The Work Force, 2009 October

VOICE Complete coverage of CSEA’s 99th Annual Delegates Meeting, inside
Pot) Fc New York’s LEADING Union!

WORK FORCE

Fighting t the good fight

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CSEA fighting for fairness, services in Erie
. County and other localities, Page 3.

ME i of the Month

CSEs.

Photo by David Galarza

From left, CSEA members Betty Robinson, Health Research Inc.
Local President Deb Hanna, Damaris Rodriguez, Lizette Smoak,
newly elected AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Suzy Lopez,
and Division of Housing Local President Janet Ventrano-Torres.
Trumka and his officers held a news conference on Wall Street
recently, which the CSEA members attended.

CSEA gains support
in concerns about
OCFS direction

From the Office of President Danny Donohue

CSE ALERT

NEW UIS
LEADING UNION

CSEA President Danny Donohue

to meet Metropolitan Region members on

Nov. 17.

CSEA President Danny Donohue will visit the CSEA
Metropolitan Region Nov. 17 to meet with members.

BUFFALO — State Sen. Catherine Young,
who chairs the state Senate Task Force
on Juvenile Justice, told delegates to
CSEA’s Annual Delegates Meeting that
neither public safety nor work site
security should be compromised in
reforming New York's
juvenile justice system.
Young expressed her
concern about state
Office of Children and
Family Services
Commissioner Gladys
Carrion’s leadership in
moving to anew
community-based model
without adequate staff, training, and
other resources to ensure the well being
of individuals, staff and communities.
OCFS has been under fire in recent
months following the release of a U.S.

puts youth,

Abuse should never be
tolerated, but neither
should a system that

communities and
dedicated staff at risk.

Department of Justice report that
severely criticizes operations at several
OCFS facilities.

CSEA issued the following statement
in response to the Department of Justice
report:

CSEA has long raised
concerns about New
York’s juvenile justice
facilities. The Office of
Children and Family
Services (OCFS) and its
earlier incarnation as the
Division for Youth have
suffered from an
unfocused mission, poor
management, inadequate staffing,
resources, training and support. Abuse
should never be tolerated, but neither
should a system that puts youth,
communities and dedicated staff at risk.

new term begins on July 1, 2010.

Election notice to all private
sector local presidents

he term of office for current Private Sector Local officers will expire on June
30, 2010. Elections for office must be conducted and completed before the

A letter was sent by the Statewide Election Committee (SEC) on Sept. 21, 2009
to each Private Sector Local President requesting each Local Executive Board to
select an election committee and/or chairperson prior to Oct. 15, 2009. If you
have not complied with this SEC request, please do so prior to Oct. 15. Please
refer to the SEC’s Sept. 21 letter for procedural requirements.

If you did not receive a copy of this letter or have questions pertaining to it,
please contact the SEC at 800-342-4146, ext. 1447.

The meetings will be held at the Metropolitan Region
office, 125 Maiden Lane, 5th floor, Manhattan.

Donohue will meet with union members from | to 7 p.m. Please call the
Metropolitan Region office at (212) 406-2156 for an appointment and directions

Workplace Violence Prevention DVD available

he Workplace Violence Prevention DVD CSEA produced has been delivered to
all local and unit presidents. Members should contact their local or unit
president to arrange to view the DVD if their president has not made
arrangements already.
Under newly passed Department of Labor regulations CSEA fought for, all
public employers are required to develop a workplace violence prevention plan
with input from the union.

2 | THe Work FORCE

Since 1910

October 2009

( * num is standing strong against a
number of local governments’

shortsighted attempts to
undermine public employees and the
essential services they provide.
Union members across the state are
fighting back, making it clear to
public officials that they can’t
balance their budgets on the backs of
working families.

People, not profit

In Erie County, hundreds of CSEA.
members attending CSEA’s 99th
Annual Delegates Meeting joined with
members of the CSEA Erie County
Unit to rally in front of the county's
Rath Building in downtown Buffalo.

Members sent a clear message to
County Executive Chris Collins that
government should be for people,
not profit. The county executive
systematically has been dismantling
county services and undermining
CSEA representatives. The Erie
County Unit has been working
without a contract for two years.
(See pages 1, 8 and 9 for more.)

Albany County Unit members and
their supporters recently
demonstrate before a county
legislature meeting.

CSEA President Danny Donohue leads CSEA members and activists,
including Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Southern Region
President Billy Riccaldo, statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Western
Region President Flo Tripi and Central Region President Colleen Wheaton,
in a demonstration in front of Erie County’s Rath Building. (Photo by Ove

Overmyer)

Fighting in Onondaga

Onondaga County Executive
Joanie Mahoney is proposing laying
off 51 workers and implementing
furloughs for 2,149 workers by
abolishing their full-time positions
and putting them into newly created
part-time positions at five hours less
per week.

Mahoney is blaming the furloughs
on CSEA for not reopening its
contract to accept wage freezes and
health insurance increases. CSEA has
consistently maintained that it will
not reopen contracts, and has offered
better solutions for cost-savings that
would eliminate the need to furlough
workers.

Furloughs in Albany

CSEA members employed by
Albany County continue to fight five
planned furlough days, the first of
which recently took place.

The furloughs are cutting public
services and hitting county workers
in the wallet. Affected workers will
see a 20 percent reduction in their
paychecks in each of the five
furlough pay periods. CSEA has filed
grievances over the issue and the
union has proposed cost-saving
alternatives.

CSEA has officially termed the
action a lockout.

CSEA activists Manny Mangual,
Jerry Laricchiuta and Tom Murray
show solidarity at the Erie County
demonstration during the Annual
Delegates Meeting.

Putnam cuts

CSEA is fighting cuts in Putnam
County, where in his proposed 2010
budget, County Executive Robert
Bondi plans to lay off seven CSEA
members and reduce the number of
hours for four other union-
represented positions.

County officials had previously
approached CSEA with a proposal to
implement furloughs across the
county work force. CSEA instead.
offered proposals for alternate cost
savings, including one that county
officials implemented, a
buyout/retirement incentive package
for eligible county workers. All other
suggestions fell on deaf ears.

Arbitration win nets Spring Valley workers $170,000 in back pay

SPRING VALLEY — In a huge victory for CSEA, an
arbitration battle that stretched over several years
has finally reached its conclusion, with eligible
workers in the Village of Spring Valley Unit receiving
back longevity payments totaling a whopping
$170,000.

CSEA initially took legal action after Spring Valley
officials stopped paying workers’ longevity pay at
the rates calculated in the 2003 contract. The village
correctly paid out the longevity through the first few

cycles of the new contract, then abruptly changed to
a calculation that shorted workers the full amount of
money owed. After several years of trying to enforce
the legal judgment in favor of back pay, CSEA and
the village were able to work out an agreement
through a mediator.

“This is a huge win for CSEA,” said Southern
Region President Billy Riccaldo. “This wasn’t a quick
fight, but this victory demonstrates the importance
of perseverance. In no way will CSEA tolerate our

members being shortchanged money that is
contractually guaranteed to them. The people
impacted by this judgment are working class union
members residing in a high cost of living area. They
count on that longevity pay to help make ends
meet.”

Riccaldo credited CSEA officers and staff for their
persistence in enforcing the arbitration.

— Jessica Ladlee

October 2009

THe Work FORCE

HE WORK FORC

ISSN 1522-1091

Official publication of
CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
143 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12210-2303
Danny Donohue, President
STEPHEN A. MADARASZ
Communications Director & Publisher
STANLEY HORNAK
Deputy Director of Communications
LOU HMIELESKI
Executive Editor
JANICE MARRA.
Associate Editor
CATHLEEN FEBRAIO
Graphic Production Specialist
JANICE M. KUCSKAR
Graphic Production Specialist

BETH McINTYRE
Communications Assistant

The Work Force (USPS 0445-010) is
published monthly by The CSEA Publication Office:
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
Periodical Mail Postage paid at Post Office,
Albany, New York 12288.

Postmaster: Send address changes to:
CSEA, Attn: Membership Department,
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
CSEA on-line: The CSEA website
can be accessed at www.csealocal1000.org

Readers:
Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to:
Publisher, The Work Force, 143 Washington Avenue,
Albany, NY 12210-2303.

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS

RICHARD IMPAGLIAZZO Long Island Region (631) 462-0030

DAVID GALARZA. Metropolitan Region —_ (212) 406-2156
JESSICA LADLEE Southern Region (845) 831-1000
THERESE ASSALIAN Capital Region (618) 785-4400

MARK M. KOTZIN
LYNN MILLER
ED MOLITOR
JILL ASENCIO

Central Region
Western Region
Headquarters 18) 2
Headquarters (618) 257-1276

The Publications Committee
Brenda Chartrand
Mary D’Antonio
Wayne Dorler
Ramon Lucas
Ronald Revers

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4 | THe Work FORCE

CSEA President Danny Donchue

“Hearing Every Voice” sets CSEA’s future course

We called it “Hearing Every Voice,” and it was one of
the boldest projects in our union’s history. More importantly,
it was an opportunity to help shape our future.

CSEA has succeeded for nearly a century because we
have grown and changed while remaining true to our basic
values and because we have responded to the needs of our
members. As we look to the start of our second century,
none of us should take anything for granted.

That’s why we began the challenging task of
“Hearing Every Voice.” Over the past year, we held nearly
60 town hall meetings in every part of the state - giving
you an opportunity to state what was on your mind. We
heard a lot of things. It was not always easy, but I believe it was
necessary and important to help make CSEA better.

The process continued at our goth Annual Delegates Meeting in Buffalo
recently, where more than 1,000 CSEA delegates participated in a historic Electronic
Town Meeting. All of the information and feedback from the meetings across the
state was used to frame the presentations and discussions in which the delegates
participated. From that, delegates shared ideas and set priorities about how we can
improve. We will be working to implement these ideas in the weeks and months
ahead.

The Electronic Town Meeting was an exciting and unique exchange that really
defines what CSEA is all about. We are not perfect and may never be, but we are
committed to becoming a more perfect union and all of us need to work at that

every day. Dp
amr

P.S. I would like to thank CSEA Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan for her
leadership on this project and all of the officers, activists, members and staff who
helped make it happen. The full report of the results can be viewed and downloaded
from the members-only section of the CSEA website:
http://www.csealocal1000.org/etm_final_report.php.

October 2009
HEALTH CARE SERVICES

“There must be a
better way to
balance the book
than on the backs
of the state’s
most vulnerable
populations and
those who serve
them.”

Cuts set a poor trend

QUEENS — A move by Gov.
David Paterson to eliminate
state aid has been met with
widespread opposition
across the state from
workers, advocates,
consumers and their families
and the operators of private
agencies serving those with
mental and developmental
disabilities.

“The elimination of the
Medicaid trend factor has
made it extremely difficult
for my co-workers and me to
perform our jobs to the
fullest extent,” said Lifespire
Local President Pamela
Marshall during a state
Office of Mental Retardation
and Developmental
Disabilities hearing at
Bernard Fineson DDSO.

“Many direct care workers
struggle to survive and have
to work two or three jobs in
order to maintain a basic
standard of living,” Marshall

VOICE members speak on health care

rally.

Damaris Samolinski, far right, a VOICE/CSEA activist
from Suffolk County, speaks at a rally to show support
for comprehensive health care reform legislation that
was also attended by other CSEA activists and other
labor representatives. Long Island Region President Nick
LaMorte led the rally near a busy intersection off Route
107 in Hicksville that included members from the Oyster
Bay 881 and Touro College locals. CSEA/VOICE member
and Childcare Educator Luisa Lucera also spoke at the

October 2009

said. “There must be a better
way to balance the books
than on the backs of the
state’s most vulnerable
populations and those who
serve them.”

The state has long
recognized a trend factor is
critical in providing
resources that are necessary
to protect the health, safety
and even the lives of the
state’s most vulnerable
citizens.

Major OMRDD Medicaid
programs have, over the last
30 years, been budgeted to
include a trend factor.

At the hearing, OMRDD
Commissioner Diana Ritter
said in a statement that the
state was facing
“extraordinary fiscal times

.. The choice not to allow
for a trend increase, despite
the fact that the
Commissioner’s budget
proposal last year included

Ay y aS Hh
Lifespire Local President Pam Marshall, flanked by
members Marion Frampton and Helen Hane, testifies before
a panel of OMRDD representatives at Bernard Fineson.

an increase, was one of those
difficult decisions.”

Marshall and many others
at the hearing emphasized
the quality of care that
would be sacrificed, the
salaries that would be frozen
(unlike their counterparts in
the state work force) and the
inability for agencies to
attract and retain qualified

staff if the trend factor was
not restored.

“l implore you to restore
this trend factor so the
people we serve every day
can have quality and
consistent care,” said
Marshall.

— David Galarza

CSEA challenges swine flu vaccination mandate

ALBANY — CSEA and other
groups are raising concerns
about a state Department of
Health mandate that all
health care workers be
immunized against the HIN1
“swine” flu virus.

“CSEA recognizes the
public health challenge
presented by the HIN1
virus, but we believe that
mandating vaccination of
health care workers may be
counterproductive,” CSEA
president Danny Donohue
said. “There are better ways
to address this situation.”

The New York Committee
for Occupational Safety and
Health is leading the effort
to alter the Health
Department’s mandate.
NYCOSH supports efforts to

prevent the swine flu’s
spread, including
immunization and
education, but is calling for
a more comprehensive
prevention program.

CSEA also is taking issue
with other state health
recommendations. The
union is urging the state
follow the Centers for
Disease Control and World
Health Organization’s
recommendations that an
“N-95” respirator mask be
used, because there is
evidence that some flu
viruses can be spread
through the air. A surgical
mask only protects the
wearer from larger particles

For more information, v’

than some flu viruses have
been known to be.

CSEA also wants the state
to develop a comprehensive
communicable disease plan
for such epidemics, rather
than acting in a state of
emergency each time there
is an outbreak threat, such
as with SARS, smallpox and
the avian flu.

By focusing on general
preparedness, the state can
consider ahead of time a
wide range of labor relations
issues. The state can also
have front-line staff properly
trained and ready to
respond, along with the
necessary equipment before
a crisis occurs.

sealocal1000.org/osh.php

THE Work FORCE

Lasor Day
SEA members
celebrated
Labor Day

through parades

and other events.

On this page are

photos of events

CSEA/VOICE member Brenda
Massard shows union spirit at
the Syracuse Labor Day
Parade.

children deliver the message
during the Buffalo Labor Day
parade that affordable health
care is a right.

Left, Western Region
President Flo Tripi speaks on
the importance of health
care for all during a press
conference before the
Rochester Labor Day parade.
(Photo by Ove Overmyer)

Left, Long
Island Region
members,
including
Region
President Nick
LaMorte,
second from
right, show
union pride at
the reviewing
stand at the
New York City
Labor Parade.

CSEA celebrates Labor Day

fo;

att \
CSEA members, led by Onondaga County Local President Phil Graham, statewide President
Danny Donohue, Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli and Central Region President Colleen Wheaton,

CSEA members from the
Southern Region march up
5th Avenue in Manhattan
during the New York City
Labor Parade.

J 4 E :
Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, Long Island Region
President Nick LaMorte, statewide Secretary Denise Berkley
and Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio lead
the CSEA delegation in the New York City Labor Parade.

(

ae

i

i PIA Lit | EY
CSEA members and their children assemble in Massena before
the annual Solidarity Day Parade.

Left, Bronx Psychiatric Center Local President Abraham
Benjamin, Metropolitan Region Executive Vice President Lester
Crockett and Health Research Inc. Local President Deb Hanna,
far right, join other members on the CSEA float at the New York
City Labor Parade.

October 2009

6 | Te Work Force
Froop RELEF

“Again, the spirit
of CSEA comes
through loud and
clear.”

The v water line remains visible

inside the Silver Creek
highway garage after the
department's buildings and
equipment were submerged
in water.

A powerful flood knocked this hole ina prick wa wall in a Silver

Flooding unites members

SILVER CREEK — CSEA
members have come together
to help each other and the
community following recent
severe flooding in the Western
Region’s Southern Tier.

Excessively heavy
thunderstorms caused two
separate creeks to overflow in
the villages of Gowanda and
Silver Creek, which are about
20 miles apart and in two
different counties. The storms
united CSEA members and the
public throughout Western
New York.

“CSEA cares about its
members and we in CSEA and
in Western Region 6 will do all
we can to provide help and
support,” Western Region
President Flo Tripi wrote in a
letter to local and unit
leaders.

Volunteering in Gowanda

In Gowanda, CSEA
members formed a volunteer
team and joined the cleanup
effort. About a dozen
Cattaraugus County Local
members recently spent a
Saturday digging through mud
and debris.

“I am very proud of our
local reaching out to the
community of Gowanda,” said
Cattaraugus County Local

Creek Department of Public Works building. The department
lost all its buildings and almost all its equipment in the

flooding.

Bill Quinn of the Silver Creek
Department of Public Works
points out the water line on
the door to the highway
garage.

President Rose Teachman.
“We came together to help in
their time of need, and I thank
my members for that. They
are a great team.”

The team focused its
efforts on one home,
removing everything damp,
dirty and moldy from within.

“We completely gutted the
house — walls, floors, tile,
drywall, tubs — everything
down to the studs in about six
hours,” said Brian Blinn, a
Cattaraugus County Local
officer and a volunteer team
coordinator.

CSEA members gut a Gowanda resident's house following the
flooding as part of the cleanup effort, with the volunteers

removing everything right down to the studs. Photo by Albert T.

McCracken Jr.

Dedication to others

In Silver Creek, in
Chautauqua County, raging
floodwaters destroyed the
village’s Department of Public
Works buildings and just
about everything inside. The
flood left a gaping hole in a
brick wall.

“Seven feet of water
covered everything we had,”
said Joe Reed, Silver Creek
Unit president. “We've spent
the last few weeks working
out of our parking lot.”

The flooding also caused
significant damage to two

From left, CSEA Silver Creek Unit member Brianna Griewisch,
unit President Joe Reed, and unit members Gary Grover, Jeff
Griewisch and Bill Quinn, as well as Ralph Crawford, not
shown, continue to work out of a parking lot following a flood
that destroyed the village’s public works building.

Silver Creek neighborhoods.
Floodwaters also moved all
but one of 35 homes in a
mobile home park. CSEA.
members from the county
highway department used a
loader’s bucket to rescue
people from their damaged
homes.

“The stories are so
remarkable. When you watch
it on TV, you don’t realize the
true force of the water,” said
Don Williams, Chautauqua
County Local president. “The
water was beginning to move
the loader. One false move
and it would have tipped over.
Ernie Smith, the operator, was
more concerned about the
people in the bucket than
himself.”

FEMA recently arrived to
help residents.

That type of dedication and
concern is not uncommon in
CSEA, union leaders said.

“Again, the spirit of CSEA
comes through loud and
clear,” Tripi said. “We are
appreciative of the volunteers’
help, as are those members of
our CSEA family who have
lost so much.”

— Lynn Miller

October 2009

THe Work FORCE

BUFFALO — CSEA’s 99th Annual Delegates
Meeting was an exciting, challenging event that
brought union brothers and sisters together to
help determine CSEA’s future course, and gain
skills and knowledge to help make the union
stronger.

The week’s highlight came on Tuesday with
the Electronic Town Meeting (ETM). Diverse
groups of CSEA delegates participated in round
table discussions, identifying and prioritizing
real solutions to challenges facing the union and
its members. Facilitators assisted in keeping the
discussions moving.

Final Ropar

Using laptops and hand-
held keypads, the
individual table
discussions were
transformed into final
recommendations
representative of the
entire convention.

Prior to the
Electronic Town

Meeting, CSEA held

nearly 60 town hall
meetings across the state to hear CSEA
members’ and leaders’ thoughts. The union
conducted discussion groups with CSEA officers
and with the Retiree Executive Committee; did
polling of rank and file members, held two
workgroup sessions and other discussion
groups with staff.

A final report is available at:
http://www.csealocal1000.org/etm_final_report.php

Hundreds of CSEA delegates showed their
support to their Erie County brothers and
sisters by joining a demonstration in front of the
Erie County’s Rath Building to protest County
Executive Chris Collins’ lack of willingness to
negotiate a fair contract and his shortsighted
fiscal management that is depriving the county
of critical services. (See Page 3)

Annual Delegates Meeting.

A unique opportunity for

Nearly 1,000 CSEA delegates take part in the “CSEA Electronic Town Meeting at the 99th

F?, younger members, it is important to get
involved in the union. More seasoned
members have really taken me under their wing

and helped me. It seems a lot of younger
members think the benefits of the union will be
handed to them. We have to get active and do
this. We have to realize we have to work hard to
continue the fight the more seasoned members
have started on our behalf.99
— Kim Robert
Putnam County Local

Above, state Sen.
Catherine Young, and

below, Buffalo Mayor

Byron Brown, address
the delegates.

8 | Te Work Force

66" This union is very important. The ETM
needed to be done. It turned out great.
There are no wrong or right opinions. Everyone
has a voice and we need to respect those voices.
It just goes to show that CSEA is stronger than
ever.99
— Leslie Walls
James E. Christian Memorial Health
Department, Albany

“Ty ve enjoyed hearing everyone's opinions and
hearing about the problems they face. It is
good to see what is going on around the state. A
lot of us have similar experiences so we can
support and help each other. We are all in this

| together.99

— Joe Pericozzi
State Department of Transportation Erie
Residency Local

October 2009

Hearing Every Voice

66" There are many first-time delegates here this
year. It’s been great to see them take
advantage of this opportunity to learn. It’s
important now for us to take back what we learn
to the membership so we can move this union
forward.99
— Dewayne Parsons
Capital District Psychiatric Center Local

66" his has been a very good experience. It’s
very informative and the workshops are
great. The town hall meeting was good. It’s all
been very exciting.99
— Kim Kopp
Sunmount Developmental Center Local
Attending her first ADM

99th Annual Delegates Meeting
) \ 2

.

CSEA activists Shekema Brown, left, and Kathy Hartwig get to know each
other during a break in the town hall meeting. Seating for the town meeting
was randomly assigned, so members taking part in the discussions often had
just met for the first time.

Above, members from CSEA’s Minorities Caucus meet. Below,
CSEA Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan and statewide
Secretary Denise Berkley join with members of the CSEA
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Caucus.

Several resolutions
and amendments to
CSEA’s Constitution
and By-laws were
passed by the
delegates. Results of
those actions will be
published in the
November Work
Force.

For more photos,
resources and
materials from the
ADM, visit
www.csealocal1000.org

66 Feveryone has been so
welcoming. I've felt
comfortable here from the
moment I walked through the
door. The ADM has been a very
positive experience. I’ve heard
about it from the other officers,
but to her here and see it all in
action is excellent. 99

— Rachel Baldwin
Buffalo State Employees Local

oe i so glad I am here. This
has been interesting and
educational. I liked the ETM
because we got to voice our
opinions. The workshops were
great with the smaller groups.
I've enjoyed seeing a little bit of
everything and gaining an
understanding of the entire CSEA
process. 99
— Stephen Delair
Sunmount Developmental
Center Local
Attending his first ADM

October 2009

THe Work FORCE

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New York’s LEADING Union

1910 - 2009

99 years

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~~ NAVICATIN
eal i

This cartoon by
CSEA cartoonist
Ralph Distin,
originally published
in the October
2002 Work Force,
made the case for
a workplace
security law. The
law was passed in
2006.

ae

1992 CSEA leads safe workplace fight after tragedy

17 years ago...

In October 1992, four CSEA members were
killed on the job in one of the darkest days in the
union's history. hi

Phyllis K. Caslin, Florence A. Pike, Denise
Miller Van Amburgh and Nancy J. Wheeler
were CSEA members employed by the Schuyler
County Department of Social Services. The E
women were simply doing their jobs when a
client angry about child support payments burst
into the office and killed them before turning the
gun on himself.

The shooting made it clear to CSEA that
public work sites needed more measures to be
secure.

CSEA led the fight for public workplace
violence legislation, culminating in the 2006
Worksite Security Act.

CSEA continues to lead the fight to reduce the risk of workplace violence.
The union’s Occupational Safety and Health Department recently produced
the “Preventing Workplace Violence” DVD to train workers on raising
awareness and reducing the risk of workplace violence. The DVD recognizes
the significance of the 1992 Schuyler County murders.

In 1998, CSEA member
Carol Thornton shows a
face sculpture she created
commemorating the four
members killed in
Schuyler County.

Also in 1992...

* Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton is elected U.S.
president, defeating President George H.W.
Bush

* Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin
proclaim a formal end to the Cold War.

* After four Los Angeles police officers are
acquitted in the Rodney King beating, violence
erupts in the city.

Bill Clinton addresses

CSEA’s Annual Delegates
Meeting in 1992 during
his first presidential
campaign. CSEA was the
first labor union to endorse
Clinton’s candidacy.

* Johnny Carson retires after 30 years of
hosting The Tonight Show.

* Hurricane Andrew causes $25 billion in
damages, particularly in southern Florida.

* The U.S. “Dream Team” of top NBA basketball players wins the gold
medal in the sport at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

* The Silence of the Lambs wins five Academy Awards, including Best
Picture.

October 2009

RETIREES

“We’re not just
doing it for
ourselves. We’re
doing it for those
who come after
us.”

Statewide Retiree Committee members
determined to fight

WHITE PLAINS — Three
longtime CSEA activists were
recently chosen, at the 25th
annual Retiree Delegates
Meeting, to lead the union’s
Statewide Retiree
Committee.

Lee Pound, a retiree
activist from Rockland
County, is the new statewide
Retiree Chair. Pat Gooden, a
Monroe County retiree
activist, will serve as the
committee’s vice chair while
Judy Richards, a Capital
Region retiree, is
committee’s new secretary.

Pound has long served
the union as an active and
retiree member, helping win
pay equity for long
neglected, underpaid job
titles and much more. As

chair, she wants to improve
communication with retiree
members, preserve health
care and keep Social
Security public. “We’re not
just doing it for ourselves,”
she said. “We're doing it for
those who come after us.”
Gooden, a former clerk at
Monroe County Hospital,
wants to improve
communication between
retiree locals and fight rising
costs. “I take it personally
when a dollar is taken from a
retiree’s check
unnecessarily,” she said.
Richards has spent a
lifetime fighting for workers
as an Empire State College
Local president. She doesn’t
see a reason to stop now.
She stresses the

State, local government and private sector CSEA members:

Skills for Success courses offered

Judy Richards, Pat Gooden and Lee Pound, shown at the
recent 25th annual Retiree Delegates Meeting, will lead the
union’s Statewide Retiree Committee.

importance of “staying on
top of our political leaders,”
to ensure retirees are not
forgotten in debates over
health care, pensions and
Social Security.
“We worked so hard for so

many years. Now is not the

time to let others fight to
keep our benefits,” she said.

She is planning to help
improve communication
with retirees in different
ways.

— David Galarza

his fall and spring, CSEA members
Tenet by New York state, local
government agencies and the private
sector have opportunities to take Skills for
Success training courses offered by the
NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and
Training (Partnership).

Course participation by local
government and private sector employees is
sponsored by the CSEA WORK Institute.

Skills for Success courses are designed
to help employees prepare for the
challenges and demands of current and
future jobs.

More than 200 courses are scheduled
statewide from Oct. 13, 2009 through June
16, 2010. The training is available at no
cost to employees or agencies. Alll courses
are held during the day at conveniently
located training sites.

Eligibility
Employees are eligible to participate in
Partnership courses if they are:

* A CSEA-represented New York state
(NYS) employee (ASU/02, OSU/03,
ISU/04, or DMNA/47).

* A CSEA-represented local government
(county, city, town, village, school district)
or CSEA-represented private sector
employee, as space permits.

Available courses
Choose from 36 job-related and
personal development courses under the
following topics:

* Adult Education Basics
* Educational Planning
* Language Skills

* Mathematics

* Safety and Health
* Secretarial

* Skilled Trades

* Work and Life

* Work Management

* Written Communication

October 2009

Employees may take any of the courses
offered, not just courses that typically reflect
the work they perform. Employees can
directly apply for these courses. However,
supervisory approval and signature are
necessary to attend without charge to leave
credits. Applications should be sent to the
Partnership as soon as possible and not
later than three weeks prior to the start of a
class.

For more information

A web catalog of the Skills for Success courses is available on the Partnership's
website at www.nyscseaparinership.org. The catalog contains course descriptions, course

schedules, training locations and an application form that can be downloaded and
printed.
For more information about Skills for Success courses, call 518-486-7814 or, for areas
outside the Capital Region, call 800-253-4332, or e-mail at
learning@nyscseapartnership.org.

Courses for CSEA-represented employees

Fall 2009-Spring 2010

(esta)

ble Ocober 2009 June 2010

www.nyseseoparinership.org

THe Work FORCE

[: that time of year

The NYSHIP
Option Transfer period will be held
after the 2010 health insurance
premiums are approved. During
the option transfer period, CSEA-
represented state enrollees will
have the ability to change their
health insurance plan for the 2010
plan year.

Members will be able to choose
from the Empire Plan or one of the
NYSHIP-approved Health
Maintenance Organizations
(HMOs) in their area.

If you currently participate in a
NYSHIP HMO, please be aware that
many will be making important
changes for the 2010 plan year.
These changes may include co-
payment increases, so please
watch your mail for letters
regarding the 2010 changes.
Please note that Univera HMO will
no longer be a participating HMO
under the NYSHIP program

Time to make health
insurance choices for 2010

beginning in 2010.

to’start ane Health ne past, ,
about your hea . enrollees may have
insurance options. Benefits =a received from the

Department of Civil
Service a copy of “Choosing Your
Health Plan.” Due to the numerous
changes being proposed by some
of the HMOs this year, you may
find it helpful to request a copy of
the 2010 “Choices” guide from
your health benefits administrator.

Members should review each of
the options carefully to determine
which health insurance plan will
best meet their needs and the
needs of their family.

Please watch for additional
information in The Work Force as
the option transfer period draws
nearer. The Joint Committee on
Health Benefits will publish
additional information on health
insurance premiums for the 2010
plan year in an effort to help you
make the most informed choices
for you and your family’s health
care needs in 2010.

What’s In r You?

Employee Benefit Fund dental
claims processing gets greener

o more CSEA
Employee Benefit
Fund dental claim

forms required? That’s
right — EBF has been
moving in a greener
direction with electronic claims
processing.

For some time now, it has not
been a requirement to submit claims
with a CSEA EBF dental claim form.

We have been encouraging the use
of the American Dental Association

SE

AFSCME Local 1000, AFL-CIO
EMPLOYEE
BENEFIT FUND

universal claim form with
signature on file for the
submission of dental
claims to EBF. Most dental
offices are now
computerized offices that
submit claims electronically using
the universal form that is already
equipped in their software. EBF will
also accept electronic attachments
such as x-rays allowing for even
more efficient processing and no
more paper waste.

MEMBERS ONLY INFORMATION

LOCAL 1000 CSEss AFSCME, AFL-CIO
Legal Services

Workers’ Compensation | Personal | Personal | Taking Care
and Social Security Legal Injury _| of Business
Disability Matters | Matters | @ Elder Law

This members only
benefit program
provides attorney
representation for
Workers’
Compensation,
Social Security
Disability, Personal
Injury and Personal Legal matters including
Taking Care of Business for members and their
dependents. Quality legal representation at little
or no out-of-pocket cost for injury/illness related
matters; quality legal representation at
pre-negotiated/discounted fees for other personal
matters.

Anow
Your
Rights!

Finding a CSEA Legal Services Program attorney is as simple as
calling the CSEA toll-free number: 1-800-342-4146 and following
the prompts for the Legal Services Program. Listen to the

directions for accessing the Injury-Related Plans, or the Non-
Injury Related Plans,which includes the Taking Care of Business
Plan. Information is also available on the CSEA website at

www.csealocal1000.org.

CSE‘

LOCAL 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO

1-800-342-4146

available to download from our
website.

Letters have gone out to all

participating dental offices letting
them know about our electronic
claims processing capabilities. For
any dental offices that have
remained non-computerized, the
CSEA dental claim form will still be

processing.

We hope this streamlined, more
environmentally friendly process will
help aid in faster and timely claims

For more information, please visit EBF’s website at

toll-free at (800) 323-2732.

www.cseaebf.com or contact the EBF Dental Customer Service Unit

Ever Better Future

1 2 fit Work Force

October 2009

Planning for 2010 health care expenses?

Consider the Health Care Spending Account

Health
Benefits =~

r “he Health Care Spending
Account (HCSAccount) is a
negotiated employee benefit

that helps state employees pay

for health-related expenses with
tax-free dollars.

This includes medical, hospital,
laboratory, prescription drug,
dental, vision and hearing
expenses that are not reimbursed
by your insurance or other
benefit plan.

Before participating in the
HCSAccount program, you should
carefully consider what your
eligible expenses might be.
Reviewing your expenses from
previous years can help. Once
you have estimated the amount of
your expenses, you may then
determine how much to
contribute to your HCSAccount.
Under federal law, any money that
you put into your HCSAccount

must be used for expenses
incurred during the plan year in
which it was contributed. For the
2010 plan year, the maximum
annual contribution allowed by
the program is $4,000 and the
minimum annual contribution is
$100.

State employees have an
opportunity to enroll in the
HCSAccount each fall during the
open enrollment period. For the
2010 plan year, the enrollment
period begins Sept. 21, 2009 and
concludes on Nov. 16, 2009.

As you consider a HCSAccount,

Enroll in the Flex Spending Account or the

Dependent Care Advantage Account online at

www.flexspend.state.ny.us.

If you do not have Internet access,
call (800) 358-7202.

keep in mind that the
administrator, Fringe Benefits
Management Co., recently
implemented a new online claims
submission process that allows
enrollees to submit
reimbursement requests for the
Health Care Spending Account
and the Dependent Care
Advantage Account directly
through FBMC’s secure website.
Submitting reimbursement
requests online is faster than
traditional mail, therefore,
expediting the payment of funds
to enrollees.

If you do not enroll in the
HCSAccount when you are first
eligible, you must wait until the
next open enrollment period,
unless you experience an event
that would permit a mid-year
election change.

ffective April 1, 2009, the
| ee Plan enhanced its
hearing aid benefit for
enrollees and eligible dependents
with the addition of the Hearing
Service Plan (HSP), provided by
EPIC Hearing Healthcare.

The EPIC Hearing Services Plan
is a unique, voluntary program
that offers nationwide access to
hearing services and treatments,
including hearing diagnostics and
hearing aids.

Your hearing aid benefit
remains unchanged, and the
Empire Plan will continue to cover
hearing aids received from
providers other than EPIC Hearing
Service Plan providers. The EPIC
Hearing Service Plan provides you
and your eligible dependents with
an alternative option in using your

hearing aid benefit through their
contracted hearing aid providers.

This benefit enhancement was
put in place to assist those who
could not financially afford the up
front out-of-pocket expense
required when purchasing a
hearing aid. The EPIC Hearing
Service Plan allows for direct
billing to the Empire Plan so
enrollees do not have to pay any
upfront costs for hearing aids, as
long as that cost is within the
benefit limit.

Empire Plan enrollees and/or
dependents can contact 1-866-
956-5400 for more information

and assistance in locating an
EPIC Hearing Service Plan
provider.

Empire Plan enhances EPIC hearing benefit for enrollees

Service Plan (HSP)

requested up front).

Highlights of the Empire Plan’s EPIC Hearing

* Hearing aid professionals available in all 50 states through
otolaryngologists (ENTs) and audiologists.

* Access to all major hearing aid manufacturers, offering a wide
range of styles, products and technology.

* Patients are provided a list of the fees associated with every
hearing aid. All prices are pre-set and pre-negotiated.

* Direct billing for the cost of the hearing aid up to the Empire
Plan benefit; enrollee pays any remaining balance (typically

* All hearing aids carry an extended three-year warranty,
including the first year’s supply of batteries, and have a 45-day,
no risk trial period in New York state.

October 2009

THe Work FORCE
McDermott left his lasting mark on CSEA

Editor’s Note: CSEA will celebrate its 100th
anniversary in 2010. Throughout this year The
Work Force is devoting Leading Edge to a look
back at some of the key individuals who have
helped shape our extraordinary history. This
month we feature a profile of former CSEA
Statewide President Joe McDermott, who held
the reins during some of CSEA’s most important
events.

ALBANY — Former CSEA statewide President Joe
McDermott was one of CSEA’s most enigmatic leaders.

Often brilliant and at other times difficult,
McDermott was directly involved in some of the most
important issues and events in CSEA’s history during his
37 years in the union. There is no doubt that he left his
important mark on CSEA.

A Capital Region native, McDermott went to work
for the state Department of Transportation in an
administrative position in 1957. Early on, McDermott
joined CSEA to gain the valuable benefits of
membership and began regularly reading the Civil
Service Leader to find out about promotional
opportunities. Through the newspaper, he began to
learn more about the union activities.

Before long, McDermott was rising through the
ranks professionally as an engineer and within CSEA,
first as a delegate and later as local president. Young
and ambitious, McDermott quickly established a
reputation as an ‘idea’ man who just kept pushing for
results.

When CSEA reorganized and established region
offices in the early 1970s, McDermott was elected as
the first Capital Region president. A master of the
difficult provisions of parliamentary procedure and
with a strong network within his region and throughout
CSEA, McDermott began building a reputation as the

14 fie Work Force

go-to person on how things worked in CSEA. It was
McDermott, along with then Western Region President
Robert Lattimer, who led the effort for CSEA to
relaunch its own publication (then called The Public
Sector) after decades of contracting with the New York
City-based Civil Service Leader to provide official
communication.

By 1980, McDermott was elected one of CSEA’s
two International vice presidents of AFSCME, along
with then President William McGowan. Following the
death of AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf in
1981, it was McDermott who held out for CSEA to
support a young Pennsylvanian named Gerald
McEntee for International president over the better-
known Victor Gotbaum, then head of the powerful DC
37, another New York AFSCME affiliate.

In 1983, McDermott continued his upward climb as
he was selected by the CSEA Board of Directors to
complete the term of Executive Vice President Thomas
McDonough, who passed away. He was elected by
the membership to that position in 1984.

Following a tense and often nasty three-year internal
fight with McGowan, McDermott was elected CSEA
president upon McGowan's retirement in 1988. He
faced a challenging six-year tenure, including several
internal challenges, a protracted state contract fight
with Gov. Mario Cuomo, a sour economy that forced
scores of budget and contracting out fights in localities
and school districts.

But McDermott’s level-headed pragmatism, coupled
with numerous internal union reforms and efforts to
improve staff accountability and professionalism, saw
CSEA through to a better day and his reforms continue
to serve the union well to the present day.

Perhaps McDermot’s defining moment as CSEA
president came in December 1991. CSEA was in the

midst of a bitter fight with Cuomo over a number of
issues. The national media was camped out in Albany
as Cuomo decided whether to file his papers as a
candidate in the upcoming New Hampshire
presidential primary.

McDermott stole the headlines by announcing
CSEA’s support for little-known Arkansas Gov. Bill
Clinton for president. It was Joe McDermott at his best
with a bold stroke that scored both politically and
practically.

October 2009
ight,
State
Office of

Children and
Family
Services Local
President
Richard
Chaffin
discusses
national
health care
reform with
local member
Kerry
Simonds
during the
local’s 5th
annual “I
Scream” event in Rensselaer, which raises awareness each year about a
hot political issue, informs the membership and “spurs debate.” Chaffin
and other local officers, planned and staffed the event, which focused on
health care this year. In addition to local officers dressing in hospital
garb, the event included informational displays and literature about the
skyrocketing costs of health care and pharmaceuticals. In keeping with
the event’s title, ice cream was served to all attendees. “It raises
awareness and we always get PEOPLE contributions,” Chaffin said. “It’s
also a great way to meet the members.”

SEFA APPEAL —
CSEA President
Danny Donohue,
along with other leaders of
unions that represent state
employees, is urging CSEA
members employed by the state
to support the State Employees
Federated Appeal. The fund
helps meet the needs of
members, their families and their
communities and this year, the
need for help is greater than
ever. For more information or to
support SEFA, visit the fund’s
website at www.sefa.state.ny.us
... SUPPORTING LITTLE LEAGUE
— For the eighth consecutive
year, the CSEA Clinton County

TODAY

Local has
sponsored the
Plattsburgh Little
League summer
tournament, in which more than
150 children from 13 teams
across Clinton, Essex, Franklin
and St. Lawrence counties
participated. Local members
provide sponsorship and
volunteer support. “It was a fine
display of athleticism and the
sportsmanship displayed by all
is a testament to Little League,”
said Clinton County Local
President Joe Musso. “We are
proud to continue our annual
sponsorship.”

Johnson is PEOPLE Recruiter of the Month

Maria Johnson of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center Local in the Western
Region is the PEOPLE Recruiter for the month of August. She recruited 24
PEOPLE members at the MVP level.

CSEA’s PEOPLE program protects and improves our jobs, benefits and
pensions in Washington, Albany and in your community. Your support and
participation in PEOPLE strengthens CSEA’s clout in the workplace, in the

— Therese Assalian

legislature, in your community and in the labor movement.

October CSEA calendar of events

Long Island Region:

* Oct. 1: All About Our Union, Sign-in:
5:30 - 6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m.,
Oyster Bay Local Office, Syosset

* Oct. 6-7: State Government Discipline &
Interrogation: Representing Members
Under Article 33 Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Long Island
Region Office, Commack

+ Oct. 20-21: Contract Negotiation

Strategies: Maximizing Our Leverage, Sign-

in: 5:30 - 6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m.,
Suffolk County Educational Local Office,
Medford

* Oct. 27-28: Local Government

Discipline: Representing Members in
Interrogations Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 - 6
p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Suffolk County
Educational Employees Local Office,
Medford

Metropolitan Region:

* Oct. 20-21: Private Sector Discipline:
Representing Members in Interrogations
Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 - 6 p.m.,
Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Metropolitan Region
Office, Manhattan

October 2009-

Southern Region:

* Oct. 14-15: Local Government Discipline:
Representing Members in Interrogations
Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 - 6 p.m.,

Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Westchester County
Local Office, White Plains

* Oct. 22 & 29: Local Government/Private
Sector Grievance Representation
Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 - 6 p.m.,

Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Rockland County
Local Office, New City

* Oct. 27-28: State Government Grievance
Workshop, Sign‘in: 5:30 - 6 p.m.,
Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Southern Region
Office, Beacon

Capital Region:

* Oct. 13: Steward Workshop, Sign-in:
8:30 - 9 a.m., Workshop: 9 a.m. -4 p.m.,
Crowne Plaza Resort, Lake Placid

* Oct. 13-14: Local Government/Private
Sector Grievance Workshop, Signin: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Holiday Inn
Express, Rensselaer

* Oct. 20-21: Local Government Discipline:
Representing Members in Interrogations

Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 - 6 p.m.,
Workshop: 6-9 p.m., Best Western Albany
Airport Inn, Albany

* Oct. 27-28: Local Government/Private
Sector Grievance Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Pasqualli’s
Restaurant & Banquet Facility, Amsterdam

Central Region:

* Oct. 13-14: Local Government/Private
Sector Grievance Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Vernon-
Verona Sherill High School, Verona

* Oct. 14-15: State Government Discipline
and Interrogation: Representing Members
Under Article 33 Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., CSEA
Binghamton Satellite Office

* Oct. 20-21: Local Government/Private
Sector Grievance Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., CSEA
Binghamton Satellite Office

* Oct. 27-28: Local Government
Discipline: Representing Members on
Interrogations Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 - 6
p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Central Region
Office, East Syracuse

Western Region:
* Oct. 67: Local Government/Private

Sector Grievance Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m., Workshop: 6 - 9 p.m., Western
Region Office, Amherst

+ Oct. 67: Local Government Discipline:
Representing Members in Interrogations
Workshop, Signin: 5:30 - 6 pms
Workshop: 6 <9 p.m., Emergenc
Management Services Building, Mt. Morris
* Oct. 20-21: State Government Discipline
and Interrogation: Representing Members
Under Article 33 Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 pum, Workshop: 6-9 pim., Rochester
Satellite Office

* Oct. 28-29: Local Government/Private
Sector Grievance Workshop, Sign-in: 5:30 -
6 p.m, Workshop: 6-9 p.m, Rochester
Satellite Office

For more information on the listed events or to
participate, contact your region office (phone
numbers are listed on Page 4) or visit your
region page at CSEA’s website at
www.csealocal! 000.org. Please note that
additional events may be scheduled in your
region, so check your region calendar page on
the website.

THE Work FORCE

ANDES ERE EN

with CSEA and Syracuse University Football

Thanks to CSEA’s sponsorship, you can catch the SU Orange home games at special member-only reduced
rates as SU takes on the following teams at the Carrier Dome:

South Florida - Saturday, Oct. 3 Save up to
members-only West Virginia - Saturday, Oct. 10 60%
. nt Akron - Saturday, Oct. 24
disco

Cincinnati - Saturday, Oct. 31 **CSEA Game Day - Special $15 tickets! **
Rutgers — Saturday, Nov. 21

To order your discount tickets online, visit; http://tinyurl.com/cseafootballoffer- enter promo code: csea09

** For CSEA Game Day special, visit: http://tinyurl.com/cseagamespecial and enter promo code: cseacin09

Once you have entered your promo code, you will need to
create an account to make your purchase.

To order by phone, call SU Group Sales Manager Bob Gibbons
at (315) 443-3212 and identify yourself as a CSEA member to
qualify for our special rates!

Visit www.suathletics.com to get game times
and more information. °