agency approved by the
union’s statewide Board of Directors.
Break in membership
affects eligibility for union
office, voting privileges
A break in union membership
status can have long-term future
implications. Your membership status
affects your eligibility with respect to:
' Seeking oF holding tinion office:
* signing nominating petitions for
potential candidates;
© voting in union elections, and;
© voting on collective bargaining
contracts.
Only members “in good standing”
can participate in these activities.
be in “good standing,” your dues
cannot be delinquent
If you go on unpaid leave or for any
other reason have a break in your
employment status, your dues will not
continue to be paid through payroll
deductions. You must make
arrangements to pay your dues
directly to CSEA to continue your
membership status. If you are either
laid off or placed on leave-without-pay
atus due to becoming disabled by
accident, illness, maternity or
nity, you may be eligible for
| dues-free membership status for a
| period not to exceed one year,
Note, however, you must continue
to pay dues to run for office. Dues-free
or gratuitous membership allo’
members to continue their insurance
coverage while out of work. It does
not protect your right to run for or
hold office.
You must notify the C:
Membership Records Department at
1-800-342-4146, 7, of any
change in your status and what
arrangements you are making to
continue your membership in CSEA.
page 18 EO eae August 1999
| ih A li dt Nah ASN a A tas an Di asta Rae sit i ts Nae is SL eae ena tld aa ae
pe
College Savings Program
can save members money
Union members have a new flexible option for saving for
college that offers state and federal tax incentives and
valuable investment help.
New York's College Savings Program allows
“ parents, grandparents, and others trying to
| save for higher education to reap valuable tax
benefits for contributing.
Members who open a College Savings
Program account may deduct up to
$5,000 ($10,000 for married couples
opening accounts) in contributions from
New York taxable income.
Federal taxes are deferred on
earnings. After three years, the account beneficiary can use
the money for qualified higher education expenses.
No New York income taxes are due when money is
withdrawn and federal taxes are paid based on the student's
tax rate.
The College Savings Program is flexible and accessible.
Members may open an account with as little as $250. This
minimum is waived if automatic payments of at least $25 a
month are made.
State employees can also contribute to the program
through a payroll direct deposit option.
The savings can be used to pay for tuition, room and
board, fees, required equipment, and books at any
accredited higher education institution in the country, and at
many institutions abroad.
There is no application fee or sales charge. The account
management fee is 0.65 percent.
Savings in the program are not counted in determining
eligibility for state financial aid programs such as the Tuition
Assistance Plan (TAP).
Other federal and institution aid programs, however, may
consider program accounts for aid eligibility.
The College Savings Program is designed to outpace the
rising costs of higher education. Investments are allocated
among stocks, bonds, and money market funds.
TIAA, part of TIAA-CREF, will administer the program.
TIAA-CREF is the world’s largest pension fund with more
than $200 billion under management. The state Comptroller's
office will monitor TIAA's investment performance and
review and approve annual investment allocation plans.
The state Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
is the Comptroller's partner in the program. HESC will work
with account owners to make sure the money is
appropriately applied to educational expenses when the
student is ready to go to college.
Since the program began in September, more than 57,000
New Yorkers have contributed more than $200 million into
the accounts.
For more information about New York's College Savings
Program, call the toll-free hotline at 1-877-NYSAVES
(1-877-697-2837) or visit the Web site at www.nysaves.org.
Members wishing to set up direct deposit may call the
number to request forms.
ens voor 100
Deadline for AFL-CIO
scholarship is Sept. 30
The Northeast Council AFL-CIO awards 10 $1,000
scholarships annually to children and grandchildren of
affiliated members.
Applicants must be accepted by an accredited two or
four-year college. Winners are drawn by lottery.
The deadline to apply has been extended to Sept. 30.
For applications, write to; Mario Cilento, New York
State AFL-CIO, 48 East 21st St., 12th floor, New York, NY
10010 or call (212) 777-6040.
ELLENVILLE ON BOARD
— The Ellenville Public
Library and Museum in
Ulster County has
recognized CSEA as the
official bargaining unit for 12
employees. The workers, including
clerks, monitors and reference librarians, had
been represented by an independent
association ... NO AIR TO SPARE — When
the air conditioning sputtered as
temperatures soared over 100 degrees,
workers at the A. Holly Patterson Geriatric
Center on Long Island sweltered while
keeping residents cool and safe in the record
heat. Worker Kevin McCabe said the mercury
topped 150 degrees in the boiler house ...
ATTENTION WORKERS — If your job
depends on your ability to drive a motor
vehicle, beware! The state Department of
Motor Vehicles is now using new software
that immediately detects when licenses
expire, and that information is reported to
agencies such as the state Department of
Transportation (DOT). Several CSEA
members in DOT have already been served
notices of discipline for driving state vehicles
with an expired license. This occurred
because they moved without changing their
addresses with the state Department of
Motor Vehicles (DMV), and did not receive
the license renewal notice. DMV requires
drivers to notify them of address changes
within 10 days of a move. To do so, visit the
local DMV branch, or visit the DMV Web site
at www.nydmy.state.ny.us” ... LOTS OF
MILES — After safely carrying an estimated
525,000 students more than 2.5 million miles
during a 43-year career, Shenendehowa
School District Bus Driver Harvey Hayner is
retiring. Hayner, the district’s most senior
employee, said one of his secrets to working
with kids is being “fair and consistent with
them.” ... DUCK SHEPHERD? — As sure as
the swallows return to Capistrano, the ducks
return to Sibley Hall at SUNY Plattsburgh.
CSEA member David Mayette has shepherded
one duck family to safety on campus the past
three years. Mayette, a painter, gently moved
the dozen ducklings and mother from the
campus courtyard to the nearby Saranac
River. Mayette said he moves the ducks
because he’s afraid they wouldn’t survive
the May graduation frenzy ... CLEANING UP
— Port Jervis highway workers recently
spent a hot weekend cleaning a vandalized
Au
0 AFSCME « gp,
765,000 Mempens STRON™
sti 1999
“Cig
cemetery. Using
equipment provided by
the city, the dozen
workers raised toppled
gravestones and repaired
damage. Two teens have been
charged ... NEW VP — Goshen Secure
Center Local President George Henry was
recently sworn in as third vice president of
the Southern Region by Region President
Carmine DiBattista. The appointment
followed the resignation of Second Vice
President Jim Schultz. Third Vice President
Irene Kobbe moved up to second vice
president. Diane Hewitt is the region’s first
vice president, Christine Mumma is secretary
and Diana Harris is treasurer ... SUPER
VOLUNTEER — Viola Soles, a member at the
Buffalo Psychiatric Center, has been
recognized for her volunteering spirit by the
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. A
CSEA activist, Soles is a certified tax
consultant who volunteers more than 1,000
hours each year to community service ...
HELPING REFUGEES — Sally Smith of the
SUNY Fredonia Local has earned praise from
the American Red Cross, Chautauqua County
Chapter, for helping raise more than $12,000
for Albanian refugees. A Western Region
political action committee (PAC) member,
Smith and fellow department secretary Sylvia
Peterson led a committee that worked for
three weeks to raise the money ... HELPING
HANDS — Monroe County Unit members are
helping member Stephanie Caletz, a
probation assistant, whose 9-year-old
daughter, Crystal Colon, was killed in a
Chicago expressway accident in July. Her
husband, Mario Caletz, and sons Brandon, 9
months, and Joel, 3, were also injured.
Brandon remains hospitalized, and unit
members are raising money to help the
family stay in Chicago until Brandon is
released, and aid with transportation and
funeral arrangements. The family’s van was
looted after it was towed from the accident
scene ... PEOPLE PEOPLE — The PEOPLE
recruiters for June are Maggie McCafferty
of the Capital Region and Michael
Flaherty of the Western Region. Yes,
that's right, we have a tie! They each
recruited eight new PEOPLE members.
PEOPLE is CSEA and AFSCME’s Federal
Political Action Committee, helping elect
supportors of working families to
Congress,
:
THE WORK FORCE Popee as)
Come join
Clip one
coupon at right (\ for “a CSEA member or family member |
for each CSEA
Buy one fair admission for $7, receive
member and One Coupon good for Saturday and |! the second free for one CSEA member or
family member. Children under 12 free.
family member ‘Sunday, Sept. 4-5, 1999, only
and bring
Celebrate CSEA Weekend at the NAME
cope e > ‘New York State Fair Saturday and
any fair gate for Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5, 1999. ADDRESS
a two-for-one
admission on
Saturday, Sept. PHONE
2 Ge Sunk CSEA LOCAL
Sept. 5, 1999,
only.
a Reproduced
The New York State Fair COuREAS
is at the Empire Expo will not be
Gomer ae off E i 7 accepted. \ Pr esate Ce SAVE: “SAVE-SAVE: SAVE: SAVE “SAVE: SAVE-SAVE Ss
f Interstate 690. 3 mil Additional Buy one admission for $7, get one free
of Interstate 1 3 MIS coupons will a CSEA member or family member
west of Syracuse. be available Buy one fair admission for $7, receive
Hours of operation are at your Spugen god or Saucy 204 the second tre or one CSEA member 1
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. dally. SEA region family member. Children under 12 tree
i Celebrate CSEA Weekend at the NAME
office. ~ New York State Fair Saturday and
Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5, 1999. ADDRESS
CSEA will maintain a booth in the Center of
Progress Building on the fairgrounds throughout Pus
the entire fair, so stop by and visit the CSEA mes, | PHONE
booth at any time. The two-for-one coupons CSEA LOCAL
above, however, are only good during CSEA
Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5.
Saturday, Sept. 4 and Sunday, Sept. 5, 1999, is CSEA WEEKEND at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. CSEA members and
their families will receive two-for-one admission that weekend, compliments of CSEA and the
New York State Fair.
CSEA Members: Enjoy a Fun-Filled, Family-Oriented
Labor Day at the Beautiful Saratoga Race Course
pig SEA members who present the coupon printed below will receive FREE grandstand admission to the track. (Four
admission passes per coupon)
wit Family-oriented activities and entertainment for children and adults
wit A full day of exciting thoroughbred horse racing. Gates open at 11 a.m. Post time is 1 p.m.
Bins, FREE GRANDSTAND
{7 ADMISSION
Saratoga Race Course
Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6, 1999
CSEA members should present this coupon or their CSEA membership
card at the sponsor’s booth at the main gate. Up to four free
grandstand admission passes will be given per coupon’
