* Official Publication of The Ciyil
Service Employees Association
Local 1000, American
Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees AFi-clO
Vol. 5, No. 23
Friday, August 26, 1983
(ISSN 0164 9949)
Working Together For A Better America! :
*,.. Solidarity Day ill (Labor
Day) is a protest and a prepara-
tion for unified action. On
Solidarity Day IV, the general
election of 1984, we will do our
utmost to place in office those
who share our conviction that
the job of government is to ad-
vance the interest of all the peo-
ple, not just the rich and
powerful.”
AFL-CIO President
Lane Kirkland
‘Let’s begin this Labor Day by
taking part in local parades and
rallies to show our solidarity on
this worker’s holiday. But let’s
not leave It there. As we go for-
ward let’s renew our resolve to
work together.”
—CSEA President
William L. McGowan
have depends on the kind of
political leaders we send to
Washington 15 months from
now. That’s how long American
trade unionists have to in-
fluence the choice. Let’s make
the most of it.”
‘The kind of future we will
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer
Thomas R. Donahue
5% increases for three bargaining units
State workers to receive
another raise next month
ALBANY — State workers belonging
te the administrative, institutional and
operational bargaining units will be get-
ting something extra in next month’s
paychecks — a 5 percent raise.
The increase, negotiated by CSEA,
will be in paychecks of Wednesday,
Sept. 21 for those on the administrative
payroll, and in paychecks on Wednes-
day, Sept. 28 for those on the institu-
tional payroll.
The raises go into effect for the
payroll period nearest Sept. 1, but
employees are reminded that the state
now lags, or defers, payrolls by two
weeks.
Union members will receive another 5
percent hike next April.
Organized labor will be an extremely important factor in the 1984 presiden-
tial primaries and general election. Labor will be solidly in the Democratic
corner in an all-out bid to end the reign of the Reagan Administration.
In order to know the Democratic candidates better, CSEA members are
urged to attend a series of fall forums scheduled throughout New York State
during September and October. The forums are being sponsored by the New
York State Democratic Committee.
DATE
September 6
September 14
September 15
September 19
September 26
September 28
October 6
CANDIDATE
Governor Ruben Askew
’
Senator Gary Hart
Senator Alan Cranston
Senator Ernest Hollings
Senator John Glenn
Walter Mondale
All Candidates
oceaare Ey n
Page 2
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
The initial forum will feature Gov. Ruben Askew and will be held
September 6 at the Convention Center of the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
Following is.the complete schedule of forum dates. All sessions are open to
the general public free.
LOCATION TIME
Albany, New York 7:00 p.m.
Convention Center
Meeting Room 6
Buffalo, New York
Hotel Statler
White Plains, New York
White Plains Hotel
Broadway and Lyons Place
Mineola, New York
Hofstra University
North Campus
Multi-Purpose Room
Syracuse, New York
Hotel Syracuse
Rochester, New York . A
Rochester Institute of Techhbtagy!
City Center My edtine ff
50 West Main Street, _, , 4
Arboretum Hh
New York City
Town Hall
7:00 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
2 Neon
7:00 p.m.
123 West 43rd St.
GUILDERLAND — CSEA has to get an arbitrator to teach school district
officials here the meaning of the words “first consideration.”
The definition was required after Lillian Ralston was passed over and
someone from outside the school system was hired to fill a full-time custodial
position at Guilderland High School. Ralston sought the aid of CSEA’s legal
assistance program.
The CSEA contract requires that in filling vacancies ‘‘first consideration
shall be given to the person with the highest seniority and qualifications.
The school district argued before Arbitrator Peter Prosper Jr. that it did
give Ralston “consideration” prior to rejecting her application. It explained
You may he eligible
fo convert part of your
life insurance coverage
Certain CSEA members insured under the Basic Group Life Insurance
Program are eligible to convert part of their coverage, without medical infor-
mation, to an individual form of insurance with the Travelers Insurance
Company.
This in-service conversion privilege allows any actively employed
member participating in the Group Life Program, who is age 50 or older, to
convert up to $5,000 of this term insurance to an individual form of coverage
other than term insurance. The amount of the group term insurance the
employee is insured for will be reduced by the amount converted.
Application must be made by Aug. 31, and the effective date of the con-
verted insurance will be Nov. 1. Premium payments for the converted in-
surance will be made directly to Travelers Insurance Company.
Additional information on the conversion privilege may be obtained by
returning the coupon below.
Please send me information concerning the conversion privilege for
the CSEA Basic Group Life Insurance Program.
NAME Last First Middle Initial Maiden
Home Address:
City State Zip
Place of Employment:
Social Security Number:
Date of Birth:
SCHOLARSHIP WINNER —
The Black River Valley State
Employees CSEA Local 015 has
awarded its 1983 scholarship to
William R. Terry, Jr., a 1983
graduate of Beaver River
Central School. William plans to
attend Canton Agricultural
College in the fall, majoring in
mathematics and science.
From left are William’s
mother, Gloria Terry, Karen
Williams of the scholarship
committee, William, and
William R. Terry, Sr., who is
employed with the state
Department of Transportation
in Lowville.
School custodial worker wins arbitration
“consideration” simply means examining applications and evaluating
qualifications before advertising the vacancy outside the school district.
Prosper, however, said that such an interpretation rendered the term
“first consideration” meaningless.
Moreover, since Ralston was already a part-time custodial worker, and
was an employee in good standing for more than 10 years, she already proved
she possessed the necessary qualifications to fill the full-time position. Accord-
ingly, the arbitrator decided that the school district did violate the CSEA con-
tract and he directed it to transfer Lillian Ralston to the full-time custodial
position at Guilderland High School.
Staff cuts create unusual problem
at Kings Park power plant
KINGS PARK — Kings Park
Psychiatric Center has a unique
problem.
“We generate our own power
here,’”’ says CSEA Local 411 Presi-
dent Tony Bentivegna, “and cuts in
the power plant staff are causing
problems.’
“We're in dire straits,” says
power plant superintendent Jim
Dickerson.
If the coal-burning power plant
goes down, the 70 buildings at the
900-acre facility will be without
electricity and water.
“We're it,’’ Dickerson says,
“There is no other source of power
for this facility.”
Local President Bentivegna says
that because of the staff reductions
in the power plant the workers who
remain are working frequent dou-
ble shifts.
r
insurance.
Puimam County ordered
to discontinue 90-day
insvrance waiting period
CARMEL — Putnam County has been stopped from requiring a 90-day
waiting period before newly-hired employees are covered by health
The county unilaterally instituted the waiting period on Jan. 1, 1982 even
though the CSEA contract specifically provides for a continuation of ‘‘pre-
sent insurance programs.” Previously, new employees became eligible for
insurance on the first day of the month after their date of hire.
CSEA filed a class action grievance on behalf of new employees and won
the case in arbitration which resulted in an agreement that provides:
¢ Elimination of the waiting period;
* Setting up a $1,000 fund to pay insurance expenses incurred by new
employees when the waiting period was in effect; and
¢ setting up a $400 fund to pay claims of grievants Joanne Johnston and
George Fountaine, who provided receipts used in evidence to win the case.
Sa The decision is another victory for CSEA’s legal assistance mreeram.)
aN
Page 3
Publi
SECTOR
Official publication of
The Civil Service Employees Association
Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
33 Elk Street, Albany, New York 12224
I WONDER IF THERE'S
ANYTHING TO WHAT THEY
SAY ABOUT USING
VDTs FOR LONG PERIODS?
+. PROBABLY NOT.
FINALLY !
QUITTING
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.
REMINDER »
New contract nets pay hike Clericals urged to send
for Poughkeepsie school workers
POUGHKEEPSIE — Maintenance
workers of the Poughkeepsie City
School District will realize a 10 per-
cent pay increase over the next two
years, thanks to a contract recently
Tatified by the 55 CSEA unit
members. 2
Chief negotiator John Famellette
said workers will receive 5 percent
per year increases in addition to
across-the-board increases in entry
level salaries. The contract is retroac-
tive to July 1.
In addition, workers receive
minimum callback of three hours, in-
stead of two.
Employees who have worked at
least 15 years and are at least 55 years
of age will be offered a retirement in-
centive of 75 percent of their existing
salary if they notify the school board
by February 1, 1984 that they intend to
retire by June 31. Famellette said
retirees will receive their bonus by
November of 1984. Those wishing to
retire in 1985 will receive a bonus of 75
percent of their salary up to $10,000.
Famellette said he was pleased
with the new two-year contract. ‘‘Con-
sidering that the school district had to
request supplemental aid this year,
we did well with the contract,” he
commented.
Also serving on the negotiating
team were Peter Haynes, John
Famellette Jr. and Al Shaut.
in safety questionnaire
ALBANY — There is still time for state clerical workers to respond to
the questionnaire about workplace hazards they were sent in June by
CSEA President William L. McGowan, who explained “the better the
response, the better it will be for all of us.”
The mailing, sponsored by CSEA’s Safety and Health Committee,
seeks to gather general information about working conditions, and par-
ticular data about the effects of new office equipment such as VDTs
(video display terminals) on clericals.
The questionnaire was pre-addressed and postage-paid. It is both
voluntary and confidential.
Any one of the 17,000 people who received the mailing and misplaced
it, may obtain a replacement by contacting their CSEA Local president.
The safety and health committee strongly encourages completion
and transmittal of this questionnaire so that survey results are represen-
tative of the clerical work force. The data received may be the kind of in-
formation for future contract negotiations with the State of New York.
: a '
ONEIDA COUNTY LOCAL 833 OFFICERS were recently installed by
Region V President James Moore at a ceremony in Utica. The new leaders
include: (left to right) John Mikalauskas, Ist vice-president; Rosemary
. Baker, secretary; Louise Smith, treasurer; Moore; Dorothy Penner, presi-
dent; Jerry Miller, 2nd vice-president and Ralph Young, 3rd
Not present were: Donna Zaniewski, assistant treasurer and Ron Draper,
local representative.
vice-president.
Page 4
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
Lock 24 of the
ed torescue a
i
it
summer employee 2!
tes the technique he us'
MESSENGER
Saluting 18-year-old
Mark McComb
BALDWINSVILLE — Mrs. Donna Monnette and her 1%-year-old daughter
have reasons to be thankful that Mark McComb, an 18-year old Baldwinsville
High School student, was alert and on the job as a summer employee near Lock
24 of the New York State Barge Canal.
According to Paul Johnson, lock chief, Mrs. Monnette and her daughter
were recently strolling along the lock wall about 8:40 a.m. when the mother let
go of the child’s hand to pick up an object. The youngster suddenly tumbled in-
to the water and the mother, attempting rescue, jumped in after her.
McComb, a summer employee maintenance worker under the OCETA pro-
gram, had been mowing grass, and heard the mother’s cries for help. He ran to
the spot, and balancing precariously on the rub rail of the lock, pulled the child
and then the mother to safety.
“?'m a good swimmer and could have jumped in,” said the quick-thinking
McComb, “‘but then | would have been in the same situation as they were, and
there wouldn’t have been any way to help them.”
When questioned later by a reporter from a local newspaper, McComb ex-
plained that there are no ladders where a person could climb out of the ap-
proach canal, and that it would have been quite a swim to the lock gate, or
across the canal to some jutting timbers.
Paul Johnson visited the mother and daughter at a neighbor’s house later
in the day and they both appeared to be alright.
McComb, a returning high school senior, seems to have taken the near-
tragedy in stride and is back at his maintenance job along the historic canal.
AWARDS FOR
JOURNALISM
- [ARE WON BY
Official Publication of The Civil
Service Employees Association
Local 1000, American
Federation of State, County and’
Municipal Employees AFL-CIO
SS,
(ISSN 0164 9949)
CSEA’s award-winning newspaper, The Public Sector, has added to its
laurels by being named winner of awards in three different categories in the
1983 Journalism Awards Contest conducted by the International Labor Press
Association (ILPA).
Nearly 1,000 entries were submitted from 141 labor publications from
throughout the United States and Canada in this year’s journalism contest.
@ The Public Sector earned an Award of Merit in the ‘‘Unique Performance’
competition for a 4-page feature on ‘‘Violence in the Workplace” which ap-
peared in the November 19, 1982 edition. An Award of Merit was won in the’
“‘Best Original Cartoon’’ category for an editorial cartoon which was published
in the April 23, 1982 edition. The third Award of Merit was presented in the
“Best Headline’’ competition for a headline, “‘For Whom the Belle Tolls”’ in the
issue of March 26, 1982. The 1983 ILPA contest was for labor publications dur-
ing 1982.
This marks the second time that The Public Sector had entered the interna-
tional competition, and the second time the publication earned multiple
awards.
THERE, NOW THAT I'VE
GOTTEN RID OF ALL
THAT DEAD WEIGHT,
LET'S SEE You
REALLY SOAR ie
HE MEANS
AWARD WINNING cartoon, above, was work of staff artist Ralph Distin.
“Violence in the Workplace” feature, left, won for unique performance.
Clever headline “For Whom the Belle Tolls” (not shown) was brainchild of
Associate Editor Tina Lincer First.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday,-August 26,1983. Page. 5
euguk yublii OTIS - >
In Central Region:
Politicians in step
with campaign to
“Save Barge Canal”
The beautiful and historic State
Barge Canal, a valuable commer-
cial and recreation waterway that
slices through the heartland of New
York State, could become little
more than a stagnant water-filled
ditch within a decade.
That’s the outlook, according to
the Civil Service Employees Assn.,
if the state goes through with plans
to layoff permanent maintenance
employees when the canal season
officially ends later this year.
Previously, upkeep of the decades-
old equipment was a year-round
task, but the state apparently feels
that machinery can simply sit idle
during winter months. But CSEA
contends the system will rapidly
deteriorate and, within less than a
decade, render the entire system
unusable.
LITTLE FALLS MAYOR Theodore Wind, seated, signs a
CSEA petition urging the state not to make further cut-
backs in the Barge Canal workforce. Signing took place
following a Common Council meeting that heard CSEA
representatives explain the reasons for the statewide
drive to “Save The Canal.” Looking on as Mayor Wind
adds his name to the growing list of thousands are, left to
right, Cal Pendergrass, Lock 17 operator, and Local 502
President Frank Zammiello, Jr.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LITTLE FALLS
EVENING TIMES
CSEA has already gathered, as
part of a statewide petition cam-
paign, tens of thousands of
signatures of canal users and peo-
ple who live near the canal and rely
on the economic activity it
generates. Recently, those peti-
tions were signed by Oneida Coun-
ty Executive John Plumley, Utica
Mayor Steve Pawlinga, and Little
Falls Mayor Theodore Wind. Anda
representative group from CSEA
also visited recently with State
Sen. James Donovan to discuss the
plight of the canal.
CSEA officials say the union will
keep up intensive pressure on the
Cuomo Administration and the
State Legislature in an effort to re-
tain year-round maintenance for
the canal system.
Page 6
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
UTICA MAYOR “ON BOARD” IN CANAL FIGHT — REGION V PRESIDENT Jim Moore, right,
expresses CSEA appreciation to Utica Mayor Steve Pawlinga, second from right, for adding his
support to the “‘Save The Canal” campaign. Region V PAC Chairperson Dorothy Penner (not pic-
tured) and Local 502 President Fank Zammiello, Jr. (left) also took part in answering media ques-
tions regarding the proposed cutbacks in the barge canal budget and personnel. e
DONOVAN HEARS BARGE CANAL]
; APPEAL. State Senator James|
Donovan, center, meeting recently with
Region V PAC Chairperson Dorothy
Penner and Local 502 President Frank
Zammiello, Jr. to be briefed on the
current CSEA campaign to “SAVE THE
BARGE CANAL.”
ONEIDA COUNTY EXEC BACKS
BARGE EMPLOYEES. ONEIDA| ®
COUNTY EXECUTIVE John)
Plumley, right, listens intently as
Region V President Jim Moore ex-
presses concern for the future of the
historic waterway. Plumley signed a
barge canal petition and pledged to
continue his support in whatever wa)
needed to keep the canal ope g.
In Western Region:
Barge Canal
petition drive
CONCERNED RESIDENT, above, signs petition to save the New
York State Barge Canal. At right, Erie County Legislator Chuck
Swanick puts his signature on petition for CSEA Region VI Presi-
dent Robert Lattimer. The union initiated a statewide petition drive
to save the valuable waterway, which has been threatened with the
layoff of maintenance employees.
POLITICAL ACTION training specialist Ramona Gallagh *, above, spent a recent sunny
afternoon gathering signatures for the canal campaign. At right, another name is added to
the list.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983 Page 7
CHAUTAUQUA — Collective bargaining
agreements have been reached for three school
district units of Chautauqua County Local 807.
The Mayville School unit signed a two-year
pact which calls for a 40-cents-per-hour wage
increase in the first year and 38 cents per hour in
the second year. The new contract also provides
a 15-cents-per-hour shift differential for affected
members, as well as increases in longevity pay
and maximum sick leave accumulation.
A new self-insurance program with better
coverage at less expense and a prescription
program with a one-dollar employee co-pay
feature is also part of the agreement. In addition,
retired employees will now receive paid health
insurance for the length of time covered by
accumulated sick leave at retirement.
Modified agency shop and limitation on the use
of substitutes were other features gained in the
new pact. Under the contract, non-competitive
and labor class employees will be able to appeal
disciplinary action through the grievance
procedure.
CSEA field representative Mark Higgins was
Chautauqua County school units
reach collective bargaining agreements
assisted in negotiations by Bob Smith, unit
president, Cecil Harrington and Jim Shaw.
A two-year contract was also ratified by the
Southwestern School Unit of Local 807. Members
will receive a seven percent annual wage
increase in the first year, and a 45-cents-per-hour
boost in the second year. The addition of
Columbus Day as a paid holiday for 12-month
employees, and upgraded wages for elementary
head custodians, library clerks and teacher
aides were also gained in the new agreement.
Additional contract language will provide
improvements in health insurance. The
negotiating team resisted proposals by the
district to cap its contribution to health
insurance and take away “snow days.” The
district had also proposed to reduce call-back
time and limit overtime payments, but these
were defeated as well.
Joining field representative Mark Higgins in
negotiations were Unit President Bruck
Rothwell, teacher aide Ruby Gustafson, bus
driver Bonnie Sorrenson, custodian Randy
Hinsdale, audio visual technician Sheri Grisslin,
custodian Mike Estok and head custodian
Donald O’Shell.
In the Sherman School District Unit, a new
one-year collective bargaining agreement has
been reached. The contract calls for an 8.1
percent annual wage increase, as well as a new
“family sick leave” provision which will give
members three additional sick days to attend to
members of their families who are ill.
In addition, custodians and cleaners will now
receive the day before New Year’s Day as a paid
holiday. The negotiating team, headed by Field
Representative Mark Higgins, resisted the
district’s proposals to cap its payment toward
health insurance. Under the new contract, the
district will continue to contribute 100 percent
toward the health insurance plan.
Higgins, who was assisted in negotiations by
Unit President Janice Bock, Virginia Anderson,
Dorothy Wallace, Kathy Emory and Steve
persons, said the unit also defeated the district’s
proposals to reduce paid holidays, restrict
personal leave time and place stricter
limitations on bereavement time.
Page 6
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26° 1983!
DEBORAH MILLER
Food Service Worker
“The negotiating ability of CSEA is what I
like. It helps us get fair treatment.”
Troy unit OKs
one-year pact
TROY — The City of Troy Unit of
the CSEA has overwhelmingly voted @
to ratify a new one-year contract with
the city which will increase the 500
members’ salaries by 6 percent or
$900, whichever is greater.
The union vote approved a fact
finder’s report, which supported the
city’s salary offer while opposing the
city’s proposal to require each worker
to pay $25 toward the cost of health
insurance benefits. The city council ®
will vote on the fact-finder’s
recommendation for a contract
shortly.
The employees have been without a
contract since the end of the year and
now face the beginning of new
negotiations for a successor
agreement. |
CSEA Collective Bargaining @
Specialist Patrick Monachino, who
assisted the negotiating team, praised
its determination to prevent any
eroding of health care benefits while
attempting to seek a higher wage
increase.
Region Il officer
named to coalition
NEW YORK CITY — Theresa
Hines, a member and officer of CSEA
Local 351, has been appointed to the
state Coalition of the Concerned for
Older Americans.
The appointment was made based
on the recommendation of e
Metropolitan Region II President
Frances DuBose Batiste.
LABOR DAY _,..
Do something spe
ae Mar
er : ja Cutting: area be
. at Bobbie beget) urpris® Celebrities! !!**
a ‘ :
SOLIDARITY OF
ANOTHER SORT —
CSEA members, in-
cluding Capital Region
IV President C. Allen
Mead, center, march on
@ the picket lines in
Albany with striking
Communications
Workers of America
members during their
contract dispute with
AT&T. Supporting other
unionists in times of
need is at the core of the
word “solidarity” and ,
what it stands for.
THE PUBLIC, SECTOR, Friday, August 26,, 1983,
Page 9.
*D
AFL-ClO President
Lane Kirkland
Solidarity Day two years ago changed a great
many perceptions about the American trade
union movement.
Hour by hour, as a_ half-million union
members streamed into the Washington Mall,
pundits who had written off labor as a major na-
tional force began changing their tune.
President Reagan stopped boasting that he,
and not their own organizations, spoke for
American workers.
Union members themselves, both those who
marched and those who watched on television,
recaptured the sense of being part of a vast na-
tional movement rather than members of
separate little parishes. Workers from every
corner of the nation looked each other in the
face, and they liked what they saw.
Every trade unionist in the land can share
first-hand in that experience on Solidarity Day
Ill, on Labor Day 1983.
Not just a half-million of us, but many times
‘SOLIDARITY DAY fl —
A TIME TO UNITE
that number can participate, because we’ll be
marching where we live, in all of the com-
munities from coast to coast where labor’s real
strength lies.
The first Solidarity Day united us in protest
against the policies of the Reagan Administra-
tion. We saw the fruits of unity on Solidarity
Day Il, last November, when we marched to the
polls to change those policies.
Like the first one, the third Solidarity Day is a
protest and a preparation for unified action. On
Solidarity Day IV, the general election of 1984,
we will do our utmost to place in office those
who share our conviction that the job of govern-
ment is to advance the interest of all the peo-
ple, not just the rich and powerful.
As always, we invite all of our friends and
allies to join with us, to stand up and be
counted as upholders of a humane, democratic
society, with liberty, justice and jobs for all.
Together, we will show, on Labor Day, and on
Election Day 1984, what solidarity can do.
Lane Kirkiand
Reagan Era:
A TOUGH
ONE FOR
WORKERS
“UNFAIR!”
That most familiar word from the picket signs of
labor’s long history now has been pinned on the
Reagan Administration.
After nearly three years in office, President
Reagan and his policies are seen by many as unfair
to working people, unfair to the poor and needy, un-
fair to the elderly and disabled, and unfai,
women and minorities.
From labor’s point of view, some union leaders
have called this the most anti-labor, pro-business
government since the 1920s.
To turn it all around, Labor Day 1983 has been
designated by the AFL-CIO as Solidarity Day II —
the launch date for a major effort to mobilize labor
and its allies for the 1984 elections.
The goal is to elect a president and Congress
more responsive to the needs of the nation and its
people. e
Labor has shown what can be done.
Solidarity Day I in September 1981 drew more
than 400,000 trade unionists and their supporters to
the nation’s capital to protest Reagan’s policies.
On Solidarity Day II in November 1982, labor led
a sharply increased voter turnout which elected
enough liberals and moderates to Congress to break
the grip of Reagan’s conservative coalition.
Labor’s next step, starting with Solidarity Day
III, is to mobilize a broad coalition of unions and
their allies for the presidential and congressi@al
elections.
The record is clear. Reaganomics has been an
economic and moral disaster. The Reagan Reces-
sion reduced inflation, but at a terrible cost.
The Reagan tax cut of 1981 shifted more than $700
billion from working people to business and the
wealthy on the misguided notion that the “saver”
classes would invest, business would modernize
and all would prosper. It didn’t happen.
When the AFL-CIO last July urged Congresg to
restore federal revenues through equitable ‘tax
reform, it noted that the massive tax give-aways
were paid for by the victims of cuts in social pro-
grams. The 1981 budget cuts hit school lunches, food
stamps, Medicaid, public services, child nutrition
and subsidized housing.
Several independent research groups pointed out
that the budget cuts hit the working poor the
hardest, destroying their incentive to work. The
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Univer-
sity of Chicago’s Center for the Study of S@ial
Policy and a Princeton University study concurred
on the effects of the budget cutbacks.
A Princeton study in 1982 found the budget cuts
were ‘concentrated on the poor,” adding: “It is the
cumulative effect of multiple cuts that has done the
most harm to the working poor.” A follow-up study
in 1983 found that most states were too financially
pressed to make up for federal aid cutbacks.
The consequences of the Reagan era will be with
the nation for years to come. Dr. Harvey Brenner of
Johns Hopkins University and other sociolof#sts
How come he’s the only one laughing?
have established a connection between high-level
unemployment and certain social problems. These
include increases in suicides, homicides, admis-
sions to mental hospitals, child and spousal abuse,
family break-ups and alcoholism.
@ the worst of the recession early in 1983, up-
wards of 20 million people were unemployed, quit
looking for work or were forced on part-time.
An estimated 7 million more Americans were
pushed into the poverty population during the
recession. Due to prolonged unemployment and
food stamp cuts, mass hunger returned. Dr. Jean
Mayer, a leading nutritionist and president of Tufts
University, recently said: ‘(We are seeing hunger
reappear .. . There is a danger that the one social
podem that we had eliminated may be coming
The issues of the Reagan era also are clear for
unions trying to organize or protect their gains and
workplace standards.
The deregulation of business also was ac-
celerated in the area of job safety and health
regulations. In addition, the administration has
tried to weaken child labor protections and has ad-
vocated a subminimum wage for youth, but both ef-
forts have been beaten back for the time being.
a his part, President Reagan leaves the im-
pression he is out of touch with the nation’s pro-
blems. On occasion, he has referred the
unemployed to the Sunday want ads. With 11 million
officially jobless, the President wistfully recalled
his own first summer job at the age of 14 in 1925 and
said he hoped child labor laws could be changed so
today’s 14-year-olds could have the same
experience.
As the shame of mass unemployment and suffer-
ing persists, the president continues to blame the
fe@ral government for the nation’s ills, a stance
which critics say is an excuse for inaction.
With the 1984 elections drawing closer, the issues
could hardly be clearer.
In labor’s view, those who would lead the nation
must commit themselves to an active and com-
passionate role for the federal government. Those
seeking workers’ votes are expected to help change
the nation’s course and lead the way towards full
employment, a national industrial policy, health
and housing for all, social justice and a more
(G
a
A LIGHT IN
DARK TIMES FOR
AMERICAN WORKERS
If there was ever a time for workers to show
their solidarity, Labor Day 1983 is it.
These are dark times for American workers.
We have a president who is hostile to labor. We
have a governor who talks about “‘family and
compassion,”’ but his actions so far contradict
the speeches. In many places workers must
battle hostile local officials.
Union-busting activities are raging like a
brush fire. The strike by the International
Molders and Allied Workers against Magic Chef
Inc. is a typical example of workers trying to
save their union (see page 12 of The Public Sec-
tor). The struggles of the Communications
Workers, Machinists and many other brothers
and sisters are the same.
Let’s begin this Labor Day by taking part in
local parades and rallies to show our solidarity
on this worker’s holiday. But let’s not leave it
there. As we go forward let’s renew our resolve
to work together. At a time when union
membership is slipping, internal bickering and
raiding is crazy. Let’s work to keep labor’s
house in order and organize those workers who
do not have the protection of a union. Together
workers can bring about change for the better,
alone we are weak.
We must also work hard, as citizens and
unionists, to defeat Ronald Reagan. A second
term for this president would be a disaster for
working people. We must make clear the
failures of this administration.
This president labels unions and other
organizations that represent working people as
“‘narrow special-interests’’ while at the same
time he goes to extremes to cater to the
“‘special-interests’’ of the rich and powerful.
The administration’s record is clear. The rich
have gotten tax breaks, lax enforcement of anti-
trust laws and other benefits, while programs
that help workers and their families have been
cut. The government’s power has also been us-
ed to help unlon-busters.
Right now we are fighting this president to
make sure states and localities get the revenue
sharing money needed to provide a decent
level of public services (see page 13 of The
Public Sector).
These are difficult times, but let’s face them
with hope and enthusiasm. If we work together
as sisters and brothers we will prevail.
May each of you enjoy a safe and happy
Labor Day.
CDM Ph, Be ee
&
Why '84 elections are important
Labor Day finds America in the grip of cur-
rents of change in every day life.
Demographic change is reshaping the
workforce; technological change is transform-
ing the job market. Educational levels and the
kinds of skills we need to train for are under
constant, rapid revision.
All of these changes hold vast potential for
good. While all of them pose problems, none
are insurmountable to a society determined to
master them.
In terms of technology and potential produc-
tivity, the nation’s future never looked brighter.
Everything we need to create the healthiest,
best-educated, most creative and most produc-
tive society ever seen is in place or on the
horizon. What’s lacking is a clear national con-
sensus that that is what we want to do.
There is no way that human beings, regarded
as purely economic units, can compete with
robots and computers.
If economic cost-effectiveness alone deter-
mines who shall share in the nation’s economic
life and who shall be excluded and discarded
as industrial waste, the future will continue to
grow dimmer for all. If government leaders con-
tinue to entrust social policy to the gods of the
marketplace, national tragedy will be
inescapable.
The kind of future we will have depends on
the kind of political teaders we send to
Washington 15 months from now. That’s how
long American trade unionists have to in-
fluence the choice. Let’s make the most of it.
SECRETARY-TREASURER, AFL-CIO 9
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
MC President, AFL-CiO ay e world. JD
Page 11
Page 10 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
It is a strike out of the 1930s happening in 1983. It
is taking place in Cleveland, Tennessee where one
man has controlled the town and the lives of the
people in it for 20 years.
The International Molders and Allied Workers
Union strike against Magic Chef, Inc. is the story of
more than 500 brave individuals fighting for control
of their community and their own lives.
The man who runs Cleveland is S.B. Rymer, Jr.
He’s known around the city of 30,000 people as
“Skeet.” For the last 25 years his family has owned
and operated the city’s largest employer, the Magic
Chef stove and range plant.
To understand the Molders’ strike you have to
understand how much ‘Skeet’ Rymer hates
unions. Rymer and his family tried to keep a union
out of Magic Chef for the last 40 years. They finally
lost that fight three years ago when workers voted
724 to 509 to be represented by the Molders Union.
It was an act of courage to vote for the union. One
union organizer had her home burned to the ground
by a plant foreman’s son. Others received harass-
ing phone calls and threats of reprisals and
violence. Yet these tactics could not deter the
women and men who had worked 10, 15, 20 or even
30 years under conditions unheard of in modern in-
dustrial America.
“Skeet”’ Rymer didn’t plan on letting workers
have the limelight for long.
Solidarity. it’s much more
than a simple phrase.
For more than 500
members of the International
Molders and Allied Workers,
it represents the core of their
determination in an all-out
test of unionism in
Cleveland, Tenn.
And as Labor Day, 1983,
rolls around, that display of
union solidarity represents
an blderwkioay for beahoyabinchar
everywhere to 1e
solidarity is, indood more
than a mere word. Everyone
can ald the Cleveland, Tenn.
strikers by boycotting Magic
Chef stoves and ranges, and
by responding to their plea to
contribute to the dwindling
strike fund that supports
their fight against their anti-
union employer.
Shortly before the very first Magic Chef contract
expired, the company made its first move. It back-
ed a decertification petition in its first attempt to
throw the union out. Then the company made its
bargaining position known — when the contract ex-
pired the seniority system would be dismantled and
the union security clause, the very heart of the con-
tract, would have to go. The company’s message
was clear: There would no longer be a union in
Cleveland, Tennessee.
The company put its bargaining position into an
ultimatum to the workers. If the workers did not
take the offer, the company would take every other
clause in the contract off the bargaining table. The
workers would be back where they started in 1980,
with no contract. Having no other choice, the union
members voted to strike. More than 570 members
of the Molders, approximately two-thirds of the
company’s workers, walked off their jobs.
The strike was no surprise to “Skeet” Rymer. He
had been waiting. As soon as the union members
left their work stations, the company put a careful-
ly constructed plan into action. Hundreds of
replacement workers — 425, to be exact — who had
been waiting in the wings were brought in. ~
For the strikers and their families, it has been a
difficult strike. Strike benefits of $45 a week don’t
go very far. Some families have two, three or even
four members on strike. Workers are losing their
homes. The union is bringing in truckloads of food
to keep strikers and their families fed.
around...
Dear Union Brothers and Sisters,
My family and I support your efforts to
win a fair contract and keep the union
alive in Cleveland, Tennessee.
We pledge not to buy electric or gas
ranges manufactured by Magic Chef.
Signature: __ =i
Addres
Daytime phone: ( pelos
Check here if you want more
information O
pate in informational picketing of
appliance stores in your area OO
Please return this pledge form to:
Magic Chef Boycott Coordinator
1409 Pinson Street
Tarrant, AL 35217
od
MAGIC CHEF
RANGE
NGES
=
i
|
!
!
|
|
|
|
|
!
!
|
|
!
|
|
|
|
!
Check here if you are willing to partici-
!
!
!
!
!
!
|
!
|
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
as
The mood today in Cleveland, Tennessee is quiet.
People are watching for a sign that the strike is suc-
ceeding in forcing the company to change its anti-
union position. Though things appear at a stand-off,
there is cause for hope.
A national boycott of Magic Chef products, en-
dorsed by the AFL-CIO, is underway.
Today the Molders in Cleveland, Tennessee are
more determined than ever to stay out as long as
necessary. And today the city of Cleveland is as
close as it ever has been to moving out of the 1930s
and into the 1980s. The stifling hold S.B. Rymer, Jr.
has on Cleveland is about to be broken.
If you’d like to help the national boycott of Magic
Chef products or contribute to the strike fund,
please write the
Magic Chef Boycott Coordinator
i 1409 Pinson Street
Tarrant. AL 35217
LABOR DAY
A unity of
purpose; a
cohesiveness
of action
It is appropriate that Labor Day, 1983, has also
been designated as Solidarity Day.
A unity of purpose, a cohesiveness of action and
the commitment to just plain stick together to get the
job done are attributes that should mark the day tradi-
tionally set aside to honor the nation’s working men
and women.
The striking employees at the Magic Chef plant in
Cleveland, Tenn., whose story of courage and deter-
mination is told above, are practicing that doctrine, and
it is sustaining them through difficult times. Now they
need the solidarity pledge from the rest of us in
organized labor.
Organized labor must hold together in the political
arena also. The political climate is the worst labor has
endured in more than five decades. The economists
and the columnists, those experts who predicted pro-
sperity under Reagan, are now predicting that the
recession they predicted would never happen is now
over. But 20 million people are still unemployed, and
it’s difficult to rejoice over what is still a modest upturn.
Page 12
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26) 1983
Here in New York State, the six major Democratic
candidates for the presidential nomination will be ap-
pearing at forums sponsored by the State Democratic
Committee (See page 2 of this issue). CSEA members
should take the opportunity to look over candidates at
these forums because the eventual Democratic can-
didate to be backed by labor is among the participants.
Labor solidarity behind the candidate of choice can
clean out the White House in the 1984 presidential
election.
Labor Day, 1983, must not be simply a holiday. It
must be recognized as a turning point in the role
organized labor will play in helping turn this nation
around. If you can, participate in Labor Day programs
because such events foster a sense of solidarity among
working people. A major program is scheduled Labor
Day in Albany, for instance (see page 9). If you cannot
attend such an event, at least take a moment to pause
and think about the significance of Labor Day, and
make a commitment to yourself to practice the policy of
solidarity. There will be many opportunities to put that
commitment to work in the coming weeks and months.
WASHINGTON — Federal revenue sharing Senator:
va money, badly needed by states and localities to Let your U.S. *
Write your re p i maintain public services, is in jeopardy because know New York State
e of opposition from the Reagan administration. needs the increased
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill (S.
1426) to reauthorize general revenue sharing in reverwe sharing funds!
Fe d f d September. At that time Senators Bradley, )-—-——————- we 7
(D-N.J.) and Mathias (R-Md.) will offer an |
u n Ss amendment to increase the amount of revenue | Sen. Daniel P. Meynihan |
e sharing money by $225 million annually. ! U.S. Senate {
The President is expected to fight hard
fo r p u bi ic against the increase. | 442 Senate Office Bldg. !
The money is used by the state and local |! Washington, D.C. 20510 |
e . = governments to provide public services. There H |
has been no increase in the program since 1976,
services in even though the cost of living has gone up by Sen. Alfonse D'Amato !
more than 60 percent. Even the increase propos- | U.S. Senate |
d a n er ed in the Bradley-Mathias amendment won’t | oe
g keep up with inn | 321 Senate Office Bldg. |
increase in revenue sharing is a top Washington, D.C. 2051
priority of the AFSCME legislative program. He ee od
- Hearing on misconduct
dismissed for partiality
SMITHTOWN — The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, an-
nulled the disciplinary termination hearing of an employee by the Smithtown
Superintendent of Highways. A CSEA member of Suffolk Local was dismissed
from his job with the Smithtown Highway Department for Misconduct and in-
subordination at that July 26, hearing.
The Appellate Court ruled that the Smithtown Superintendent of Highways
was personally involved and should have disqualified himself from acting in
@ the case.
A review of the original hearing must now be conducted by a disinterested iyi hee
and qualified person. That person will decide the innocence or guilt of miscon- ELECTED OF-
duct and insubordination. FICERS of the
The ruling of the Appellate Court entitles the employee to full back pay ex- Village of Port Jef-
cept for his suspension. ferson Unit were
installed recently
by Suffolk County
LEAP to it—send back Oe
. ‘e ecutive Vice Presi-
dent Shirley Ger-
¢ those questionnaires mal, lt ter
: are President
If you are a state employee in the “The more accurately LEAP can Marian H. Conroy,
Institutional, Operational or Ad- predict demand for courses in a seated; Secretary
ministrative negotiating units you particular area, the lower will be Rita M. Pedersen,
may be receiving a questionnaire _ the cost of providing the courses,” standing center,
about tuition free courses under stated LEAP Director Tom Quim- and Vice President
LEAP, the Labor Education Action by. “This is because colleges and Robert Preston.
Program. LEAP has engaged an BOCES will give LEAP a lower Members of the
Ithaca-based consulting firm to price per credit hour if we can unit recently
@ design and administer to approx- guarantee to fill a given number of ratified a new
imately 12,000 ASU, ISU and OSU _ seats. A lower cost per credit hour contract.
employees who are part of ascien- means that we can provide more
tifically selected sample aneduca- courses from a given
tion needs assessment _ expenditure.”
questionnaire. Quimby urged those employees
The questionnaire asks about who do not plan to take courses to
what tuition free courses CSEA’s fill out the questionnaire since
membership want and need, at those responses will also help
’ what times and locations the LEAP in its planning. eibe yp kued "
courses should be offered, as well The secure a the tare of Ig
@ as other data which will be usedto questionnaire depends on the
plan LEAP courses through 1985, ip completing the ques | Willage employees okay contract
Because the questionnaire is being tionnaire and returning it. Postage SEE CCE i : }
administered by a consulting firm, paid return envelopes are provid- PORT JEFFERSON: — :The:-< In addition to improvements in
and because of the design of the ed. The questionnaires are to be Village of Port Jefferson Unit of compensation, the contract in-
questionnaire, complete anonymi- returned within two weeks of the Suffolk County Local 852 has cludes provisions for job posting,
ty of responses is guaranteed. date they are received. ratified a new contract, ; conversion of personal days to sick
Jim Walters, CSEA field time, disability insurance for off-
i. representative, said the new con- the-illness or injury, and the right
P hikes wane benefits for tract brings Port Jefferson torefuse to drive any vehicle which
ay members to the level of those in does not meet the safety re-
e P. e to rs surrounding communities. quirements of the state.
oughkeepsie town worke
POUGHKEEPSIE — Town employees will realize a pay increase of 16.5 SEA conference on health and safety slated
percent over the next two years, under a newly ratified contract. Field ALBANY — CSEA Region IV will sponsor an occupational health and safe-
Representative John Deyo explained that the 64 employees will also receive an _ ty conference on Oct. 1 at the Howard Johnson's on Route 9W. It will begin at
increase in longevity payments and clothing allowance. 8:30 a.m.
The contract, which took six months to negotiate, preserves present health Six workshops will be held covering workers’ compensation, basic tox-
insurance benefits and summer hours. icology, office hazards, researching health and safety problems, making
Also serving on the negotiating team were Sue Pike, president of the unit; health and safety committees effective and highway maintenance safety.
@ Bob Geslain, Helene Tompkins, Frank Magurno, Dave Gunn, Gordon Kerr, Attendance at the conference meets OSHA Level 2 training requirement
Franco Zani, Tom Tortarella, Pete Kolarik, Bruce Peterson, Millie Hellmann,
Ann Marie Dale and Ann Pantaline. .
for the CSEA Labor Institute. For more information contact Region IV Safety
Specialist Angela DeVito at (518) 489-5424,
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday zAuguet 3651989, -
Page W.1
CSEA wins out-of-title
grievance at Willard
Psychiatric Center
WILLARD — Carol Fegley, a
radiological technologist at Willard
Psychiatric Center, recently received
some good news — a favorable deci-
sion regarding her out-of-title work
grievance, filed by CSEA in January.
According to the decision, a step 3
grievance claimed that Ms. Fegley, a
grade 9, had been performing duties
normally associated with a senior
radiological technologist, grade 12.
The grievance further stated that
Fegley had been responsible for the
overall operation of the x-ray depart-
ment, including ordering supplies,
overseeing repairs and maintenance
of equipment, submitting monthly
cost analysis reports and revising the
x-ray manual, as well as being
available for emergency calls.
Willard management claimed the
situation was brought about by the
retirement of the senior radiological
technologist. *
The decision from the Governor’s
Office of Employee Relations (OEP)
concluded that ‘‘since Ms. Fegley has
continued to perform her duties in the
capacity of the senior level and has
responsibilities beyond those ex-
pected of a grade 9, it is ecommended
she be compensated for the difference
between her grade 9 salary and that of
grade 12 from Dec. 15, 1982 (15 days
prior to the date of the certified mail-
ing of the grievance to OER offices) to
such time when the assignment
ceases.”’ The agency (Willard P.C.)
was also directed to discontinue such
out-of-title work.
In a comment following the OER
decision Hugh McDonald, president of
CSEA Local 428 at Willard, said, “We
are obviously pleased with the deci-
sion. Not only does it compensate
Carol (Fegley) for work completed
out-of-title, it demonstrates once
again that CSEA will make every ef-
fort to fight for the rights of its
members under the contract. Con-
sidering the circumstances surroun-
ding the grievance, the decision was
fair and equitable.”
TWO EMPLOYEE:
honored recently with commendation awards presented by Mayor Leonard
Paduano, third from right. Janet Guarasci, second from left, and Kathleen
Berleson, third from left, were cited for implementing a summer recreation|
program for handicapped and disabled children. Joining in the ceremony
areWestchesterLocal 860 President Pat Mascioli, left, Unit President Sheila|
Brill, second from right, and CSEA Field Representative Larry Sparber.
a
EGGS-TRA! EGGS-TRA! — CSEA Region VI
PEOPLE Coordinator Sheila Brogan, left,
carefully removes eggs from carton held by
CSEA Political Action Training Specialist
Ramona Gallagher. The people in the back-
ground await the eggs to start an egg tossing con-
test. The event was one of many during a Region
VI PEOPLE Picnic recently which raised $576
for the AFSCME federal elections fund. Con-
gressman Frank Horton was among several
guests attending in addition to CS9EA members
[and officers.
the city recreation department in New Rochelle were
STEUBEN COUNTY
CSEA LOCAL 851 officers
were installed recently. Of-
ficers are, seated left to
right, Vice President
Virginia Hickox, President
Art Howell and Secretary
Bonnie Sprague. Standing
from left are delegate
Terry Miller, Treasurer
Debbie Hall and delegate
Kim Sullivan. Missing
from photo are Second
Vice President Elwin
Stewart, Statewide Board
of Directors members Jim
Lindsey, and delegate Lib-
by McPherson.
Page: 14
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
The impact of cutbacks,
layoffs and early retirements
on the productivity of the
Department of Motor Vehicles
has been given much attention
recently in The Public Sector
and media throughout the
state. mbers of the CSEA
DMV Local 674 have been work-
ing hard to e the public
aware of th: problems. At
the same time, they have been
hard on another effort:
improve internal operations.
Here is their story:
ea a
eme
ALBANY — “It’s a David working with a
Goliath situation and both sides seem to be win-
ning,” says Carol Ornoski, a principal data entry
machine operator with the Department of Motor
Vehicles.
That’s Ornoski’s enthusiastic description of
the department’s newest program, the ex-
perimental ‘‘Quality Circle”’ of the title bureau.
The “David” in the situation is known as GAP
— Group Analyzing Problems. As its name sug-
gests, it is a group of employees who are making
various suggestions to management - the
“Goliath” — on how to improve the title bureau’s
operations.
In this case, the employees are 12 CSEA-
represented DMV line workers, all women in
grades 3 and 4. But employees in grades 7-11
have organized a similar group which presently
is addressing itself to the issue of employee
evaluations.
According to William Szumiloski of DMV’s
personnel department, quality circles usually
exist in production industries rather than
governmental service.
“Here we may have the first New York State
governmental service quality circle,” he said.
“So far, we (management) have discovered that
there is quite a lot of unused, unrecognized talent
in our workforce. We hope the quality circle con-
cept will allow us to develop new leaders and
possible new managers for tomorrow.”
According to Ornoski, both union employees
and management have a lot to gain from the new
Quality Circ!
ts inside
program, despite obstacles encountered in in-
itiating it.
“Both sides had to take risks and overcome
unanticipated problems and personal
challenges,” she said. “But positive benefits,
especially those seen so far, have been worth the
effort. Employees have a better self-image, pro-
ductivity is up and morale, even in light of the
present situation, is improving.”
Dann Wood, DMV Local 674 president, also
pointed to the challenges that workers faced. He
noted that in the early stages of the program,
when materials and funds were slow to arrive,
the members solved their own problems by mak-
ing creative use of existing resources.
“(They showed) creative thinking, which is
something both management and labor needs,”’
said Wood.
That kind of thinking seems to be one of the
keynotes of the quality circle. The group, made
up of employees who do similar work, meets
regularly to identify and resolve job-related pro-
blems. Often what appears to be a simple pro-
blem is a complex situation which requires com-
plete understanding before a group can begin
thinking “in an organized, logical manner”
about solutions.
An example is the GAP’s first project, which
will involve standardizing the procedure for
entering miscellaneous information on DMV title
bureau records.
“At present, each unit of the data entry
operators has its own way of handling
THE GAP ENGULFS MANAGEMENT AND LABOR — Quality Circle members in conference
are (left to right) Carol Ornoski, William Szumiloski, Erle Daniels, Dann Wood and Al Mead.
es to round up
lotor Vehicle
&
miscellaneous information,” says Janice -
McGowty, a GAP member. ‘‘What one unit does
may differ from the next, and even what one
operator does may differ from what another
operator in the same unit does. We want to stan-
dardize this procedure and all of its elements so
that things are uniform and understood.”
Ella Monty, another GAP member, sees it all
as a learning process that is giving employees a
better understanding of their own jobs and how
they fit into the bigger picture.
“We had to learn not just our jobs and their
responsibilities, but how they related to the next
job and its responsibilities right on down the
line,” said Monty. “‘By doing that, we began to
see just how important our job is to the whole
process.”’
Says Harry Persanis, DMV director of
Vehicles safety: ‘(Management depends on the
workforce to do its job so that management can
fulfill its responsibilities. The more the worker
knows about his or her job, the better the whole
process since everyone is then working for the
same goal and enjoying the process rather than
being bogged down in the problems which should
inot even exist.”
Persanis thinks management should be con-
cerned with eliminating problems which in-
terfere in the employees’ productivity, and
“when management can’t resolve the problems,
the union should step in.
“Remember,” he said, “‘the employees are the
backbone of’any organization.”
ALBANY — The 17-inches of snow that fell on
Albany April 6, 1982, has long melted and been
forgotten. That’s by all except nearly 200 State
Department of Health and Health Research Inc.
employees who were charged for their early depar-
ture that day after management said they could
leave without charge.
But as of August 5, 1983, 132 employees of the
main office of the Department of Health who left
work on or before 1:00 PM on April 6, 1982, and who
charged their absence for the remainder of that day
to personal or annual leave credits, will have such
credits restored. An additional 68 workers in Health
Research Inc. will also be afforded the same settle-
ment, due to CSEA efforts.
C. Allen Mead, now President of the Capital
Region of CSEA but then President of the James E.
Christian Memorial Health Department CSEA
Local, was pleased with the decision to restore the
credits. But the settlement took a while, he admits.
“Tt seems like forever, but this is a classic exam-
ple of just how slow the wheels of justice do turn.”
“The people knew we were right,”’ he went on.
“Even management conceded that point. The pro-
blem revolved around finding an accurate means of
identifying those people who were actually directed
to leave and not charge their time.”
The workers involved will be receiving credits
Fenging from one hour to five and one quarter
jours.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983 ‘Page 15
DPW worker, docked
while fighting fire,
wins back pay
PORT JERVIS — A city Public Works employee
who was docked pay while fighting a fire in which
two persons lost their lives will receive back pay,
thanks to a recent decision by a PERB arbitrator.
Art Stempert,’a motor equipment operator for
DPW and nine years a volunteer fireman, was
penalized four hours pay after he responded to a 4
a.m. fire last Nov. 23.
Stempert’s wife had phoned the city barn to in-
form his superior he would be late for work because
of the fire. After he was released by the fire chief at
10:15 a.m., he reported for work.
Director of Public Works Richard Onofry inform-
ed Stempert he should have been at work at 7:30
a.m. that day, and that he would be docked four
hours pay for failing to ‘properly notify’’ the direc-
‘tor he would be tardy and ask for approval for his
absence.
At the hearing, CSEA argued that a DPW
employee had never before been docked for repor-
ting to work late because of firefighting duties. In
addition, four other department employees testified
they had also been late in order to fight a fire but
had never lost pay.
Arbitrator Allan Weisenfeld ruled that “the
notification requirement was satisfied by the 7 a.m.
call by the grievant’s wife. “Thereafter,” he com-
mented, “‘if the grievant’s services were required
by Mr. Onofry, he could easily have contacted
Stempert at the fire site and told him to report to
work. He did not. Hence,” Weisenfeld concluded,
“Stempert could reasonably have assumed, based
upon his prior experiences and those of his co-
workers, that his services were not required at the
DPW that morning and that, therefore, he could re-
main with is fire company until he was released
from duty by the chief.”
i zi 2 . GOV. MARIO CUOMO talks with CSEA Metropolitan Region President Francis DuBose-Batiste about
CSEA Field Representative Felice Amodio, com- _the benefits of legislation the governor recently signed to provide $4.5 million to aid research into Ac-
menting on the decision, stated, “‘I am overjoyed —_ quired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Dubose-Batiste was on hand to show labor support for
with the decision. The penalty at the onset was _the program when the governor held a press conference in New York City to sign the bill. The program
totally unfair and improper. Furthermore, may I includes $600,000 to fund a labor-management committee to ensure the workers who care for AIDS vic-
say, thank God for the volunteer firemen!” tims are safe.
open FILING ENDS SEPT. 6, 1983 Unemployment Insurance Claims Ex-
ie Exam. aminer 17,694 25-989 e
competitive Title Salary _No. FILING ENDS SEPT. 12, 1983
STATE JOB Employment Interviewer $17,694 25-987 Public Service Environmental Specialist 35,596 28-554
Employment Security Claims Trainee 16,711 25-983 | Community Residence Aide
Employment Security Placement Community Residence Aide (Spanish
CALENDAR Trainee 16,711 25-985 Speaking) 13,466 25-971
—-
ik FILING ENDS SEPT. 6, 1983
TITLE AND EXAM Transportation Office DOT 37-920 e
SALARY GRADE DEPT. NO. _ Assistant I G-9
ENCON
Employment Securify Claims LABOR Ghlet Environmental 9 Ser8s
Trainee—$16,711 Main Offi 0156 = cae eeeretion: Oficer 628
rainee- 714 3 =a Cie Hazardous Waste Investigator 38-020
Employment Security Claims 1G-16
Trainee (SS) Hazardous Waste Investigator 38-022
Employment Security G18
Elacement 00-158 Hazardous Waste Investigator 38-028
PROMOTIONAL [exer wens
Employment Security &
Placement Trainee (SS) ae Waste Investigator 38-024 e
Office Services Manager G-23 38-005 Supervising Environmental 38-021
EXAMS Conservation Officer G-17
Manager of Computer iDP 38-029 Telecommunications Analyst EXECUTIVE — OGS 37-992
Operations G-25 G9 37-993
Supervising Computer 38-027 ‘
‘State employees only) Operator G-18 Senior Parole Officer G-22 —Parole 37-971
Senior Computer Operator 38-026 37-972
G-14
Personnel Status Examiner 38-032 Public Utilities Auditor Il G-23_ PSC 38-030
G-10 CIVIL SERVICE
Supervisor, Inmate Grievance CORRECTIONAL Public Utilities Auditor Ill 38-031 @
Program G-18 SERVICES 39-732 G-27
Page.16 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, "August, 26;, 1983
WARNING: OFFICE WORK MAY BE
HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH — an
AFSCME booklet on safety and health pro-
blems of office work.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: ON THE JOB
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: WHAT THE
UNION CAN DO — a concise guide for local
unions to help overcome workplace sexual
harassment.
AFSCME WOMEN’S LETTER — a news-
letter with information on issues and ac-
tivities of interest to working women.
SOLIDARITY CENTER
Information of interest to union members and all
JANTITY
NEGOTIATING ABOUT CHILD CARE:
ISSUES AND OPTIONS — a step-by-step
guide for using the collective bargaining pro-
cess to help workers provide for their child
care needs.
ALTERNATIVE WORK PATTERNS —
description of the various types of non-
traditional work schedules and the advan-
tages and disadvantages of each.
PAY EQUITY: A UNION ISSUE FOR THE
1980'S — a how-to guide for a local in-
terested in achieving equal pay for jobs of
comparable worth.
ALL THE
MATERIALS
LISTED BELOW
ARE FREE TO
CSEA/AFSCME
MEMBERS ...
Return order form
to:
AFSCME Women’s
Activities
1625 L Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
20036
Please send me the material §
and quantity indicted. | am
member of CSEA, Local 1000.
AFSCME.
NAME.
ADDRESS.
CITY.
STATE.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26,'1983
Page 17
ONS
my
3.
Deadline
for withdrawal of
Tier Ill contributions
ALBANY — The August 31 deadline for employees in
the Tier II retirement system to apply to withdraw ac-
cumulated 3 percent contributions to the retirement
system is fast approaching.
And, according to the New York State Employees’
Retirement System, the appropriate Withdrawal of Con-
tributions form (RS 5014) MUST be in the Retirement
System’s hands by August 31. WITHDRAWAL OF CON-
TRIBUTION FORMS RECEIVED BY THE RETIRE-
MENT SYSTEM AFTER THAT DATE CANNOT BE
HONORED.
Effective September 1, all Tier III contributions on
deposit with the Retirement System must be held until
the member reaches age 62, or dies before age 62.
Any questions should be directed to the State Retire-
ment System.
CENTER FOR
VWWOWEN IN
GOVERNMENT
ALBANY — The Center for Women in
Government is accepting registrations for its
fall program of “Managing,” a certificate
program providing managerial skills to
women in New York public service. Six
courses and a two-day seminar, ‘(Women as
Managers,” are being offered.
Course topics are career planning, effective
leadership in management, labor relations,
organizational dynamics, program planning
and evaluation, and written communications.
Each course will consist of four sessions
running once a week from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
and November.)
face.
Robin Streets).
518/455-6211,
WASHINGTON — Union witnesses at an Occupational Safety and
Health Administration hearing here called for a much tougher standard to
protect workers exposed to ethylene oxide than the one proposed by the
Reagan Administration.
Labor safety and health experts said OSHA’s proposal to reduce
permissible. exposure limits to EtO fromthe’ current 50'parts per million
parts of air (50 ppm) to 1 ppm would leave exposed workers at high risk to
leukemia and other cancers and reproductive damage and skin diseases
which have been linked with EtO.
The AFL-CIO, Service Employees, Clothing and Textile Workers,
Government Employees, Operating Engineers and District 1199 of the
Retail, Wholesale and Dept. Store Employees asked for a 0.1 ppm standard.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME) said a 0.05 ppm standard would be feasible.
Most workers directly exposed to ethylene oxide are in health care and
medical products industries, where the chemical is used as a sterilant. The
toxic chemical also is used as a fumigant in libraries and museums and in
manufacturing, such as the production of anti-freeze, polyester fibers,
bottles and films. OSHA estimates about 80,000 workers are directly exposed
to EtO and another 144,000 are indirectly exposed.
AFSCME, SEIU, ACTWU, District 1199 and the Public Citizen Health
Research Group sued OSHA last year after it rejected a petition for an
emergency EtO standard. A federal appeal court, citing OSHA’s
unjustifiable delay, ordered the agency to propose a stricter standard by
mid-April.
Consequently, OSHA issued its first proposal to lower workplace
exposure to a hazardous chemical since the Reagan Administration took
office. But the unions called OSHA’s proposed EtO standard inadequate.
AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee released the results of the
union’s survey of 23 hospitals, which he said documents ‘a dangerous
Page 18 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August-26, 1983
In the “Women as Managers” seminar, Oct.
20-21, participants will learn job-related skills
and examine special issues female managers
The courses and seminar will be held in
Draper Hall, Room 303, on the downtown
campus of SUNY Albany (Washington and
Additional information and _ registration
brochures are available from the Center at
Unions to OSHA: Higher standards of protection
for workers exposed to ethylene oxide hazards
DUTCHESS COUNTY LEGISLATIVE Majority Leader Arnold Baratta, R-Poughkeepsie (right)
congratulates County Social Services employee Roberta Rubenstein, a member of the Dutchess
County Local 814. Mrs. Rubenstein received $250 from the lawmakers for suggesting a form which
enables an examiner to close a social services recipient’s case more quickly and efficiently.
Charles Rexhouse, second left, also received an award of $250 for his suggestion to install a device
in the boiler system which reduces the amount of residue in the boiler thus saving maintenance
costs. Also congratulating the two was Legislative Minority Leader Judith “Kip” Bleakley, D-
Poughkeepsie. Rexhouse is a shop steward at the Dutchess County Home and Infirmary and also
serves as second vice president of Local 814.
Fall course
registration
(Courses will begin in September, October
Group life insurance refund
being conducted by Travelers
The Travelers Insurance Company is issuing a
return of contributions to eligible CSEA members who
participate in the CSEA Basic Group Life Insurance
Plan. The refund checks were prepared and mailed by
The Bank of New York on August 10.
In order to be eligible for the refund, an insured
CSEA member must have been in the Group Plan on
both November 1, 1981 and November 1, 1982.
If you are eligible and have not received a refund
by August 20, please contact Beatrice Taft at The Bank
of New York at (212) 530-8055. Requests for replace-
ment checks must be submitted in writing to The Bank
of New York, 4th Floor, 90 Washington Street, New
York, New York 10015, Attention: Shareholder Rela-
tions Department. Please be sure to include your social
security number in any communication.
pattern of exposure to EtO which is probably prevalent in a significant
portion of health institutions around the country.”
“The survey results are particularly disturbing considering that the
dangers of EtO as well as the methods available to protect workers from
ure have been well known for.amumber of years,” McEntee said.
In 12 of the hospitals surveyed by AFSCME, workers reported they can
“smell”? ethylene oxide occasionally, which McEntee said indicates
extremely high — around 700 ppm — concentration of the chemical.
Only 11 of the hospitals conducted tests monitoring workers’ exposure to
EtO and only 10 hospitals had a preventive maintenance program for
sterilizers and related equipment that included checks for leaks.
Despite “long-standing recommendations by the American Hospital
Association,”” McEntee said, four hospitals reportedly had no aerators,
which are chambers designed to capture EtO given off by freshly sterilized
articles. One AFSCME local reported that EtO sterilized equipment is
distributed “almost immediately” with no aeration while five of the
hospitals with aerators do not vent them to outside the workplace,
increasing the potential exposure level of hospital workers.
McEntee said the AFSCME survey shows that it is ‘‘feasible”’ to comply
with a standard of 0.05 ppm by improved, and relatively inexpensive,
engineering measures and by better control of work practices.
Rae Hughes of AFSCME Local 2703 in Merced, Calif., said a defective
valve in a hospital sterilizer caused headaches, nausea and vomiting among
all the workers in central supply where the EtO sterilizer was located. She
said she spent 16 months trying to find out if working with EtO would worsen
her serious kidney disease but was unsuccessful.
Michael Mahoney of AFSCME Local 1095 in Buffalo, N.Y., voiced
complaints similar to other union witnesses about the difficulties in getting
hospital administrators to supply protective clothing, training, monitoring
and preventive maintenance and repairs on EtO equipment.
Awaiting opportunity
in his field
Ph.D. from SUNY Stony Brook, where he has
been working as a custodian for the past two
years.
AE ARAM TO TISTADA SO
a
i
| “DOCTOR RALPH” Bastedo shows off his new
t
Sm SAE
ee
STONY BROOK — ‘“‘One of the standard jokes
they have around here is to call me Doctor
Ralph,” says Ralph Bastedo, a cleaner in the
custodial department at SUNY Stony Brook.
“It’s sort of a double joke when they introduce
me that way to other people,”’ he says, ‘“‘since no
one ever believes it anyway.”
But Bastedo, who really does have a doctorate
in political psychology and science, has the last
laugh. He graduated from the university in May
after eight long hard years of work which began
at the University of California at Berkeley.
Now Bastedo is looking forward to a career in
political polling, if he can find the right job.
Meanwhile, he plans to go full-time with the work
that helped him pay the bills when he was learn-
ing his profession. Instead of gathering
statistics, he’ll go on picking up other things —
like other people’s litter.
“TI pick up papers, empty soda bottles and old
cans,” says Bastedo, running up a list of chores
he does regularly as part of his job. “I wet mop
and dry mop floors, wash blackboards, see that
doors are closed and locked when they should be.
There are all kinds of things.”
Not the kind of things most people expect
someone with a doctorate to be doing. But that
doesn’t bother Bastedo. He gave up a position as
a teaching and research assistant at SUNY two
years ago in order to take his custodial job and
work as a CSEA union member.
From then until his graduation last spring,
Bastedo spent most of his waking hours in the
university’s lecture center. But he played two
very different roles. During the day, he was a
typical student, going to classes, studying, doing
research.
$e ES ST SRI EE LP AA PPE RESO ESE ILL NR RN
Still picking up litter
after picking up Ph.D.
But when night fell, he grabbed a broom and
dustmop and roamed the halls as a janitor.
“Working the night shift was a perfect situa-
tion,” says Bastedo. “If it were not for this job I
would have had a hard time working through
graduate school. Many other jobs wouldn’t have
worked out since I needed my days free.”
Bastedo is not the only student working in the
custodial department at the Stony Brook univer-
sity. Some of his co-workers are high school
students, as well as college graduate and
master’s students. ‘,
Grad students like Bastedo often work for their
schools as assistants in teaching and research.
Such jobs always entail long hours, little pay and
no benefits. Several years of that kind of work
can get discouraging, he indicated.
During his graduate studies, Bastedo spent
some time working for Gallup, the famous
public opinion institute. He also edited a small
community newspaper in town. Newspaper
work, he thinks, is not the best paying profession
either. He hopes to land a job as a full-time pro-
fessional pollster.
Bastedo says he learned a lot from his stint as
a custodial worker, though. For instance:
sometimes the people in positions to make the
best decisions often never get any say.
“Say the administration of the university
wants higher morale from the janitors,” Bastedo
poses in making his point. ‘‘Then they should en-
courage more input from them. I found that
janitors take it for granted that their suggestions
for improvement will be ignored.
“But lots of jobs, including this one, could be
improved if administrations accepted sugges-
tions and initiative from their employees.”
Renecnt s discovery of nation’s hungry
provides food for thought
With an estimated 40 million Americans suffering from hunger and the
Secures arcane enrane RRA
coming 1984 elections sensitizing politicans, a sharp confrontation may be
shaping up between Congress and President Reagan.
A flurry of developments here in early August brought the issue of
unemployment, poverty and hunger to center stage:
¢ The Census Bureau reported that the number of people below the poverty
line increased by 2.6 million in 1982 to,a total of 34.4 million.
¢ The U.S. Conference of Mayorsgheld an assembly of organizations to
devise strategies to deal with hunger and called for federal action to create
jobs and get food to some 40 million hungry.
e A House panel led by angry Democrats demanded to know why the
Reagan adminstration cut back on cheese and dairy product distribution when
the ranks of hungry people were growing.
¢ President Reagan, saying he was ‘‘perplexed’”’ by press accounts of
hungry people in recent weeks, announced he would appoint a Task Force on
Food Assistance to study the problem and report in 90 days.
The reaction to Reagan’s discovery of hunger in America was one of skep-
ticism and astonishment.
“T don’t know where he’s been,” declared House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip)
O’Neil, Jr. The House leader said people were going hungry largely because
“one particular conservative Republican (Reagan) has led a nationwide cam-
paign of ridicule against America’s nutrition programs.”
Most observers recognized that the prolonged Reagan recession pushed.
millions of breadwinners into the unemplyment ranks. And many studies have
documented how Reagan’s budget cuts and restricted programs forced the
working poor below the poverty line.
Rep. Leon E. Panetta (D-Calif.), whose nutrition subcommittee held field
hearings around the nation earlier this year, reacted to Reagan’s annoucement
with “astonishment.”
There’s no mystery, he said. Everywhere his panel went, he said, it heard
that the rise in hunger was due to the deep recession and program cutbacks.
The immediate reaction to the furor over hunger was that the Reagan ad-
ministration reversed itself slightly. After cutting back on cheese and butter
distribution in response to industry camplaints that free commodities were
depressing sales, the administration told Panetta’s panel it would increase and
polly oi fo th istration also withdrew its op-
position to Sener tah hie tL es aay a program for the next two
years. é
However, ees ‘Reagan faces ci problems with Congress over
the hunger issue. ; eo
As the Center on Budget and Policy Pribrities points out, Reagan has pro-
posed heavy cuts in food stamps and nutrition programs for the coming year.
Under Reagan’s proposals, according to an analysis by the Congressional
Budget Office:
¢ Food stamp benefits would be cut for 62 percent of all recipient
households, or 4.9 million households. Four out of every five of the poorest
household, those with incomes below half of the poverty line, would suffer
benefit cuts. One million elderly and handicapped households would have their
food stamps cut, losing an average of one-fourth of what they now receive.
¢ WIC: Reagan is seeking lower funding for the Women, Infants and
Children program. This would terminate 600,000 low-income pregnant women,
infants and children from benefits next year though they are most at risk.
¢ Child nutrition programs face a Reagan request for cuts of $300 million a
year, on top of cuts in school lunches and other programs enacted in 1981.
Reagan wants to merge three child nutrition programs targeted for low-
income children into a block grant with 29 percent less funds.
Administration officials like budget chief David Stockman have falsely
claimed that the deep cuts in food stamp programs have come by eliminating
households over 130 percent of the poverty line. Over half the food stamp cuts
came from reduced benefits for households below the poverty line, the center
noted.
THE PUBIIC SECTOR, Friday, August,26,,1983 , Page, 19
|
By Tina Lincer First
Associate Editor
Louise, a single mother and a CSEA member who works as a clerk for a state agen-
cy, was having problems with her 14-year-old son.
Tom wasn't showing up at school, had dropped many of his good friends, and was
suddenly sullen and hostile at home.
Louise's friends said it was probably drugs, he had gotten in with the wrong crowd.
Her mother blamed her for working full-time. She blamed herself for not being a better
mother.
Not surprisingly, Louise became distracted and less productive at work. She took
time off to meet with Tom’s teachers; unable to sleep at night, she started calling in sick
in the morning. Her supervisor started to complain.
One day she mentioned her worries to her shop steward, who steered her to the
Employee Assistance Program — EAP — a program the union participates in to help
| workers handle their personal problems.
Louise talked with the EAP coordinator at her worksite, who provided her with the
| names and phone numbers of several services in her community. After checking on
ES find the best treatment program in their community. Their participation is
|
such details as fee schedules and hours, Louise decided on a mental health clinic with
a Child guidance center.
She and Tom have been going to the center for several months now, and while
there is still a lot to be worked through she feels that both their lives are back on the
right track. Her health, her self-esteem and her job performance have improved
considerably.
There are many Louises in the workplace.
In today’s stressful, complex society, the personal problems people face
can be overwhelming. Each day, many employees go to work consumed by
the stresses and strains of such crises as divorce, custody battles, financial
struggles, drug abuse, family illness, alcoholism, gambling addiction and
children’s disturbances such as anorexia and school truancy.
When problems like these continue without any sign of resolution, they
can lead to such job difficulties as chronic lateness, absenteeism, low pro-
ductivity, accidents, and friction with bosses or co-workers.
That’s where the Employee Assistance Program comes in. This free
support and referral service, open to all state employees and their families,
helps workers recognize and cope with their troubles.
Employees, who either join the program on their own or are referred by
a shop steward or supervisor, talk with an EAP coordinator who helps them
kept strictly secret.
“The key is hooking these people or their families into a service in the
community before their job is adversely affected,” says James Murphy,
CSEA’s full-time advisor to the statewide program. ‘And since it’s volun-
tary and confidential and costs nothing, the troubled employee has nothing
to lose and everything to gain.”
The recovery rate for employees who use EAP, he says, is 70-80 percent.
As part of a concept of health awareness and maintenance at the
workplace, EAPs nationwide are a growing phenomenon in both the private
and public sector.
New York State’s program began as a CSEA-sponsored, state-funded
pilot project in 1976 in a handful of state locals, and quickly experienced
tremendous growth and success.
Last spring, CSEA joined forces with the Public Employees Federation,
;
Page 20 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, Friday, August 26, 1983
co RSH MAA OT TY HE I ES
aues,
tela ST AAR A TPS EE Ue
AFSCME Council 82, United University Professions and
Management/Confidential in creating one EAP network for all state
employees. There are currently programs in place in about 150 state
worksites.
In addition to the statewide system, EAPs are being developed by
CSEA for its members in various school districts, towns and counties, with
the number of new EAPs increasing weekly.
The statewide office is located at 99 Washington Ave., Albany. The toll-
free Hotline number is 1-800-342-3565.
Employees are strongly encouraged to use the program on their own,
either by calling the Hotline or their local EAP coordinator directly. They
can also ask their shop steward or supervisor to set up an appointment with
the coordinator for them.
In some cases, a shop steward or supervisor may refer an employee to
EAP, but the referral is not mandatory. Under no circumstances is the
nature of an employee’s problem or the type of help offered ever revealed to
shop stewards, supervisors or personnel officers.
Depending on its size, each local has at least one EAP coordinator; in
some of the larger locals, there may be as many as three or four. Serving as
a link between the troubled worker and community resources, the coor-
dinator is a key person in making EAP work.
He or she must be a neutral employee who can relate to all employees
regardless of age or job title, and must be trustworthy, willing to listen and
compassionate. Once chosen, the coordinator receives time off to devote to
EAP, and receives ongoing training.
“You have to be a good listener, understanding, and have a deep sense
of caring for people,” says Vicky Brion, an EAP coordinator in the Depart-
ment of Social Services.
A grade 5 secretary and the divorced mother of three young children,
Brion, 29, is released from her job 742 hours a week for her EAP duties.
“T love the work,” she enthuses. “It takes a lot for someone to ask for
help, and it’s very rewarding when you can help them.
“You can’t be judgmental,” she stresses. ‘You can’t start telling people
what they should or shouldn’t do, and you’re not a counselor, so you
shouldn’t give advice. The key is to motivate people to get help for them-
selves.”
When not meeting with employees, Brion spends many hours
researching community resources.
“I make actual visits to facilities,” she notes. “‘And we share resources
at coordinator conferences. For instance, I found someone in this area who’s
really great for treating anorexia, and I’ve passed that information on to
other coordinators.”
EAP coordinators are chosen by a board of directors made up of various
labor and management representatives. Representing CSEA on the board
are CSEA President William L. McGowan and Employee Relations and Per-
sonnel Director Dennis M. Battle.
“Tt’s ironic that the unions had to bring the EAP concept to manage-
ment. Usually, it’s the other way around,” said Battle. ‘In our case, four
unions were able to come up with a common objective and work together on
it. That’s one of the real pluses.”
Says CSEA advisor mae “Grass roots union participation is the key
to making EAP work. ‘Employees are most likely to use the program when
the union is fully involved and has control because they realize the only fac-
tion of the union is to help them.”
nA!
_S a RIM RRR REE N RREE
ae EER
