Official Publication of The Civil Service Employees Association Local 1000,
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Vol. 5, No. 56
(ISSN 0164 9949) Friday, November 30, 1984
AFL-CIO.
yees affected by a new ‘mandato
a ice removal work. 2
ized the new work : schedule, aud charges the
dollars bein:
being wasted. The proposal has already —
iat the union says is “unprecedented anger” and severe morale
employees. . The new shift schedules went into effect
region except Long Island.
EA eens Bargaining Specialist John Naughter expects tofile the :
Ope: nil
: ae fesdling inalvidaek grie
once thi shift schedules go ne effect. i ee :
: ‘of the situation, e
m wher the class action i
For complete delails 9 of thig developing’ maj
CSEA and | the state, see page 20 of this issue.
BINGHAMTON STATE OFFICE
UPDATE— pages 6 and 7
Kirkland hails bishops’
AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland said the =
American labor movement “welcomes” the | |
direction taken by the nation’s Catholic bishops |
in a major statement on the economy. ia
Following release of the first draft of the docu-
ment, Kirkland praised the bishops for their
recognition that ‘the most urgent U.S. priority is
the creation of jobs with the adequate pay and
decent working conditions.””
The draft statement in the form of a pastoral
letter on ‘Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S.
Economy’’ was released during the meeting in
Washington of the National Conference of Cath-
olic Bishops. -
The draft, prepared by a committee of bishops,
condemns the nation’s unemployment rate as
“morally unjustified” and calls the nation’s poverty rate a moral scandal.
The bishops call for a major business-labor-government effort to create
jobs and aid the poor. The letter also strongly endorses the right of workers
to form unions and bargain with employers.
Kirkland pointed out that the document ‘goes well beyond an expression
of concern about poverty and the plight of the unemployed. It sets forth
many specific employment programs which the AFL-CIO has long
advocated.”
The federation president warned that the bishops’ letter will be ‘“‘de-
nounced by those who claim that property rights are paramount and that
unemployment and poverty will be cured as benefits someday slowly trickle
down to the rest of society.”
But for workers, farmers, the poor and the elderly, Kirkland said, the
bishops’ document ‘“‘is a call for a society that gives them a positive role in
economic decision-making and new hope for a ‘life with dignity.’ ”
The five-member committee assigned by the bishops’ conference to
draft the pastoral letter began work on the document in July 1981. The com-
mittee is chaired by Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee.
The document embraces Pope John Paul II’s 1982 encyclical “On
Human Work” and a century of Catholic social teaching strongly supportive
of free collective bargaining.
Among those presenting points of the view to the drafting committee
were AFL-CIO Sec.-Treas. Thomas R. Donahue and Economic Research
Director Rudy Oswald, Farm Workers President Cesar Chavez and Ladies’
Garment Workers Vice President Evelyn Dubrow.
The bishops will work on the draft statement over the coming year, and
the completed pastoral letter is scheduled for release next November.
They are calling for a new policy commitment to achieve full employ-
LANE KIRKLAND
appeal for job programs
‘No one may deny the right to organize’
ment, defined as no more than 3 to 4 percent unemployment, and increased
government support for direct job-creation programs targeted to those
groups in which unemployment is a persistent problem, such as young peo-
ple and minorities.
The nation’s poverty rate is “morally unacceptable” and dealing with
poverty “‘is an imperative of the highest order, the letter notes, calling for
action to remove barriers to “‘full and equal employment for women and
minorities,” as well as improved child care services, improved education
for poor children, new programs to “foster self-help among the poor,” and
reform of the tax system ‘‘to reduce the burden on the poor.”
The letter calls for a major overhaul of the nation’s welfare system in-
eluding funding to provide adequate support for poor families, national
eligibility standards and a national minimum benefit, programs designed to
strengthen rather than weaken the family and to encourage employment,
and the participation of recipients in design of public assistance programs.
The role of the United States and its economy in the international arena
is also discussed, including areas such as aid to meet the human needs of
developing countries and the need for trade that is both “free and fair.”
The letter discusses at length the need for increased participation by
workers in economic decision-making, amd the bishops firmly underscore
the Catholic Church’s long-standing support of “‘the right of workers to form
unions.”
Union-busting draws a sharp attack in the statement which asserts that
“no one may deny the right to organize for purposes of collective bargaining
or coercively suppress unions without attacking human dignity itself.”
The letter puts the bishops on record as firmly opposed to “‘organized ef-
forts, such as those regrettably now seen in this country, to break existing
unlont or to prevent workers from organizing through intimidations and
threats.”
U.S. labor law needs to be reformed, the letter declares, to help workers
in efforts to organize and deal quickly in providing remedies for unfair labor
practices.
The letter — with its strong emphasis on economic justice and dignity,
and its assertion that “the preservation of privileged concentrations of
power, wealth and income” should not be the economy’s first priority — has
touched off national discussion.
Even before the draft was released, a group of conservative economists
and business people issued a statement disputing the draft letter’s thrust.
But even the conservatives expressed “our full support for the principle
of free and voluntary association in labor unions.”
The conservatives also commended labor for its ‘immense contribu-
tion” to the nation’s political system, and noted that “probably no institution
in American life has been so consistently engaged in promoting democracy
in the international arena” as unions.
Following are excerpts from the draft
of the Catholic bishops’ “Pastoral Letter
on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S,
Economy,” issued in Washington, Nov. 15,
1984,
Workers have a right to a just wage.
Labor is not simply a commodity traded
on the open market nor is a just wage
determined simply by the level the market
will sustain. As Pope Leo XIII stated.
every working person “has the right of
securing things to sustain life.”
It is one of the consequences of the way
power is distributed in a free-market econ-
omy that employers frequently possess
greater bargaining power than do employ-
ees in the negotiation of wage agreements.
Such unequal power may press workers
into a choice between an inadequate wage
and no wage at all. The provision of a
wage sufficient to support a family in dig-
nity is necessary to prevent this exploita-
tion of workers.
The dignity of workers also requires ad-
equate health care, insurance for old age
or disability, healthful working conditions,
weekly rest and periodic holidays for rec-
reation and leisure. These provision are all
essential if workers are to be treated as
persons rather than simply as a “factor
of production.” Justice, not charity, de-
mands such minimum guarantees.
or
As an institutional means to achieve
these guarantees the church fully supports
the right of workers to form unions or
other associations to secure their rights to
fair wages and working conditions. This
is a specific application of the more general
right to associate, Trade unions express the
essentially social nature of human persons
and manifest the human need for soli-
darity,
Unions may also legitimately resort to
strikes in situations where they are the
only available means for pursuing the jus-
tice owed to workers. No one may deny
the right to organize for purposes of col-
lective bargaining or coercively suppress
unions without attacking human dignity
itself, Therefore we firmly oppose orga-
nized efforts, such as those regrettably
now seen in this country, to break existing
unions or to prevent workers from orga-
nizing through intimidation and threats.
U.S. labor-law reform is needed to give
greater substance to the right to organize,
to prevent intimidation of workers and to
provide remedies in a more timely manner
for unfair labor practices.
ee
We recommend that the nation make a
major new policy commitment to achieve
full employment. We believe that an un-
employment rate in the range of 3 percent
or 4 percent is a reasonable definition of
full employment in the United States to-
day,
We believe that 6 percent to 7 percent
unemployment is unacceptable and is not
the best the United States can do,
‘We recommend increased support by the
government for direct job-creation pro-
grams targeted on the structurally unem-
ployed.
In an advanced industrial economy like
ours, all actors of society, including gov-
ernment, must actively and positively co-
operate in forming national economic
policies, Taxation, monetary policy, high
levels of government spending and a va-
riety of forms of governmental regulation
are here to stay.
A modern economy without govern-
Page 2
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
mental interventions of the sort we have
alluded to is inconceivable. These inter-
ventions, however, should help, not re-
place, the contributions of other economic
actors and institutions.
wee
One of the most portant means for
enhancing this spirit of cooperation is the
development of a new partnership between
workers and managers.
Important procedures already exist in
industrial society to guarantee respect for
these joint contributions. Collective bar-
gaining between labor and management
and the accountability of management to
shareholders give institutional recognition
to the contributions of all and provide at
least minimal means for the sharing of
power within firms.
+4 *
Support for a less adversarial relation-
ship between labor and management does
not mean that workers alone are called
upon to make sacrifices,
In the heavy manufacturing sector of
the U.S. economy, technological change
and international competition are pushing
firms and industries toward very painful
choices. We acknowledge that choices
leading to job losses or wage reductions
for workers may sometimes be necessary.
But a collaborative and mutually accoun-
table model of industrial organization de-
mands that workers not have to bear all
the burdens of a dynamic economy in
transition,
Management and investors must also
make their share of the sacrifices, espe-
cially, for example, when management is
contemplating transferring capital to a po-
tentially more productive or competitive
location, The capital at the disposal of
management represents to a significant de-
gree the investment of the labor of those
who have toiled in the company over the
years, including currently employed work-
ers.
Without collective negotiation even
these minimal rights will be jeopardized,
and so industrial cooperation requires a
strong role for responsible labor unions in
our changing economy. Also, the local
communities in which these companies are
located have often invested heavily in
them through public services, tax benefits,
public education and a host of other com-
munity resources. They too have a’ right
to expect management to respect their in-
vestment.
ey
The extent of poverty in the United
States must be a matter of grave concern
to all citizens, At the end of 1983 there
were about 35 million Americans who, by
the government's official definition, were
poor. Another 20 million to 30 million had
so little that by any feasonable standard
they were also needy.
After a decline in the annual rate of
poverty from 14.7 percent in 1966 to 11,7
percent in 1979, the figure climbed to 15.2
percent by the end of 1983—the sharpest
increase since poverty statistics began to
be collected,
In the four years between 1979 and
1983 the number of those living in pov-
erty increased by over 9 million people,
During this same period the number of
poor children under the age of 6 jumped
by 51 percent. ;
The fact that so many people are poor
in a nation as wealthy as ours is a social
and moral scandal that must not be ig-
nored,
CSEA Secretary Irene Carr
heads AFSCME International
Women’s Advisory Committee
NEW YORK CITY — CSEA Statewide Secre-
tary Irene Carr has been named to head the In-
ternational Women’s Advisory Committee of
AFSCME. The announcement was made Nov. 11
by AFSCME International President Gerald
McEntee when the 20-member committee con-
vened in New York.
Carr, who has served on the committee
almost since its inception, expressed optimism
and determination that the committee ‘‘will do a
solid job of representing the particular interests
and needs of the hundreds of thousands of work-
ing women in our great union.”
“The committee has gone through its initial
stage of learning to work together as a team and
i
AN
ee
ee
pat
Zeon
The pay equity
cause continues
on many fronts
deciding on our goals and missions,” the CSEA
officer explained. “Now we’re ready to roll up our
sleéves and tackle the challenges we've focused
on.””
She pointed out that while women share the job-
related needs and concerns of their male co-
workers, “women also have particular concerns,
special interests which must be addressed, and un-
ions today must take the lead in these areas. These
issues include day care, safety concerns relating
to VDTs and the principle of pay equity or com-
parable worth.”
“T’m proud to be a member of a union which has
such an outstanding record of leadership in terms
of serving its women members,” Carr added.
“As chairperson of the International’s Women’s
Committee, I look forward to being in a position
where I can continue to speak out on these issues
and help ensure that our progress continues.”
NEW YORK CITY — AFSCME hosted an
historic four-day international conference on
Pay equityis a major labor e in which
AFSCME and CSEA ha n leadership
positions, working to urn traditional
salary structures which underpay workers in
jobs held primarily by women and minorities
But pay equity is not just a women’s or
sue — it is an issue of justice
is just announced a major Lo:
Government Pay Equity Project for political
Carr, Donohue represent
CSEA at NYC conference
on women in public service
CSEA. SECRETARY IRENE CARR — “I look
forward to being in a position where I can con-
tinue to speak out...and help ensure that our
progress continues.”
Women in the Public Service in New York City
Nov. 12-15. The conference brought together more
than 300 representatives of public employee un-
ions from some 30 nations.
Representing CSEA at the major international
meeting were statewide Secretary Irene Carr,
who also serves as chairperson of the AFSCME
International Women’s Advisory Committee, and
Region I President Danny Donohue, an AFSCME
vice president.
The conference was sponsored by Public Serv-
ices International (PSI), the public services group
of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
AFSCME is a U.S. affiliate of PSI.
Speakers and discussion topics covered many
aspects of the lives of women workers in the pub-
lic sector worldwide. Presentations included: “Ac-
tivating Women in the Public Services” by the
French minister for women’s rights; ‘Public
Service Women in Today’s Economy” by a mem-
ber of the West German parliament; “Women and
Peace”’ by representatives of nuclear disarma-
ment groups in Canada, Japan and Sweden.
Also, “Pay Equity and Occupational Segrega-
tion” by a Swedish labor counsellor; “Sexual
Harassment” by author of a Canadian book
on the topic; “Women in Public Sector Un-
ions” by the secretary-treasurer of the Canadian
Labor Congress.
Final address of the four-day conference was
delivered by American feminist writer, editor and
activist Gloria Steinem.
among state employees begins Dec. 3
g ied in Nassau
County, the and
elsewhere.
tions; see pages 18 and 19 of this
ition of The Public Sector
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
OO OOOO EOE
Page 3
A MATTER OF
SPECIFIC
GRAV/TY..,
Official publication of ae
The Civil Service Employees Association
Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
33 Elk Street, Albany, New York 12224
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.
: .
CSEA members in the three state bargaining
units (Adinistrative, Operational and
Institutional), as well as CSEA-represented
employees in the Office of Court Administration
(OCA) are reminded that they may take
advantage of automatic payroll deduction to set
up an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).
An IRA is a tax-deferred investment plan
which allows individuals to save a portion of
their income for retirement while legally
sheltering income from taxes.
CSEA-IRA
P.O. Box 7125
Albany, NY 12224
| am interested in receiving:
__— General information on IRAs
ee. :
BERNE-KNOX-WESTERLO SCHOOL PACT _— The Dime Savings Bank IRAs
SIGNED — School District Business Ad- NAME:
(IRA payroll deduction available
Please send me information on the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) programs now being made available
to me through payroll deduction. | am a state employee in the ASU, ISU, OSU or OCA bargaining unit.
~\
CSEA negotiated IRA payroll deduction with
the state last fall. Three vendors, who represent
the three major types of IRAs — a bank,
insurance company and investment firm that
manages mutual funds — are offering the
retirement plans.
For more information, State Division and OCA
employees should fill out and mail the coupon
below to: CSEA-IRA, P.O. Box 7125, Albany,
N.Y. 12224.
—— Oppenheimer Funds IRAs
ministrator Perry Kane, seated, signs three-
year contract with the CSEA school district unit Home Address:
as Unit President Joan Morrow and bargaining
team members Jane Correll, Terry Schinnerer,
Barbara Smith and George Wright look on. The
Place of Employment:
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___ Prudential-Bache IRAs |
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new pact includes salary increases ranging from 7
to 10 percent each year based on the consumer
price index.
CSEA STATEWIDE HEADQUARTERS
(518) 434-0191
CSEC SATELLITE OFFICES
BINGHAMTON SATELLITE OFFICE
Sulte 218, Executive Office Bldg. P.O. Box 225
Binghamton Plaza Mayville, NY 14757
33 W. State Street 716-753-5290
pts aloe NY 13901 :
Li bod PLATTSBURGH SATELLITE OFFICE
CANTON SATELLITE OFFICE Broad Street Professional Bldg.
P.O. Box 488 53 Broad Street
Canton, NY 13617 Plattsburgh, NY 12901
315-386-8131 or 8132 518-563-0761
Page 4 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
33 ELK STREET, ALBANY, N.Y. 12224
ROCHESTER SATELLITE OFFICE
C.M.C. Building
3699 W. Henrietta Road
Rochester, NY 14623
MAYVILLE SATELLITE OFFICE 71°°94714°
UTICA SATELLITE OFFICE
289 Genesee Street
Utica, NY 13501
315-735-9272
WESTCHESTER SATELLITE OFFICE
222 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
914-946-6905 or 6906
Many state employees to be eligible next month
Questions, answers about longevity pay
Many state employees who have been at the top
of their salary schedule for at least five years will
be eligible for a $750 longevity payment in Decem-
ber. It’s one of the benefits CSEA won at the bar-
gaining table. Here are answers to some of the
questions most frequently asked about the
payment.
SEE PARA RTS PRR EINE EET
QUESTION: What is the payment date?
ANSWER: Checks will be issued the week of
Dee. 10 and dated Dec. 11.
Q. — Will the payment be made in a separate
check?
A, — Yes,
Q. — Who is eligible?
A. —Employees in the Administrative, Institu-
tional and Operational bargaining units who on
March 31, 1984 were either on the payroll or on
authorized leave (with pay, partial pay or without
pay) and had five or more years of continuous
service at a salary equal to or greater than the
maximum of their salary grade.
Q. — Are there any other eligibility re-
quirements?
A. — Yes. Job performance in 1983-84 must have
been at least “satisfactory.” Employees who
received no ratings will also be eligible.
Q. — Will employees who were on authorized
leave on March 31, 1984 be eligible?
A. — Yes, if they also meet other eligibility re-
quirements.
Q. — Are employees who were on the payroll
March 31, 1984 and have since died or retired
eligible?
A. — Yes.
Q. — Are employees who were promoted after
March 31, 1984 eligible?
A. — Yes.
Q. — Are parttime employees eligible?
A. — Yes, if they meet the other requirements.
Payments will be based upon percentage of time
worked as of March 31, 1984.
Q. — What if an employee received a “‘perfor-
mance advance”’ between April 1, 1979 and June
30, 1979 which then put the person at the job rate.
Is the employee eligible? ;
A. — Yes.
Q. — Are employees who received temporary
promotions eligible?
A, — Yes. This sometimes happens in the
Department of Taxation and Finance during the
annual tax filing rush.
Q. — What if an employee had a break in serv-
ice (such as maternity leave or other leave
without pay) during the five years prior to March
31, 1984?
A. — Any service prior to April 1, 1979 during
which the employee was receiving a salary equal
to or greater than the maximum of their salary
grade can be counted towards the five-year re-
quirement.
Q. — What happens if an employee otherwise
eligible for the longevity payment is on an autho-
rized leave of absence without pay on the date pay-
ment is made?
A, — Employees will receive the payment if
they return to the payroll within one year of the
payment date.
Q. — What if an employee reached the maxi-
mum salary grade in April of 1979 and then oc-
cupied a higher grade position and earned a salary
equal to or above the maximum of the lower grade
position formerly occupied? Prior to March 31,
1984 the employee returned to the lower grade po-
sition at a salary which was still above the maxi-
mum and was in that position on March 31, 1984.
Is the employee eligible for a longevity payment?
A. — Yes.
Q. — What if an employee at the maximum sa-
lary grade in April 1979 is later promoted to a
higher grade at a salary equal to or above the
maximum of the higher grade. On March 31, 1984
the employee was still in the higher position and
the salary was still at or above the maximum of
that position. Is the employee eligible for a
longevity payment?
A. — Yes.
Q. — In April 1979 an employee received an
increment which placed him/her at the maxi-
mum salary grade. Later, the position was real-
located to a higher salary grade. Upon
reallocation, annual salary was not equal to or
above the maximum of ‘the higher grade.
However, by March 31, 1984 annual salary was
equal to or above the maximum of the higher
grade. Is the employee eligible for a longevity
payment?
A. — Yes.
g School District U:
SIGNED — Ossinin,
Heinicke.
nit President Ed Braddick signs a three-year contract that provides
for 20.5 percent in pay increases for 105 non-instructional employees. Seated with Braddick are Region
II Field Representative Dolores Tocci and School Superintendent John J. Humphrey. Looking over their
shoulders are Assistant School Superintendent Richard Freyman and Unit Vice President Richard
Ossining School
District ratifies
three-year pact
OSSINING — A three-year contract which pro-
vides for 20.5 percent in pay increases for 105 non-
instructional employees in the Ossining School
District was recently ratified.
Stipulations include a $50 increase in longevity
payments, the formation of a labor-management
committee, an increase in sick leave buy-back
time, a new vision plan and a $50 boost in night
differential pay.
Employees will receive a 6.5 percent wage in-
crease retroactive to June 30; 7 percent as of June
30, 1985; and an additional 7 percent effective June
20, 1986.
Pleased with the progress of negotiations with
school district officials, Region III Field
Representative Dolores Tocci remarked, ‘‘The
goals of management and the union were the same
— to reach a fair and equitable agreement that
everyone could live with. We had a very
knowledgeable team that worked well together.”
Serving on the negotiating team for the union
were Unit President Ed Braddick, Millie Weeks,
Dick Clark, Perina Tassini, and Richard Heinicke.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984 ,
Page 5,
For almost four years now Binghamton’s
tallest building — the 18-story State Office
Building — has stood empty, sealed off to
contain dangerous chemicals within the
structure while a $23 million cleanup
operation attempts to make the building
safe for human occupation. More than 700
state employees once worked there, and
will again be asked to, perhaps by some-
time next year. There has been a lot of in-
formation, misinformation and lack of infor-
mation about the situation over the years,
contributing to what many CSEA members
there say is apprehension, even fear, about
having to return to the building. That is a
normal reaction, says CSEA, but members
can rest assured the union is doing every-
thing possible to guarantee the health and
safety of its members. The following ar-
ticles concerning the building contamina-
tion situation emphasize CSEA’s commit-
ment to its members throughout the
episode to date and as it moves into what
may be its final stage.
CSEA assumed
a leadership
position from
beginning as
advocate of
the employees
CSEA maintains Binghamton vigil
ml
1)
PRERYAL
“We insist that our own expert con-
sultant declare the work environment in
the building to be within acceptable and
recognized standards before we'll allow
any of our members to re-enter the
structure. That’s been our position
since the start.”
—CSEA Director of Safety
James L. Corcoran Ill
BINGHAMTON — From the morning of Feb.
5, 1981 when a fire and explosion hit the State Of-
fice Building, CSEA has maintained a highly
visible position as an employee-interest ad-
vocate. It is a position the union will certainly be
maintaining long into the future.
The union helped in the relocation process,
overseeing the interests of employees moved to
widely scattered work locations. The union was
instrumental in getting lost time caused by the
situation restored to employees, and in assisting
in claims for personal property lost in the
mishap. And the union filed grievances on behalf
of state workers brought into the contaminated
building to assist in initial cleanup efforts. Union
representatives have met countless times with
state and local officials and experts assigned to
the situation to represent the best interests of the
employees throughout the now nearly four-year
long cleanup operation.
CSEA’s reputation for bulldog tenacity on be-
Page 6
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
half of employee rights and interests has come
through many times during the long process.
Here are a couple of examples:
“They’re bending over backwards now,” said
one inspector, who asked to be nameless.
“They know the unions will hire an engineer to
tear the place apart. If he finds any soot, we’ll
be back to cleaning.” — from an article in the
Syracuse Herald American, Feb. 5, 1984.
“Carey (Gov.), who said that he would go into
the building with a vacuum cleaner and clean
the building himself, complained that a fuss is
being raised over the contamination simply to
satisfy the Civil Service Employees Asso-
ciation, which represents the workers at the
Binghamton building.‘‘Now we’re screaming
dioxin,” Carey said. ‘‘We’ve got to work it out
with the union because the union can refuse to
go back into the building until they’re entirely
satisfied.” — from an article in the New York
Daily News, March 6, 1981.
(
Union to determine when,
-
and if, employees go in
BINGHAMTON — Four years ago this coming
Feb. 5, a fire and explosion in an electrical
transformer caused what a leading expert has
called ‘‘one of the most significant environmen-
tal events of the last decade” — the contamina-
tion of the 18story Binghamton State Office
Building.
Since that date in early 1981 the building has
been closed and sealed, except to workers engag-
ed in the potentially dangerous work of clearing
the facility of toxic chemicals — furans,
biphenylines, PCBs and dioxin, the latter the
most deadly chemical made by man. Soot and
smoke containing the toxic chemicals, generated
by the transformer fire, filled and contaminated
the entire structure.
Now, after years of effort and controversy, and
spending about $23 million, more than the build-
ing originally cost to construct in 1972, the
state says cleanup of the contamination is near-
ing completion and the building is tentatively
scheduled to be reopened in mid-1985.
And that means that about 700 state workers,
more than one-third of them CSEA members,
will be asked to return to the State Office
Building they occupied at the time of the fire.
Those employees, from more than 30 state agen-
cies, have been working at about a dozen ‘tem-
porary’ work locations scattered throughout
downtown Binghamton since early 1981.
CSEA SAYS “WHOA”
Whether or not CSEA-represented workers do
re-enter the building, then or any other time,
depends not on a directive from the state, but
rather an assurance from the union’s own in-
dependent environmental consultant that it is
OK to do so, says the union.
“We insist that our own expert consultant
declare the work environment in the building to
be within acceptable and recognized standards
before we’ll allow any of our members to re-
enter the structure. That’s been our position
since the start,” says CSEA statewide Director
of Safety James L. Corcoran III.
Earlier this year CSEA hired Enviro-Measure
Inc. (EMI) of Knoxville, Tenn. as the union’s
consultant on the State Office Building situation.
Prior to that, CSEA had been cooperating with
the state on cleanup operations using the union’s
staff, but retained EMI as the operation moved
into its apparent final stages.
“EMI President Terry Miller has met with
representatives of the state Office of General
Services, Department of Health, Broome Coun-
ty, City of Binghamton, interested community
groups and the unions and is deeply involved in
monitoring the entire situation,” says CSEA’s
Corcoran. He noted that Miller has been suc-
cessful in getting the state to change the testing
protocal in the contaminated building as a result
of meeting with officials.
Coreoran said that as the cleanup operation
nears completion, EMI will be stepping up its in-
volvement in the monitoring process. “When
EMI tells us it’s safe for people to re-enter the
building, then and only then will we authorize our
members to relocate there,” Corcoran re-
emphasized.
LOCAL INVOLVEMENT
Of the approximately 700 state employees who
will be asked by the state to return to the State
Office Building, perhaps as soon as next August,
about 250 are CSEA members. They belong to
Binghamton State Employees CSEA Local 002.
Timothy Henehan, a state Department of Tax-
ation and Finance employee, was elected presi-
dent of Local 002 about 18 months ago. He says he
got involved in the union and ran for the local
presidency because of his concerns for the
members affected by the State Office Building
situation.
By his own admission, running a local whose
members are scattered over several work loca-
tions and who face uncertainties inherent with
the contamination problem has been a
“frustrating” experience.
But he said he feels that could change if he can
get enough members actively involved in work-
ing to solve their own situation. He hopes, for in-
stance, to formulate a local committee, with at
least one representative from each agency af-
fected, to work on member concerns about re-
Just one month after the February, 1981 fire,
then-Gov. Hugh L. Carey said he thought CSEA
was exaggerating the dangers of the con-
taminated building, and offered to clean the
building himself and “swallow an entire glass of
PCBs.” No one knows, or probably cares, what
the ex-governor thinks of the situation almost
four years later and after extensive testings had
turned up even higher levels of dangerous toxic
chemicals.
But back then, an angry CSEA President
William L. McGowan got more headlines by urg-
ing CSEA members to donate one penny each to
send the governor to Binghamton to fulfill his
promise. ‘I can think of several people in the
Carey administration who might be candidates
for such a building cleanup mission. But until
that building is safe, there won't be any CSEA
members forced to work in it,’” McGowan stated.
That basic union position has been maintained
in scores of news media reports ever since.
News Item i S
CAREY: Nut Sattow Hae( ILL Penk
AGUAS OF PCBS 10 THAT.
#
SX
“O.K, MARIO, WHAT ARE YOU Ge
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
entry into the building. EMI Consultants would
probably work closely with the local committee
once it is formed. Henehan said he expects to call
a general membership meeting in January to ad-
dress the committee concept and _ solicit
volunteers.
SHIFTING TIMETABLE
The tentative mid-1985 reopening date is just
the latest in a long list of tentative dates on which
the state had previously planned to have the
building ready for-reuse.
While the state is sticking to an August, 1985
projection at the moment, delays are occurring
in the cleaning and venting of the building which
may push that date even further into the future.
The state says hot weather and lack of air condi-
tioning slowed down the cleanup operation dur-
ing the summer, causing delays in plans to vent
the building of stale air. Venting was reschedul-
ed for October, then delayed and has not yet been
done. Local 002 President Henehan said he ex-
pects it would be 10 to 12 months after final
venting before the facility would be ready to be
reused.
Whereas once the building was so highly con-
taminated that special protective devices and
facemasks were mandatory for cleanup
workers, the state says cleanup operations have
reduced the levels to the point that cleanup work
may be performed without such protective
devices.
“That may be,” says CSEA’s Corcoran, “but
our primary concern has been, from day one, the
health and safety of people who will someday be
asked to reenter that building and work in its at-
mosphere day in and day out. Virtually all the
cleanup work is being done by private contrac-
tors, and we've been watching their work
carefully. No amount of data from anyone will be
sufficient to convince us that we should allow
anyone in that building until our independent ex-
pert consultant certifies the building meets ac-
ceptable standards. Until then we’ll continue to
cooperate in anyway possible with anyone to
assist in making the building habitable to our
satisfaction.”
S
THEN-GOV. HUGH CAREY’s
boast he would clean up the
building himself and drink a
glass of PCBs angered and em-
barrassed virtually everyone
associated with the serious prob-
Jem. CSEA President William L.
McGowan asked members to
donate a penny each to pay the
governor’s way to Binghamton
to make good on his boast. The
situation led to this political car-
toon by Albany Times Union
cartoonist Hy Rosen.
Whigel—«
eo 0 fm re Teno
INNING AT?”
Page 7
Youth division aid
wins reinstatement
POUGHKEEPSIE — Benefits and back pay retroactive to Jan. 1, 1984
must be paid to a youth division aide with the Harlem Valley Division for
Youth, according to a recent court decision.
Two issues brought before the Dutchess County Supreme Court were
resolved in the case of CSEA member Richard Montero who was illegally
terminated. The first established whether Montero was a fulltime, perma-
nent, tenured or probationary employee and might therefore be entitled to
a disciplinary hearing. The second issue resolved whether he was terminat-
ed by an individual who did not have the authority to terminate him.
Although a collective bargaining agreement provided that “‘any employee
in a non-competitive class, as well as the competitive class, gains permanency
after one year,” facility officials contended that while Montero was appoint-
ed a fulltime temporary youth division aide in November 1982, a required
physical examination was not given until January 1983 and that the proba-
tionary period did not begin until after Montero passed the physical.
But court the court pointed out that facility officials ‘‘cannot expand or
contract the delay based on its own scheduling of the exam, for it could be
said to have arbitrary control over the expansion of the one year period,”
and “‘a unilateral expansion of the probationary period would be an illegal
act.”
In addition, it was pointed out, the two month extension was caused by
the facility officials in scheduling the examination, not by the employee. Mon-
tero, therefore, was entitled to a disciplinary hearing.
Montero’s contention that he was terminated by an individual who did
not have the authority to terminate him also was upheld.
While officials emphasized that an assistant designated by the facility
director is authorized to make appointments, there was no specific policy
statement addressing terminations by the desginated assistant. “No such pow-
er is either implied, or contained in the policy statement,” said Judge Albert
Rosenblatt.
Region III Field Representative Diane Campion noted,that the state may
appeal the decision.
CITY CONTRACT SIGNED — A two-year contract which provides 500 city
of White Plains workers with 14 percent pay hikes and increases in dental
plan coverage was recently signed by the unit president and the mayor of
the city. Seated, from left, are Roy Flynt, director of the city’s parking authori-
ty; White Plains Unit President Joe Roche; and Mayor Alfred DelVecchio.
Standing, from left, are Collective Bargaining Specialist Manny Vitale, Region
Il President Pat Mascioli and Bertram Pogrebin, negotiator for the city.
HOMELESS — Local 550 President Mike Torres, left, and John Santiago
discuss the recent tragedy that left the Santiago family homeless when an
electrical fire destroyed their home in October. Torres is appealing to CSEA
members to help the family until they can get back on their feet financially.
Members help homeless
family in Highland
HIGHLAND — A fire that completely destroyed his mobile home has
renewed CSEA member John Santiago’s faith in his fellow man.
A three-year employee of the Highland Division for Youth facility, San-
tiago lost all but the clothing on his back when an electrical fire burned his
home to the ground. Fortunately, his wife Esther and their two children, John-
ny and Nicole, were not injured in the blaze.
Santiago’s co-workers immediately rallied to his aid. Within just a few
days after the fire, they presented the family with a check, clothing and some
used furniture. After living with his wife’s parents temporarily, Santiago
moved his family into a small one-bedroom apartment nearby.
But the Santiagos’ troubles are far from over, according to Local 550
President Mike Torres. Santiago had no insurance on his mobile home and
must continue to make payments on the land he owns. Meanwhile, rent on
the apartment is high — about three times what he was paying for the mo-
bile home.
Although Santiago’s wife is now working parttime to help make ends meet,
the family is experiencing great financial difficulty because of the loss of all
their belongings and the bills they must still pay.
“It’s worse than starting over,” says Santiago.
Torres says the family still needs help and is appealing to C09EA mem-
bers to lend a hand during this holiday season. Donations of money, furni-
ture and clothing, especially suited for winter weather, are being sought.
Clothing is needed in the following sizes: men’s extra-large shirts and jack-
ets and 44-inch waist trousers; women’s size 24% dresses and coats and size
10 shoes; boys’ clothes size 18 months to toddler 2; and girls’ size 10 pants,
size 8 dresses, size 12 coats and size 10 shoes.
Donations should be mailed to Mike Torres, President Local 550, c/o High-
land Division for Youth Facility, R.D. 1, Box 390C, Highland, N.Y. 12561. For
further information, call Torres at (914) 691-7223, Ext. 32.
Santiago said he ‘‘deeply appreciated the donations from my co-workers”
and pointed out that it is not uncommon for the employees to help each other
out in times of need. ‘‘Whatever the tragedy,” he emphasized, ‘‘someone is
always ready to help.”
Out of troubled
waters
Well-maintained parks such as this one
at Erie Canal Lock 32 may become more
common sights along the 524-mile canal
system if proposals to increase its
recreational use are actually under-
taken. CSEA’s campaign to save the
canal promoted awareness of the water-
ways importance and greater potential
not only for recreation but for commer-
cial transportation, flood control and
hydro-power. At right, campaign coor-
dinator Joan Tobin with CBS John
Naughter.
ALBANY — As state barge canal workers
labored last week to lock up the waterway for the
winter, prospects for their jobs and for the future
of the aging system looked brighter than for
some time. New legislation signed into law last
summer guarantees $650,000 to bolster oper-
ations and maintain forces for the canal. And
lawmakers further voiced commitments to work
in upcoming sessions for special funding — as
much as $3 million — for canal improvements.
CSEA, which fought hard in a campaign for
canal funding, had wanted more, and is still
intent on fighting to get it.
“We originally wanted the state to add the full
$3 million to the canal budget, but were told by
legislators that would be impossible because of
the current fiscal problems,” said Joan Tobin,
coordinator of the barge canal campaign for the
union.
While CSEA pushes for additional state aid to
develop the canal, there are significant
proposals on two other fronts which could
radically shape its future.
The first is a plan called ICONN-Erie which
calls for enlarging the canal so that it could
handle major coal and grain shipments. Earth
displaced from the canal would be used to build an
island off Manhattan for energy production.
The second is an effort to have the federal
government pick up half the canal’s cost which is
now borne entirely by the state. That proposal
suffered a major setback earlier this year when,
although passing the House of Representatives,
it was cut from the Senate’s budget bill.
Meanwhile the Department of Transportation
is awaiting a feasibility study on the ICONN-Erie
proposal which would cost upwards of $10 billion
and take seven years to complete.
“The project would dredge the sludge out of
the bottom of the canal and deepen it for larger
vessels. The idea would be to increase the
commercial use of the canal, mainly because it
would be efficient means of transportation,”
explained Tobin.
For example, she said, a barge can carry
95,000 gallons of fuel oil. In contrast, moving the
same amount of fuel over highways would
require trailer trucks stretching for one mile.
Any major proposal for development of the
canal system likely would include plans for
increasing recreational use through construction
of marinas, and hiking and biking trails. John
Jermano, director of DOT’s Waterway
Maintenance Division, calls the canal a “‘hell of a
resource, unlimited from a recreational
viewpoint.”
In fact, the canal is already a significant
(Continued on Page 12)
Section
CSEA on the barge canal
A winning campaign (Pages 9-12)
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
Page 9
In retrospect:
Looking back atj the
Barge Canal Campaign
6A massive effort supported by every quarter of CSEA9
\
ri
ie
q
By Brian Baker
boaters during work hours, we had silent support within the department itself.
Assistant Editor
Everyone was just convinced that laying off all these workers and shutting down
the canal was the wrong way to go,” said Tobin.
ALBANY — “Save the Barge Canal.” ‘Don’t Pull the Plug.” Those were That conviction was held ‘from the top down” at union headquarters, she
slogans for one of the biggest projects CSEA probably ever pulled together for. noted.
“T don’t think we’ve ever seen the union kick in behind an effort quite like “We had no doubt that we were in the right. The state Constitution itself says
this,” says Joan Tobin, CSEA board representative for the Department of in Article 15 that the canal cannot be shut down and that a fee will not be charged
Transportation (DOT) and coordinator of the union’s tri-region, year-and-a-half- to users. The union’s president, Bill McGowan, gave us carte blanche on this
long campaign. campaign. ‘Anything you need, you’ve got it,’ he said. He supported the effort 200
“Tt was a massive, substantial effort supported by every quarter of the union in percent,” says Tobin.
opening of barge canal
ifs
HH
efi
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if,
Hi
i
i
a case that was not resolvable through usual labor management channels@
including the Office of Employee Relations,” says CSEA Collective Bargaining
Specialist John Naughter, who replaced former CBS Nels Carlson as a canal
negotiator part-way through the campaign.
“It was one-of-a-kind,” said Naughter. ‘Everyone took part: the union’s
staff, grassroots members and the general public.”
As two prime movers in the canal campaign, Tobin and Naughter look back at
sustained, day-in day-out support within the union itself for an all-out effort. The
combined dedication of various departments of CSEA ultimately went a long way,
they say, to save the canal and the jobs of nearly 200 employees, most of them
fulltime canal structure operators (CSOs) who were threatened with a change to
seasonal employment in a state plan to phase out funding to the histori®
waterway.
“We got the word in February of ’83 that the canal was going to be hit and hit
hard in the governor’s plan to cut the state’s workforce. The idea was to abolish
164 canal jobs, the bulk of them CSOs, the ones who lock the boats through and
maintain equipment,” said Tobin.
Union representatives and canal workers themselves were incredulous that
the state would consider eliminating that many jobs. It was a proposal which
struck at the very core of the canal and would ensure the collapse of an aging
water system which essentially had not been changed from the time of its
reconstruction after the turn of the century.
“We couldn’t believe that they wanted to close it,” recalls Frank Zammiello®
Jr., president of Barge Canal West Local 502.
In the spring, shortly after the announcement of layoffs, Zammielo met in
Syracuse with other canal and regional officers and CSEA representatives to
discuss a plan of action.
“We knew then that we were really going to have to push hard on this thing,”
said Zammiello, who during the course of the campaign became one of the
hardest pushers. He spent a month of his own vacation time gathering on petitions
the signatures of tens of thousands of opponents to the state’s plan and enlisting
the support of community officials and organizations in towns from Silvan Beach .
to Little Falls.
“There wasn’t one mayor or town board that didn’t agree with us that the @
canal shouldn’t be shut down or that it was important for their communities,” he
said. Zammiello pointed out that besides providing jobs to residents and a
waterway for commercial use, the canal is vital for flood control and irrigation in
some areas and is becoming increasingly popular for recreation.
ACSEA position paper, put together by Associate Director of Research Bruce
Wyngaard, became the “‘bible’’ for the canal campaign, said Tobin.
“T instructed everyone taking any part in the effort to follow it to the letter,”
she says.
The paper pointed out what was wrong with the proposed layoffs, showing
how the canal would fall apart without regular maintenance and repairs, and how
it would even miss its mark of reducing state expenditures. Payments to pension
funds, continuance of health insurance, reduction in state tax returns and
productivity losses, among other costs would east away at most of the $1,700,000
the state had hoped to save.
“We hope that this ill-conceived plan, and any similar plan, will be rejected,”
the statement said.
The same sentiment ran high even within DOT’s Waterways Maintenance
Division, which operates the canal system.
“Despite the fact that the department (DOT) openly voiced the governor’s
line, and at one point ordered CSOs to stop getting petition signatures from
@ By fall of last year, McGowan himself had become a highly visible part of the
campaign in a canal tour and media blitz in which he stopped at key locations to
conduct press conferences and meet with state and local officials. If fulltime
maintenance workers were laid off and hired back as seasonal workers as
proposed by the state, already aging machinery would go unattended all winter.
The result would be locks that were inoperable and the demise of the canal within
a decade, he said.
McGowan’s predictions of doom came true sooner than anyone had guessed.
Last March, more than 100 feet of concrete retaining wall along a approach to
Lock One on the Oswego Canal near Phoenix collapsed, leaving canal authorities
aly loss for how to correct the situation before the seasonal opening.
Not the least to sit up and take notice of canal’s system imminent
deterioration were state legislators. The proof of its appeal would come later, in
the unanimous passage in both houses of a bill appropriating funds for the canal.
But even early on, there was strong support among lawmakers to boost the barge
canal workforce which had dropped from 1,400 to 503 in the past 14 years. Senator
James Donovan and Assemblyman Paul Tonko introduced the measure and
spearheaded the campaign among their colleagues.
“Tt is imperative that we establish what must be done to prevent further
deterioration of the canal and then do it,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘If we don’t, one day the
canal’s condition might be beyond the point of no return.”
Lawmakers were unusually vocal and committed to saving the canal, notes
TRin who recalls a radio talk show on the issue which she did with former Canal
Local 500 President Harold Kenyon and Senator Hugh Farley.
“Hugh Farley told me that night that he would go to the wall on this issue. He
said they (legislators) all knew what importance the canal has and what more
can be done to increase its usefulness,” said Tobin.
Naughter noted that as CSEA’s Legal and Political Action departments
lobbied legislators, the union’s Communications Department fought an almost
unprecedented, lengthy battle to increase public awareness and gain its support to
“Save the Barge Canal.”” Campaign slogans showed up everywhere on buttons,
bumper stickers and placards.
“We had petition drives, media events, even a sailboat regatta in the western
p& of the state where we got 5,000 signatures in one day,”’ said Tobin. ‘‘Without
the support of the Communications Department and the Associates in regions IV,
V and VI, the campaign would have been lost. I don’t think there was an issue of
The Public Sector that didn’t have something on the barge canal. It was an
ongoing, intense effort and they bent over backwards for us.””
Naughter agrees, saying that mentioning everyone who should be thanked for
their part in the canal campaign would sound like a bad ‘‘acceptance speech at an
Academy Awards’’ ceremony.
“Tt was a battle we fought with facts and figures and common sense, and
where we demonstrated support to have the canal maintained through
Cieg ceponences petitions, even local government resolutions. There were
countless people involved every step of the way,” he said.
In the end, the governor’s signing in August of legislation which added
$650,000 to the barge canal’s budget was a case of the “squeaky wheel getting the
grease,” says Tobin. But it was more than that, too.
“For the first time in a long time, everyone was made aware of the
importance of the canal system both as a resource and as one of the
most historic landmarks in the state,” she said. ‘““The canal opened up the west
when we were a growing country. Towns sprang up all along it. And we are seeing
today that there is still great potential for its use for recreation as well as
commerce.”
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
FSET S Next stop waknows
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Fridav. November 30. 1984
oor rE————=—E———EOEOE—OE—EO—O—OE—EO—_—_—_—O—eeeEO
barge canal workers and to enlist support
canal system.
Petition-signing, below, slogans and bumper stickers were just part of CSEA’s
coordinated effort to bring public attention to the proposed layoff of nearly 200
for preventing deterioration of the
(Continued from Page 9)
recreational resource with 95,000 pleasure boats
going through the locks last year, an increase of
13.4 percent over the previous year.
Tobin indicated that the union is looking
favorably upon proposals for development of the
canal. However, they could take years to pan
out, she notes, adding that despite supplemental
funding and improved prospects for the canal,
there are still some snags.
“The only sure thing we’ve got so far is a
budget increase of $650,000 for the canal.”
But Tobin was quick to add that CSEA has not
yet officially been informed of how DOT plans to
spend the money.
“We have not been told how many they plan to
hire, what kind of training will be made
available or what, in fact, is going to be done with
the money. But we’re not happy with what we
hear,”’ she said.
Tobin says that she’s heard from sources
within DOT that the department may not
actually hire back as many workers on a fulltime
basis as it had earlier indicated. She believes
DOT may attempt to hire back laid off
employees on a seasonal basis rather than
fulltime in order to avoid paying benefits.
W
seed
i
“There’s one case involving a woman out in
Brighton at Lock 33 who was told after serving
for a few years first as a seasonal canal helper,
and then as a temporary CSO, that she had
permanent status. Recently, she was told that
she was not permanent but that she was
‘permanent-seasonal.’
“That is a real slipshod way of dealing with
people. It’s another way of their finding to abuse
our workers,” said Tobin. “But we’ve put a lot of
effort into this and we won’t let the department
cut off our permanent people with benefits and
put them back on the streets.”
On tour in a media blitz warning New Yorkers
system was doomed without proper maintenance were CSEA Presi-
dent William McGowan, left, and Barge Canal West Local 502 President
that the aging canal
Frank Zammiello, background. McGowan spent a week along the canal
Page 12
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
holding press conferences and meeting with community officials.
Zammiello took four weeks from work to take the union’s case to com-
munities along the western part of the canal.
KNOW YOUR NEGOTIATORS
THOMAS L. PETRONE Operational Services Unit
*| DOT maintenance mechanic has concerns
about on-the-job safety, contract language
The youngest member of the CSEA Operational
Service Unit negotiating team, Thomas L. Petrone, 28,
has very definite goals for himself as grievance chair-
man for his local, as a negotiating team member, and
in his chosen work as a maintenance mechanic with the
state Department of Transportation.
One of his biggest concerns — the one thing, infact, gram in Cleveland, Ohio. p
that led him to take an active part in the union — is on- He expresses frustration with situations where ‘you
the-job safety. 4 go to the system or go to the members and all you hear
“T’ve ridden hard and long on the safety issue, and _is ‘traditionally, we’ve always done things that way.’”
I'm not going to stop,” said Petrone, who realized safety He hopes his experience as a shop steward and
was a pressing need after he became hospitalized with — grievance committee chairman will help him bring
a dariped june plowing a Lay oe ae some new ideas to the bargaining table.
“I guess it’s true at any worksite you c fe s :
people to dwell on safety for a short period of time, but ane ee pa cooked ee Ate sete ane
e then they stop thinking about it,” he said. Gow mhatls cele ano) heenee
Working in the field and in the shop, the Rochester Bone On ve :
resident says he’s experienced enough blue collar work “’ve been dealing with the contract on a daily ba-
sis, dealing with member’s grievances, hearing what
environments to know about safety needs, : r e
: their problems are, listening to their questions. So I’m
A member of CSEA Local 506, DOT Region 4,
Rochester, he has been a maintenance mechanic forthe aware of the needs and what changes should be made.”
CSEA’S NEGOTIATING TEAMS iysriruriowas services u
OPERATIONAL SERVICES UNIT Negotiating Team
past five years. Most recently, he has been working in
a state garage near Rochester that services 6,000 pieces
of equipment in six counties.
He has pursued automative technical studies and
equipment management courses in New York and
Colorado, and completed a special diesel technician pro-
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES UNIT Negotiating NIT Negotiating Team
Team }
He Region | — Arthur Loving and Lou Mannellino Region | — Joseph Noya and Anthony Ruggiero }
e fesion i! stat Barsteis and Ane Wor Region |i — Benjamin Hayes and James Wilson Region |! — Joel Schwartz and Miguel Cruz |
Region Ill — Carole Peets and Sarah Jackson Region ill — Jack Cassidy and Richard Riley Region Ill — Jeff Howarth and Beatrice White
Region 1V — Milo Barlow and Leroy Holmes
Region V — Tom Ward and Chuck Eynon
Region VI — John Wallenbeck and Thomas Petrone
Collective Bargaining Specialist John Naughter
Region IV — Joel Falkenbury and Dominick Ruggieri
Region V — Madeline Harrison and Ruby Meyers
Region VI — Elaine Mootry and Kathy Pontillo-Button
Collective Bargaining Specialist Jim Cooney
Region !V — Lee Johnson and Dann Wood
Region V — Chris Carletta and Claire McGrath
Region VI — Sara Sievert and Dawn Lyman
Collective Bargaintng Specialist Jack Conoby
Board of
Directors Meeting highlights |
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Public Sector regularly
publishes a summary of actions taken by CSEA’s
statewide Board of Directors at the board’s official
meetings. The summary is prepared by statewide
Secretary Irene Carr for the information of union
members.
By Irene Carr
CSEA Statewide Secretary
LAKE PLACID — The Board of Directors held its
October meeting Oct. 21, preceding the annual
Delegates Meeting in Lake Placid.
Three new Board members were introduced:
Robert Gripper, Region II Mental Hygiene; Roy Up-
right, Wyoming County; and Normal Condon, Region
III Educational Representative.
Production of a CSEA 75th anniversary calendar
was approved. The calendar, which will depict key
achievements and history of the union, will be dis-
tributed to members by insertion in The Public
Sector.
A motion to continue the practice of giving each
member of the negotiating teams $10 per day for mis-
cellaneous expenses was also approved, as was pay-
ment of four expense vouchers that exceeded the
90-day payment period.
President McGowan was authorized to sign docu-
ments relating to the Industrial Development
Authority (IDA) bonding process in connection with
purchase of a new headquarters building. Board
members were advised that a financial package for
building acquisition has been obtained, and that the
anticipated occupancy date is April 1985.
Authorization was also given to renew the lease on
the Canton satellite office for two years.
The four recipients of Kelly scholarship awards
were announced. Receiving $1,500 awards will be Sal-
vatore Bertolino, John Burdick, Faith Ehlert, and
Joanne Kohler.
The Board approved a motion that would allow the
four statewide officers to open a money market fund
with Prudential Bache, and also empowered the
officers to open an account at the Connecticut Na-
tional Bank to settle claims for benefits under the
CSEA Employee Health Plan provided by the Travel-
ers Insurance Co,
Questions by CSEA members concerning the un-
ion’s Board of Directors should be directed to that
member’s Board representative, local president, or
to the Office of the Statewide Secretary. Copies of the
secretary’s Board minutes are mailed to all Board
representatives and local presidents.
CSEA-endorsed
ALBANY — CSEA scored a major political action
victory in its 1984 legislative endorsements.
e According to results from the Legislative and
candidates Political Action Department, the overwhelming majority In the 150 Assembly districts, 137 CSEA-backed
A A of Senate and Assembly candidates endorsed by the contenders won seats while five were defeated. There
win big union were successful. were no endorsements in eight districts.
In the Senate race, out of a total of 61 districts, 53
CSEA-endorsed candidates won and
no endorsements made in three districts.
lost. There were
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
"Page 13
POUGHKEEPSIE — CSEA’s Committee on the Work Environment and
Productivity (CWEP) has addressed a full spectrum of family- and work-
related issues. As such, it has thrust the union into a position of leadership
regarding the concept of how employers address the American worker’s multi-
faceted needs today.
This was one of the notions brought out at a recent panel discussion enti-
tled “‘Corporate, Government and Labor Initiatives Affecting the Quality of
Work Life,” held before the Dutchess County Council for Women.
Panel member Marie Romanelli, supervisor of CSEA’s six regional
CWEP representatives, told council members that while private industry is
just beginning to recognize that an employee is part of a family unit whose
heeds must also be catered to, CSEA has been pushing that concept for some
ime.
CSEA takes initiative in addressing quality of workers’ lives
CWEP, funded jointly by CSEA and the state since 1979, has dealt with
such issues as sexual harassment, day care, apprenticeship training, advance-
ment opportunities, labor-management committees and benefits.
Noting that seven out of every 10 families now have two or more persons
working outside the home, panelist Florence Falk-Dickler of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor, Women’s Bureau, said employers are “‘sitting up and taking
notice’ of the fact they are now dealing with a person who lives many roles
and brings to the workplace a number of concerns.
“The days of ‘Mother stays home and Daddy goes to work’ are over,”
said Falk-Dickler. ‘Father is now as concerned with quality day care, while
mother is now seeking advancement opportunity and higher salaries.”
East Fishkill highway
employees join CSEA
EAST FISHKILL — Job security and seniority rights are just two
reasons that town of East Fishkill (Dutchess County) highway workers
recently requested representation by CSEA. Town board members
granted recognition last month to the union to represent the 25 workers.
Acting unit President Joe Doughty said that in addition to seniority
rights and job security, workers would like to put into place a fair and
equitable pay scale and a safety program.
Region III Field Representative Diane Campion will begin contract
negotiations with town officials in December.
CSEA Organizer Richard Blair said the new members are unified
in their efforts to achieve a fair contract and assured them ‘‘CSEA will
stand behind you both before and after the contract is finalized.”
NEW MEMBERS — Region III’s newest members are highway workers from
ow the town of East Fishkill in Dutchess County. Here, Jim Higgs, seated left, and
Joe Doughty, the unit’s acting president, look over CSEA publications during a
recent informational meeting. Standing are Field Representative Diane Cam- @
Rye workers ratify pact
RYE — Sixty city employees will receive a wage increase of 6.5 per-
cent retroactive to Jan. 1, 1984 and a 5.5 percent increase effective Jan.
1, 1985 under terms of a new two-year contract.
The recently ratified pact also provides for an additional emergen-
cy day with pay, increased contributions by the city to the employees’
‘ dental and vision plans and, effective July 1, 1985, a new retirement plan.
The new 751 retirement plan had been a major stumbling block in
negotiations. According to Region III Field Representative Larry Sparb-
er, the Rye unit, part of CSEA Westchester County Local 860, mounted
a successful political action effort in favor of the retirement plan.
After the Rye City Council rejected a fact finder’s report
recommending the plan, unit members lobbied city officials who were
i pion and Organizer Richard Blair.
Se
NEW PACT — A two-year contract was recently signed in the city of Rye, Westchester
County, by CSEA Unit President Glen Steele. Seated with Steele are Field Representa-
tive Larry Sparber, City manager Frank Culross and Unit Vice President Gail Warren.
Standing, from left, are Region III President Pat Mascioli, and negotiating team mem-
bers Vito Calo, Bernice Stevens, Jordan Stavrides, Millie Mendel and Pat Maroney.
successfully persuaded the plan was in the best interest of both the city
and the employees.
Unit President Glen Steele thanked the negotiating committee and
Sparber for their untiring efforts during the negotiations.
Arbitrator says parttime work counts toward longevity
POUGHKEEPSIE — Can parttime work be credited toward a worker’s
ment? It can, according to a recent arbitration decision, where the issue af-
fecting Dutchess County employee Dennis Ammone was whether his 20-
year longevity payment was due him in April 1983 or in January 1984.
Although Ammone was hired by the county in April 1963 as a parttime
laborer, he performed the duties of a draftsman and subsequently became
a fulltime employee in July 1963.
While county officials argued that Ammone’s parttime service could not
be applied in determining his eligibility date for his longevity payment, CSEA
Attorney Thomas Mahar pointed out that a 1963 Board of Supervisor's reso-
lution stated: ‘‘an employee who has been continuously employed under a
continuous employment time for the purpose of computing a longevity pay-"
temporary provisionsal employment shall upon appointment on a permanent
basis in the same position be credited with the length of time as a provisional
or temporary employee in determining the salary of his position.” Thus it
is clear, said Maher, that all time worked by Ammone must be credited to him.
In addition, a computer printout by the county entitled “Longevity Eligi-
bility Report” clearly listed Ammone’s anniversary date as April 1963.
In his decision, the arbitration pointed out that while Ammone was hired
as parttime employee in 1963, he worked an average of 33 hours per week.
“Under none of the county or contract definitions can that amount of time
be construed as parttime employment,” he remarked.
It was ruled that April 16, 1963 is to be used as the eligibility date for the
purpose of computing Ammone’s longevity award.
Page 14. THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 80, 1984
Decentralized mental health system
_ detrimental for patients. prema
Union attacks
state's proposal
fo restructure
MH network
ALBANY — Charging that a proposed major
overhaul of the state’s mental health system
would have disastrous effects for the mentally ill,
public employees and taxpayers, CSEA has issued
a 33-page report harshly criticizing recommenda-
tions by a special governor’s study panel.
The comprehensive union document by CSEA
and its affiliate, AFSCME, released during a re-
cent press conference, is called ‘Compassion and
Care,” and comes in response to a report by the
Governor's Select Commission on the Future of
the State/Local Mental Health System.
‘The commission has recommended a radical de-
centralization of mental health services, under
which there would a shift from state-run facilities
to more community residences that would be
governed by regionally-established offices or
boards.
BRUCE WYNGAARD... “no confidence”
in findings of special study panel.
A } j <
JAMES FEA THERSTONHAUGH, left, CSEA attorney, and ROBERT McGARRAH, AFSCME
director for public policy, spoke at recent press conference detailing CSEA’s opposition to pro-
posed plan to revamp existing mental hygiene network in New York.
The CSEA-AFSCME report says such a system
“will harm the most vulnerable of New York’s
mentally ill, will harm the fiscal position of the
state and local governments, and will harm thou-
sands of dedicated employees who work every day
to care for New York’s mentally ill citizens.”
Specifically, the report charges that the panel’s
proposed changes would:
+ “harm the most vulnerable of the mentally ill
population by not making adequate provisions for
_ them to have access to community-based and in-
stitutional care, and by proposing a system that
creates a stronger dichotomy between institution-
al and community-based care than currently
5
« “harm the fiscal positions of state and local
governments by embracing an undefined and un-
tested financing system which will leave local
governments with an unbearable fiscal liability,
or result in the denial of appropriate care to those
needing the most costly care; and
* “harm state’ employees, who have devoted
themselves to taking care of the mentally ill, by
not providing for continuation of their contractu-
al and statutory rights and benefits, even in a dif-
ferent employment setting. il
When the governor’s commission initially
unveiled its reform proposals, it was immediate-
ly blasted by CSEA President William L.
McGowan as “‘a roller coaster without brakes.”
McGowan said a network of management agen-
cies to care for the mentally ill “would create con-
fusion and raise more questions than it answers”
~~ questions such as how much the proposals
would cost, who would be in charge of the mental
health systems and how proposed providers would
be held accountable.
Also voicing his strong opposition to the reforms
was CSEA Associate Director of Research Bruce
Wyngaard, who recently resigned as a member
of the commission because he had “no confidence
in its findings.”’ Wyngaard said the report ‘‘advo-
cated an uncharted course in untested waters
with no guarantees a better system will prevail.”
And at an earlier public hearing in New York
City — where some 30,000 mentally ill wander the
streets without home or care — CSEA Metropoli-
tan Region II President George Boncoraglio ex-
pressed fears the creation of regional
management authorities “would only create a new
bureaucracy, add to confusion in the system, and
allow more mentally ill people to fall between the
cracks.” He labeled the plan a ‘‘management
nightmare.”’
New York’s commitment to its mentally ill
dates back to the State Care Act of 1890, which set
forth the state’s obligation to provide a safe en-
vironment in which mentally ill individuals could
receive humane care.
In the 1960s and ’70s, the state revolutionized its
care system by discharging — “dumping” — thou-
sands of the mentally ill from state institutions
into the streets. These individuals were left to fend
for themselves, often homeless and without
receiving any treatment from the private sector,
which has been both unwilling and unable to meet
their needs.
CSEA, which represents 41,000 workers in men-
tal health facilities throughout New York, has pro-
posed the state begin operating community
residence programs on the grounds of its existing
psychiatric centers rather than overthrow the en-
tire system.
The union advocates decreasing the proportion
of state funds for institutional care and increas-
ing the portion spent on community-based care.
The increased community care funds, it says,
should go for both state-run community-based
services using former state institutional em-
ployees, and for privately-run community
services,
Such provisions, the union says, “will insure
that all state residents have an equal opportunity
for community-based care and that private
providers do not gain monopoly control over
community-based services.”’
And in a separate but related development,
CSEA and AFSCME have proposed an innovative
labor-management partnership to help address
the problem of the state’s mentally ill.
The union pledged to raise $750,000 in private do-
nations — and challenged the state to match these
funds — in order to set up a demonstration project.
This project would show how state-run commu-
nity facilities, using state staff, existing state pro-
grams and vacant state buildings, can take a
meaningful step toward solving the problems of
the homeless mentally ill.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, t
Novemben 30,1984 Page 15
Contract struggle intensifies
in Erie County
rem eT
Local 815 prepares
fo avert cutback
BUFFALO — The struggle for a decent wage
agreement for Erie County Local 815 members
continues amid calls for deeper job and services
cutbacks,
The local is currently preparing to assess a
recent fact finder’s report using a CSEA budget
analysis as ammunition. CSEA Budget Analyst
Kathy Albowitz has identified various items
which will provide substantial savings to the
county.
These savings will greatly exceed the savings
projected by the county and do not include the
layoff of employees who provide vital services to
the county.
Using the figures submitted by County
Executive Edward Rutkowski, the CSEA-
projected savings amount to more than $9
million.
An attrition program to reduce personnel costs
would save $1.38 million. Increased turnover
savings-general fund would save $1.7 million,
Tuc NT SRR canenera MF
while reduced contracting out would bring $1.6
million. Overdue tax collection and/or property
sales could garner $3 million, while increased
turnover savings and improved billing at the
county medical center could save $2.1 million.
Overall, the plan provides a framework for the
continuation of vital county services and
eliminates the hidden costs of productivity
savings, lost reimbursements and
unemployment insurance associated with
layoffs.
CSEA has been at battle with Erie County over
its budget problems for more than a year in its
aim to gain a fair contract settlement for its
4,000-plus Local 815 members.
Negotiations reached the fact finder stage
after impasse, mediation and a contract offer
that was voted down by the membership.
CSEA has branded the calls for cutbacks —
most notably by the Buffalo Chamber of
Commerce and some county legislators — as
budget plan
s, encourage fiscal health
““rresponsible attempts to use county employees
as scapegoats.”
Responding to an advertisement taken out by
the Chamber in the Buffalo News advocating
deeper reductions in the county workforce,
Region VI President Robert L. Lattimer blasted
the “distorted” reasoning behind the ad (see full
Lattimer statement on this page).
Lattimer blasts Buffalo
Chamber of Commerce's
call for increased cuts
No one claims that solving Erie County’s fiscal
problems will be easy. But the distorted figures and
irresponsible positions the Buffalo Area Chamber of
Commerce published in inflammatory newspaper
ads this weekend only make the problem more
difficult.
The Chamber questioned whether Erie County
legislators will make the ‘‘tough choices’’ or the
“easy choices’’ in addressing the county budget.
Our answer is that Erie County should make the
right choices,
CSEA, which represents more than 4,000 Erie
County workers — who are also taxpayers and
citizens — is working constructively to propose the
tight choices and to encourage their adoption.
The Chamber’s proposal to close the Erie County
Medical Center isn’t the right choice, only a
simplistic one which would deprive many citizens of
their only chance for adequate medical care. We
recognize that the medical center is a serious
economic problem, but emphasize it should be dealt
with responsibly. Part of the solution can be found in
recent auditors’ reports which criticize the center’s
glacially slow billing procedures, inept management
and inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Using county employees as scapegoats for the
area’s financial woes is not the right choice,
especially when the Chamber of Commerce uses
bloated payroll figures to justify their call for wage
and benefit cuts for county workers. (The average
salary for the county’s union-represented workers is
less than $18,000 — well below the padded figure
the Chamber would have the public believe.)
The Chamber's ‘‘tough choices’’ would include
layoffs and wage and benefit cuts for public
employees. That would certainly be ‘‘tough’’ — on
the employees and their families, on the public
which relies on county services, and on already
strained unemployment and welfare rolls.
As the Chamber should know, when wages are cut
and workers are laid off in private industry, it is
generally in response to a downturn in the market, a
decreased demand for workers’ services, to
proportionate cuts in workload.
Those market forces don’t necessarily follow in
the public sector. In fact, in times of economic
downturn, the demand for many public services is
often increased. Public sector critics insist we “‘do
more with less.’’ That catchy political phrase has
obvious limitations in terms of human burnout by
workers and public dissatisfaction with decreased
service,
So before the politicians and businessmen and
taxpayers start polarizing into the two equally
ludicrous and irresponsible positions outlined by
the Chamber of Commerce, iet’s examine
alternatives and find a better choice — the right
choice.
CSEA is now putting the final touches on an in-
depth analysis of the Erie County budget. We’re
developing detailed, realistic alternative proposals
for solving the county’s budget problem. We're
_ acting responsibly and constructively in the face of
an admittedly tough economic situation. We would
urge the Chamber of Commerce and other critics to
do the same.
Robert L. Lattimer
Using county
employees as
scapegoats for the
area’s financial
woes is not the right
choice, especially
when the Chamber
of Commerce uses
bloated payroll fig-
ures to justify their
call for wage and
benefit cuts for
county workers.’
Page 16
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
Contract signed
in Harrison schools
HARRISON — A 6.5 percent pay increase each
year and a new longevity schedule providing
25-year employees with a $1,700 payment are
provisions of a three-year contract for 81 clerical
and custodial employees in the Harrison School
District unit, Westchester County Local 860.
Region III Field Representative Larry
Sparber said the new agreement also provides
for an increase in the payment of sick leave upon
retirement, an additional emergency leave day,
an increase in the school district’s contribution
to the Employee Benefit Fund and a new 20-year
retirement program.
In addition, the agreement clarifies work
hours for clerical employees, improves contract
language regarding vacation scheduling and
temporary appointments, and guarantees a set
number of custodial workers in each school
building.
Unit President Felicia Straface thanked
Sparber and negotiating team members “for
their dedication and untiring efforts.”
WINNING TEAM — The Harrison School District CSEA negotiating team is all smiles after a three-
year contract was signed by school district officials recently. Seated from left are Field Representative
Larry Sparber, Unit President Felicia Straface, Bettina Tymerson and Conge Porto. Standing from left
are Peter Muia, Terry Scappaticci, Paula Tarantino, Eleanor Nicita and Region III President Pat
Mascioli. Also serving on the team was John Grippo.
POUGHKEEPSIE — City of Poughkeepsie
CSEA members have overwhelmingly ratified a
two-year contract following a year-and-a-half of
difficult negotiations.
According to Region III Field Representative
John Deyo, a major bone of contention
throughout negotiations was the issue of
contracting out of services.
The problem began in 1980 when the city
illegally contracted with two firms to operate the
waste water treatment plant and municipal
barking lots. As a result, 28 workers lost their
jobs.
After PERB initially ruled in 1980 that the city
should re-hire the workers, the city appealed the
ruling. When the PERB board upheld the
hearing officers’ decision, city officers decided
to seek relief in the courts. After bringing the
issue before the Dutchess County Supreme Court
and the Appellate Division, the city was ordered
to comply with the order and pay the court costs.
In the midst of this chaos, negotiations
commenced, but there were more problems. City
officials insisted on a clause in the contract
Poughkeepsie pact ratified
allowing the city to contract out services at their
discretion. An IP was filed charging the city with
failure to bargain in good faith.
Finally, a compromise was reached when the
city agreed to reinstate the employees who lost
their jobs. While the city will continue to contract
out the operation of the waste water. treatment
plan, the parking lots will revert back to the
public sector employees. In exchange for the
compromise, city workers will receive a 1
percent bonuses based on their salaries as of
Dec. 31, 1983.
The new contract provides for a 6.5 percent
wage hike retroactive to Jan. 1 and 6 percent
effective Jan. 1, 1985. In addition, the agreement
provides for increased travel re-imbursement,
expanded bereavement leave, no limit on sick
leave accumulation and Section 75 rights for
permanent employees.
The negotiating team for the 160 members
included President Donald Murphy, Pauline G.
McPeck, Pat Rabbett, Dennis Fairbanks,
William Gallagher and Ethel Tornatore.
Health pay grievance
won in Albany County
ALBANY — Retroactive pay totaling $16,216 was
distributed to 74 employees of the Albany County
Health Department in settlement of a contract
grievance filed by CSEA.
According to Unit President Karen Van Wormer,
the money should have been included in the 10 per-
cent across-the-board salary increase negotiated
for the employees last year.
But the problem arose out of the fact that
employees also agreed to increase their workweek
from 30 hours a week, six hours a day to 35 hours a
week, seven hours a day. In calculating the 10 per-
cent wage hike, Albany County used the old 30-hour
work schedule, which meant each worker was
receiving only an 8.5 percent wage hike.
Van Wormer, assisted by Field Representative
John Cummings, filed the grievance, which was
brought before the county Legislature for final
resolution.
The Legislature’s audit and control committee
stated in the resolution that, “After investigation of
the facts, discussion with union leadership and
review of the contract, it has been determined that
the union’s position is reasonable. . . .”
300 Vanderbilt Motor Pkwy
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
New York, N.Y. 10004
Ne 212-514-9200
(DIRECTORY
OF CSEA
REGIONAL
OFFICES
Box 34, Old Route 9
Fishkill, N.Y. 12524
Albany, N.Y. 12203
518-489-5424 716-634-3540
dititeiaadies
4 LONG ISLAND 3 SOUTHERN
Hauppauge Atrium Building Rural Route 1 Sune ae
290 Elwood Davis Rd.
Liverpool, N.Y. 13088
516-278-2280 914-896-8180 veineo}
busi : 6 WESTERN
4 CAPITAL REGIONAL OFFICE
2 NEGIONAL OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE 4248 Union Pa.
11 Broadway/Sulte 1500 1215 Western Ave. Cambridge Square
Cheektowaga, N.Y. 14225
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984_
Page 17
>
JOYCE BONITCH, left, vice president of CSEA’s ©
Three Village Central School District clerical
unit, and Edith Woods, president, were among
those activists who attended the Albany presen-
tation. Three Village, located in Suffolk County,
is one of the four CSEA units representing
political subdivisions for case studies in the pilot
pay equity project.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PAY EQUITY PROJECT
PARTICIPANTS
—«
DR. LOIS HAIGNERE, left, research associate
for the Center for Women in Government, and
Martha Buck, AFSCME labor economist, were
among team members conducting a recent
presentation concerning the CSEA Local
Government Pay Equity Project. The new
$100,000 project is being funded through a grant
from AFSCME and conducted by the Center for
Women in Government at SUNY Albany.
Six groups file legal briefs supporting AFSCME
in historic Washington state comp worth case
WASHINGTON — The Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals in San Francisco has received legal
briefs from six national organizations supporting
the position of the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
that the state of Washington is guilty of sex-
based wage discrimination against 15,000 work-
ing women.
On Dec. 14, 1983, U.S. District Judge Jack Tan-
ner ruled that Washington state had illegally
held down salaries for workers in female-
dominated jobs, even when the jobs were of com-
parable value to higher paying jobs dominated
by men. The ultimate settlement would reach
$500 million.
A 1974 study by the state showed that women
workers received about 20 percent less pay than
men doing work requiring comparable skill,
knowledge, accountability and working condi-
tions. Based on the state’s own study, and
several follow-up studies, AFSCME took
Washington state to court in 1982.
“AFSCME is confident that the rights of 15,000
working women in Washington state will be pro-
tected by the federal courts,” said Gerald W.
McEntee, president of AFSCME. “We are pleas-
ed that such a broad-based group of national
organizations has joined the union before the
federal courts.”
Filing briefs in suport of AFSCME are: the
AFL-CIO, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the
National Education Association, the National
Organization for Women, the Nation Center for
Economic Alternatives and a coalition of groups
working with the National Committee for Pay
Equity.
As a result of the Tanner decision, a special
master list was established to evaluate approx-
imately 500 female-dominated jobs under the
court’s direction and using the state’s own
evaluation formula, AFSCME and Washington
. state have agreed to an evaluation for each
Page, |8
~ THE PUBLIC, SECTOR, Eridgy, November 30, .1984
i ee e—aoOE—e—e—e—e—e——
classification which could be used to compensate
the 15,000 women affected by the decision.
“Economic discrimination against women in
the workplace cannot be tolerated. The
Washington state case has already sparked con-
siderable progress towards achieving com-
parable worth for working women,” McEntee
continued. ‘‘AFSCME will press this case, and
other actions, until these discriminatory prac-
tices are ended in the public sector.”
AFSCME has initiated legal actions or action
with the Equal Employment Opportunity Com-
mission in a number of other states, cities and
counties, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New
York City, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Missouri, Con-
necticut, Wisconsin, Nassau County, N.Y. and
Reading, Pennsylvania.
In addition, both the states of Minnesota and
Iowa passed comparable worth legislation this
year with AFSCME’s backing.
Pay equity surveys to be mailed
out the questionnaire during work hours.
ALBANY — Questionnaires will be in the mail Dec.’ 3 to some 35,000
randomly selected state employees in an attempt to find out if there is sex-
ual or racial bias in New York state pay structures.
The questionnaires are the latest phase in the comparable worth — also
known as pay equity — project called for in the current contracts between
CSEA and the state.
CSEA members who have been selected to participate in the survey are
being urged to take the time to respond. Time is being made available to fill
Says CSEA President William L. McGowan: “The study will not be valid
unless researchers obtain descriptions of a wide variety of state jobs. The
immediate concern is that the researchers get a good response rate...
Without the information these questionnaires are designed to provide, the
study may not be fully effectiv
The study is being conducted by the Center for Women in Government
of SUNY Albany with $500,000 in grant money.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984 Page 19 '
|
pee SUES
DOT shift work schedule
for snow and ice control
‘unrealistic, unfeasible ;
devastates worker morale
ALBANY — DOT’s plan to im-
"pose a new mandatory shift work
schedule on snow and ice removal
workers this winter has been
) answered with counter-proposals
from CSEA officials and by un-
precedented anger from the rank
and file.
CSEA has criticized the state’s
)/ plan as unfeasible, warns that the
(plan will not achieved its stated
safety goals, and predicts that it will
) cost the state more than $10 million
in wasted payroll costs this winter.
“The first major snowstorm is
|) going to be a mess in more ways
‘than usual,” forecast CSEA Presi-
dent William L. McGowan. “It’s
bad enough our members have to
battle the elements; this year they
_ also have to battle an unrealistic
' and inflexible management edict.
Management has created
» devastating morale problems with
this shift plan.”
§ Board Representatives Joan
/ Tobin explained that the union’s
)) argument is not with the DOT com-
» missioner’s safety-related motiva-
tion, but rather with the plan his
staff developed in response to those
afety concerns and their inflex-
bility in subsequent discussions
‘ith union representatives.
Last winter two DOT workers
Jack Cassidy — “Their plan is
not only unworkable, it’s also
going to cause severe per-
sonal hardships on workers
and has already created a
critical morale problem.”
Page 20
Joan Tobin — “Their ill-
conceived plan will make an
already demanding and
difficult job impossible.”
were killed on snow removal duty,
prompting a departmental edict
that employees could not work
more than 16 straight hours as a
driver or wing person and must
then have eight hours off from run-
ning equipment.
In addition, effective Nov. 29 new
shifts will be implemented in every
DOT region except Long Island. In
previous winters, snow and ice
removal crews had staggered
reporting hours, extending the
workday. (In the Albany region,
for example, groups of employees
reported to work in the winter at
5:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.)
Under the new shift plan, the ma-
jority of workers will now report at
4 a.m. or at 11:30 a.m., although
some workers will report as early
as 1 a.m. These shifts create many
problems CSEA says the depart-
ment has disregarded.
Snow and ice removal is just a
part of these workers’ jobs, the
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, November 30, 1984
union points out. During last year’s
November-to-April snow season,
for example, less than one-quarter
(23 percent) of the workers’ time
was devoted to ice and snow
removal on a statewide basis; the
figure was 14 percent in the DOT
region that includes Albany.
“It’s been a long-standing safety
rule that our people don’t work out
on the roads during hours of
darkness on their regular jobs such
as filling potholes and repairing
guardrails,” Tobin explained. ‘But
during New York winters, there
are few hours of daylight. Our
members will be spending half
their shifts in darkness when, as a
practical matter, they can’t do
their regular work.
“Tf it’s not snowing, they’ll be
idle. Then during the daylight
hours when there’s regular
maintenance to be done, there
won't be enough workers on duty to
do what’s needed.”
Members also have complaints
about the 16-hours-on/8-hours-off
rule. If an employee is called in for
a snow emergency and his over-
time hours run into his next regular
shift, he would still be expected to
work his regular shift. If he
chooses to go home after his 16
hours on, he would then have to
charge the time to his leave ac-
cruals, If he opts to remain on the
job, he would not be allowed to
drive a vehicle or work as a
wingman, which might lead to in-
experienced, untrained workers
being tapped to drive the massive
snow-fighting equipment.
“Tf I could honestly believe it was
necessary for these people to go to
work at 4 a.m. for their own on-the-
job safety and for the benefit of the
public, I could with a clear cons-
cience try to sell it to the members.
But I don’t believe it,”’ Tobin in-
sisted. “‘Their ill-conceived plan
will make an already demanding
and difficult job impossible.”
CSEA President William L.
McGowan — “Management
has created devastating
morale problems with this
shift plan.”
An alternate proposal was
drafted by DOT statewide
representatives Tobin and Jack
Cassidy and Collective Bargaining
Specialist John Naughter. The plan
was presented to DOT manage-
ment in early November, but
management declared the union
proposal was not feasible.
“We've hit a brick wall trying to
get some flexibility out of manage-
ment,’”’ CSEA Board Represen-
tative Cassidy stated. ‘Their plan
is not only unworkable, it’s also go-
ing to cause severe personal hard-
ships on workers and has already
created a critical morale problem,
“Management is frozen in its
position, and our members are
angrier than we've ever seen them.
Any way you look at it, we’re in for
a long winter.”
