The Work Force, 2006 June

See Page 3
Photo of the Month

State ‘Attorney General Eliot Spitzer speaks following C CSEA’s
endorsement of him for governor as CSEA President Danny
Donohue listens. “Eliot Spitzer has stood up for the
hardworking men and women of this state,” Donohue said.
“There are many challenges ahead for New York and Eliot
Spitzer is the best candidate to lead us forward.”

CSEA action helps
school budgets pass

CSEA was involved in more than 40 school district and library
elections across the state. The union’s support for candidates, budgets,
and local
propositions included massive phone operations based out of the
regions and headquarters, over 32,000 pieces of campaign material
printed, and over 30,000 postcards mailed to CSEA members.
An overwhelming number of endorsed budgets passed (81 percent)
and 85 percent of our endorsed candidates won their elections.
Member activism during this year’s school and library elections

continues the trend of increased political activism by CSEA members.
NEW YORK’S
LEADING UNION

cmos, ML

CSEA President Danny Donohue to
meet Central and Western Region
members in June.

‘On June 21, President Donohue will be at the Ramada Geneva Lakefront Hotel, 41 Lakefront Drive,
Geneva. Please call the region office at (716) 691-6555 or 1-866-568-7734 for an appointment and
directions.

On June 23, President Donohue will be at the Central Region Office, 6595 Kirkville Road, East
Syracuse. Please call the region office at (315) 433-0050 or 1-800-559-7975 for an appointment and
directions.

Donohue will meet with union members on both days from 4 to 7 p.m.

Onondaga County
contract situation
‘black and white’

SYRACUSE — What's black and white
and was marching around downtown?
A giant penguin, of course, and it
recently joined its keepers and about
3,300 other Onondaga County workers
in solidarity, as hundreds marched for

a better contract deal.

In April, CSEA Onondaga County
Local members rejected a contract
offer from the county that only offered
a small lump-sum increase for last
year’s raise. When surveyed, the
members overwhelmingly responded
that the lump-sum amount, not added
to their base pay, was like a “slap in
the face” for their hard work. It wasn’t
enough to allow them to keep up with
rising costs of living, especially when
factoring increases in doctor visit co-

Quolity
Public
Services

pass 25/55 Retirement Legislation.

or older, WITHOUT PENALTY.

1-877-255-9417.

payments the county sought.

The workers recently demonstrated
their solidarity by wearing black and
white and marching at various
locations throughout downtown
Syracuse with a person dressed in a
giant penguin costume. The workers
wanted to highlight they receive less
attention in their contract struggle
than the penguins at the county zoo,
for which CSEA members provide care.

CSEA Onondaga County Local
President Phil Graham said the
workers were insulted by the county’s
last offer and it was time to re-examine
county priorities in the wake of the
defeated contract.

“When a bunch of penguins get
more attention, better press coverage
and a lot of county funding, we think
it’s time to re-examine our county’s
priorities,” he said. “We don’t want to
take away from the penguins. We’re
just seeking a fair wage increase for
last year and we want to senda
message to county leaders and
residents that our services matter to
them.”

As this issue of The Work Force went
to press, CSEA and the county were
headed back to the negotiating table to
meet with a neutral mediator to try
and resolve the contract dispute,
which has been going on since the
previous agreement expired in
December 2004.

— Mark M. Kotzin

EARLY RETIREMENT!

State Senate action needed!
Retire early without penalty!

Call your Senator TODAY. Tell them you're CSEA and you want them to
25/55 would allow anyone who has 25 years of service to retire at age 55

Call Your State Senator TODAY, tell them to pass 25/55-retirement
legislation to give you the freedom to choose when you retire.

Page 2 THEWORK FORCE June 2006
Union rally demands

Secure Worksites Now!

ALBANY — CSEA members from across the
state converged on the State Capitol on May
3 for a rally in support of the Worksite
Security Act, which has now passed in the
state Senate and Assembly.

CSEA is now urging Gov. George Pataki to
sign the legislation.

“New York has the opportunity to lead the
nation by making the Worksite Security Act
the law — it will reduce risks and protect
people,” CSEA President Danny Donohue
said. “We know there is strong support of
this measure because it is reasonable and
responsible and will help protect people.”

CSEA has led the fight for safer public
work sites since the murder of four
CSEA-represented social service workers in
Watkins Glen in 1992.

In the wake of that tragedy CSEA worked
effectively with many localities to assess the
risks in their public buildings and work sites
and develop appropriate, cost-effective
measures to protect employees and the
public. It was clear there was a need for
baseline statewide standards.

Last year, Gov. George Pataki vetoed CSEA-
backed legislation that had been
overwhelmingly approved by both legislative
houses.

CSEA has worked with primary sponsors
state Sen. Nicholas Spano and
Assemblywoman Susan John to address the
“technical flaws” the governor cited. Both
lawmakers joined CSEA at the rally, along
with New York State AFL-CIO President Denis
Hughes.

The Worksite Security Act would require
public employers with more than 20
employees to assess risk and develop a plan
of action to prevent potential workplace
violence. The bill would also establish a
complaint procedure for workers to call
attention to the potential for violence.

Some workplace violence
statistics

According to the National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health:

¢ Violence is a substantial contributor to
death and injury on the job. NIOSH data
indicates that homicide has become the
second leading cause of occupational
injury death, exceeded only by motor
vehicle-related deaths.

¢ Homicide is the third leading cause of
death on the job for men and the leading
cause of death for women in the workplace.
© Government workers make up 18 percent
of the U.S. work force, but 31 percent of the
victims of workplace violence.

Above, right, SUNY at Buffalo Local
Executive Board member Bob Bostwick
shows his support of the Worksite Security
Act.

Right, state Sen. Nicholas Spano, CSEA
Statewide Secretary Barbara Reeves and
the Canary, CSEA’s Occupational Safety
and Health mascot, pump up the crowd.

Below, left, Long Island Department of
Transportation Local Ist Vice President Jill
Mallon and Long Island Developmental
Center Local President Darryl Wilson grab
pennants for the rally.

Below, right, CSEA members fight for
secure work sites.

THE WORK FORCE Page 3

June 2006
WORK

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 12210-2803.

COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATES

RACHEL LANGERT Long Island Region
(631) 462-0030
Metropolitan Region

(212) 406-2156

DAVID GALARZA

JESSICA STONE Southern Region
(845) 831-1000
THERESE ASSALIAN Capital Region

18) 785-4400
Central Region
(315) 433-0050

MARK M. KOTZIN

LYNN MILLER Western Region
(716) 691-6555
ED MOLITOR Headquarters

(S18) 257-1272

The Publications Committee

LONG ISLAND REGION Jane D'Amico
METROPOLITAN REGION Abraham Benjamin
SOUTHERN REGION Vacant
CAPITAL REGION Helen Fischedick
CENTRAL REGION Doreen Gilbert
WESTERN REGION Mary Jo Tubbs

yagh com

Page 4 THE WORKFORCE June 2006

CSEA President Danny Donohue

Governor’s budget actions not in the best
interest of New Yorkers

espite the legislature’s override of his budget vetoes,

Gov. Pataki is refusing to implement more than $2
billion from the legislative budget agreement including
CSEA’s hard-won increase in public nursing home funding
and public hospital aid.

Gov. Pataki is withholding funds that would help
the poor, the sick and the elderly. He is claiming many of
the overrides are unconstitutional, setting up a court
battle that will likely last for years.

In so doing, he is threatening the quality and
availability of health care services in every community across the state. His
refusal to release much-needed funding not only affects the 65,000 CSEA
members who work in health care facilities, it hurts New Yorkers and their
families who depend on quality health care being available where they live.
It will cost us all.

For more than a year, CSEA worked in cooperation with other groups
to secure a better future for public health care. Sen. Majority Leader Joseph
Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have demonstrated true
leadership on the issue, and the Senate and Assembly have acted
responsibly.

Gov. Pataki, on the other hand, is making decisions clouded by
ambition that are not in the best interest of New Yorkers. It’s up to us to
hold the governor accountable now for decisions that will affect us long
after he leaves office.

Call the Governor today at 1-877-255-9417. Tell him to stop playing
politics with New Yorkers’ health care.

Special
Olympics
volunteers find
special rewards

SCHENECTADY — Developmental Aide Gary Emery
works and volunteers to help consumers reach
their personal best. For the past 21 years, Emery
has worked for the Capital District Developmental
Disabilities Services Office and for the last 12 years
he has been coaching and training athletes for the
Special Olympics.

Emery attended training from Special Olympics
organizers to learn how to best prepare athletes for
competition. Emery’s specialized training included
adaptive games, track and field, and swimming.

“You need to be patient and present things
differently,” Emery said of the skills one needs to
cultivate as a trainer and coach for Special
Olympics. “You also need to have realistic
expectations.”

Getting to a statewide competition such as the
Summer Games being held in Albany this June is a
multi-stage process that begins at the county and
regional levels throughout the state.

Emery, a Schenectady/Schoharie County coach,
is involved at every step from finding athletes to
developing trainings to participating in regional
qualifying events. Emery said those trainings and
competitions help establish benchmarks for
training so athletes can be grouped by past
performance times.

His original motivation for volunteering came
from his job, Emery said. Involvement in the games
gives consumers an opportunity to experience so
much, including the social aspects.

“So much of the games are geared around
socializing,” Emery said. “Even consumers who live
nearby are encouraged to stay at the dorms to take
part in the entire social experience.”

The parents of consumers are very grateful and
appreciative of the efforts of the volunteers, adding
to the rewards, he said.

“Most people don’t really know that much about
Special Olympics,” he said, noting that
competitions extend to golf, tennis, weightlifting,
and equestrian events.

The more people know about Special Olympics
the more inclined they might be to volunteer and
share in the rewards, he said.

“It’s very fulfilling.”

— Therese Assalian

Developmental Aide Gary Emery stands before a
basketball hoop at a Capital Region
Developmental Disabilities Services Office gym.
Emery has been a Special Olympics coach for 12
years.

Special Olympics
sports categories

The Special Olympics Bocce
has many summer and Bowling
winter sports. CSEA Cross Country Skiing
encourages unionmembers Cycling
to volunteer as trainers, Equestrian
coaches and event staff. Figure Skating
Lots of help is needed right — Floor Hockey
now for the state games at Golf
the University at Albany Gymnastics
June 15 to 18. For more Powerlifting
information on how you can Roller Skating
volunteer, see Page 13 or Sailing
visit www.csealocall000.org Snowboarding

or Snowshoeing

www.specialolympicsny.org. Softball

Olympic events include: Speed Skating
Alpine Skiing Table Tennis
Aquatics Team Handball
Athletics Tennis
Badminton Volleyball
Basketball

June 2006

SERVICES

“You need to be
patient and
present things
differently. You
also need to have
realistic
expectations.”

66 [do public health
inspections and deal with
people who are under stress.
We go through training to
learn how to deal with that
and it’s the key to being safe
and secure. Still, it takes years
of experience to know how to
handle people and walk away
from dangerous situations. 99

— Susan Thew, Public
Health Sanitarian, Clinton
County Health Department
and 17-year member, on
attending the recent
Occupational Safety and
Health Conference.

THE WORK FORCE Page 5
0
LEADING) UNION)
Represents 35,000 Workers in
CURRECTIONS cid
LAM ER EOCENE

“They are good,
hardworking
guys who want
to learn. This
course will help
make their jobs
easier and
they’Il become
more
proficient.”

66 Twork in a maximum

security prison. Things
can get hectic at times. I
want to be able to go home
to my family rather than
going to the Erie County
Medical Center at the end of
my shift. 99

— Dan Barton, Youth
Detention Worker, Erie
County, on attending the
recent Secure Worksites
Now rally.

Page 6 THE WORKFORCE June 2006

Course offers prison workers
blueprints to improve skills

STATEN ISLAND — The
site of several men
huddled together
studying blueprints in
prison is normally enough
to send chills down the
spine of just about any
prison guard.

That wasn’t the case at
the Arthur Kill
Correctional Facility
where a dozen CSEA
members working at
correctional facilities
across the city recently
spent two days taking a
course sponsored by the
New York State/CSEA
Partnership for Education
and Training.

“This is a great day at
Arthur Kill,” CSEA
representative Barbara
Morrissey said.
“Hopefully, it will enhance
all of their jobs.”

The course was
designed for members
who do plumbing,
mechanical, maintenance,
carpentry, electrical and
other related work.

Knowledge is power

“If you ever want to
advance, it’s always good
to have more knowledge,”
said John White, a
maintenance supervisor
at Arthur Kill and a 14-
year CSEA member.

It also helps to know
how to read blueprints if,
for instance, “you have 60
inmates in two dorms and
you have to make sure
that ventilation is
operating correctly,”
White said.

During the course, two
to three members took
turns identifying and
analyzing features on the
blueprints. Instructors
would also engage them
with mathematical
equations and formulas.

“You don’t get too
many opportunities to
increase your knowledge
and make yourself more
valuable once you're in
the work force,” said Bob

—=

Partnership instructor Dan Aull, standing, looks over a
blueprint with CSEA members Reginald Thomas,
Raymond Tong and Robert Koukouev.

Crandall, a Partnership
instructor. “They are
bringing their general
mechanical skills together
and trying to sharpen
their skills. Blueprints
have a commonality for
all of them.”

Scott Hughes, an
electrician at Arthur Kill
for the past 16 months,
agreed. “It’s important for
all of us to come together.
Everybody will come
away with a distinct piece
of it, but when we return
to work, we all come
together as a whole.”

Course participants
also seemed anxious to
share what they learned
with others.

“I think highly of this
training. It gives us a lot
of knowledge to take back
to our work sites,” said
Reginald Thomas, a
maintenance supervisor
at Bay View Correctional
Facility.

Raymond Tong, a
maintenance supervisor
at Queensboro
Correctional Facility, said
he also enjoyed the
hands-on workshop and
its two lively and
interactive instructors.
“This course has opened
us up to so much,” he
said.

It even helped Richard
Skelton, an Arthur Kill

general mechanic who
boasted about a couple of
homes he built from
scratch and without
blueprints.

“It will come in handy
someday,” said Skelton,
who became popular with
his union brothers after
volunteering to cook a
hearty breakfast and
lunch. “It’s always good to
know this information for
any repairs you may have
to do and even for home
improvement.”

Upon completion of the
course, members should
be better able to see how
structures are designed
and why, Partnership
instructor Don Aull said.
“They are good,
hardworking guys who
want to learn. This course
will help make their jobs
easier and they'll become
more proficient.”

For Felix Roman, a
general mechanic at
Arthur Kill for the past
two and a half years, he’s
hoping what he’s learned
in the course will help
him advance.

“I would like to move
up,” he said. “When the
supervisor's test comes
up there will be questions
pertaining to this.”

— David Galarza

Jail workers
OK pact,
safety
concerns
addressed

PLATTSBURGH —
Corrections officers
employed at the Clinton
County Jail represented
by CSEA have ratified a
new agreement with jail
administrators that
addresses working
conditions, which had
taken a toll on worker
morale.

The officers ratified the
agreement in early May,
and the Clinton County
Legislature soon also
approved the measure.

Safety and staffing
concerns were heightened
in the wake of a two-year
jail expansion and
renovation project,
concerns addressed in an
article about the jail in the
May issue of The Work
Force.

The agreement should
help resolve outstanding
issues related to staffing
and training. Staffing
levels will increase,
including additional
supervisory staff.
Training is already under
way on topics that include
CPR, first aid and
weapons.

The county also
recently bought additional
hand scanners, as well as
a state-of-the-art chair,
known as Boss II, that
scans inmates for
weapons.

“We take employee
safety very seriously,”
said Clinton County
Sheriff David Favro.

“This is a positive
development,” said
Capital Region President
Kathy Garrison. “We are
all moving forward in the
right direction with the
same goal of improved
safety for jail employees.”

— Therese Assalian

New concerns arise following double

satisfied with just getting
double windows installed
on their floors alone, CSEA
activists who were moved
to a building that had been
heavily contaminated
during the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks have also helped
other building workers get
additional safety and
health improvements on
every floor.

Double windows that
were initially, and after
much protest and
organizing, added to only
four of the 15 floors at 90
Church St. to shield
workers from
contaminated air and
noise, will soon be added
on every floor.

“We are proud to stand
with all of our brothers and
sisters who form the 90
Church Street Labor
Coalition who have fought
long and hard to improve
the health and safety of
every worker we
represent,” said Deb
Hanna, CSEA Health
Research Inc. Local
president.

Their battle for clean air
and a safe workplace,
however, is far from over.

CSEA members are now
working with other union
members, residents and
elected officials in the
lower Manhattan area who
remain concerned about

urch St.

Tube TF

pepe

Marie Rogers and Deb Hanna discuss safety concerns

with Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

unsafe working conditions
and inadequate cleanup of
toxic dust at the former
Deutsche Bank building at
Ground Zero a short
distance away.

As The Work Force went
to print, federal and state
regulators asked the Lower
Manhattan Development
Corp. to stop work
completely at the 40-story
building.

The ongoing search for
human remains had also
been suspended after
asbestos was found on the
building's roof.

CSEA members recently
joined a lunchtime rally
aimed at getting the Lower
Manhattan Development
Corp. (LMDC) to halt
haphazard demolition.

“Given the trauma
suffered by the workers
and residents of lower
Manhattan four and a half

years ago, we simply
cannot accept a business-
as-usual approach to
potential toxic releases and
other emergency situations
down here,” Rep. Jerrold
Nadler told marchers
during the rally.

Two subcontractors
working on the Deutsche
Bank Building demolition
were recently hit with
thousands of dollars in
fines by the Occupational
Safety and Health
Administration.

In March, a worker who
was wearing a safety
harness he hadn’t attached
to lines fell 39 feet off a
sidewalk shed into the sub-
basement. He was
hospitalized with broken
bones. Last December
another worker fell off
scaffolding that didn’t have
inner guardrails.

“We are here to make

sure that the LMDC uses
responsible contractors,”
said Department of Health
CSEA representative Marie
Rogers as she marched
with co-workers a block
away from the structure.
“We don’t want to get
contaminated with toxic
debris and other
dangerous substances.”

Some of the most
heavily contaminated
buildings in New York City
lie within a few blocks of 90
Church St., including the
Deutsche Bank Building
and Fiterman Hall directly
across the street.

90 Church St. was
heavily contaminated with
lead, asbestos, mercury,
dioxin, mold and other
dangerous poisons during
the attack on the World
Trade Center. It took nearly
three years for the building
to be decontaminated and
reopened.

“We can all understand
the need to rebuild lower
Manhattan to attract
business and tourism,” said
Metropolitan President
George Boncoraglio. “What
we cannot understand and
will not allow are the
corners some contractors
and government agencies
are willing to cut to
expedite the process.”

— David Galarza

Almost time
to retire?

Your local may pay the first year of
CSEA retiree dues, which is only

$12!

CSEA retiree members enjoy

many of the benefits and discounts
of belonging to a union. In return,

you get access to a wide variety of
money saving benefits such as:

+ Access to insurance plans at

CSEA’s low group rates.

+ Travel discounts.

+ Adiscounted consumer items buying service.
+ Discounted dental and vision care programs.
+ Apersonal legal services referral network.

+ Receive The Work Force for $5 a year.

Being a CSEA retiree member also makes you part of a
growing statewide body that can effectively advocate on your

behalf:

+ Legislative and political action programs designed to
enhance and protect retiree pension and health benefits.

+ Participation in a Retiree Local of CSEA.

+ Effective lobbying against Social Security reform.

+ Three informative publications.

For more information, visit www.csealocal1000.org and
select “retirees” from the “Member Benefits” menu item.

June 2006 THE WORK FORCE

NEW YORK'S:
LEADING UNION,
Represents 50,000 Workers in
SUCIAL SERVICES ent
FAD WINIS ERA GIVES
SEWVICES

“What we cannot
understand and
will not allow are
the corners some
contractors

and government
agencies are
willing to cut

to expedite

the process.”

CSER Voices

Woes need to speak
out if they're facing a
dangerous situation. We need
to make employers live up to
their responsibility to respect
employees’ rights. The best
way to address safety and
health issues is to put them
right into the contract. 99

— Tracy Finger, Clerk,
Otsego Manor Nursing
facility and 16-year CSEA
member, on attending the
recent Occupational Safety
and Health Conference.

Page 7
WASTE hustle
VAIN EE NANG
IXELUSSTRUCTULES:

“There are

a lot of
misperceptions
out there about
unions, but we
are the reason
why people
have better
benefits

and pay.”

CSER Voices

“Ws? deal with a lot of
chemicals and get the
documentation on them. We
also have training twice a
year including the proper use
of personal protective gear.
We are always monitoring the
work site and take safety and
health very seriously. 99

— Randy White, Plant
Mechanic, Monroe County
Water Authority and
13-year CSEA member, on
attending the recent
Occupational Safety and
Health Conference.

Page 8 THE WORKFORCE June 2006

Solidarity, national recognition
for public works employees

COHOES — CSEA
members in the
Cohoes Department of
Public Works Unit are
enjoying their 15
minutes of fame after a
national magazine
profiled the workers on
the cover and ina
feature story.

Public Works
magazine, a monthly
publication that
focuses entirely on
public works
departments across
the country, published
the article, “Coming
together: Union
departments thrive on
brotherhood,” in its
April issue.

National recognition

“Tt was a really
rewarding experience,”
Unit President Bob
Pierre said.

Public Works
Managing Editor Amara
Rozgus initially
contacted the CSEA
Communications
Department for a lead
on a public works
department to profile.

Union staff put
Rozgus in touch with
Pierre, who answered
questions via a phone
interview and in
writing. The photo
shoot, however, came
later.

“It was a much
bigger undertaking
than I thought,” said
Pierre of the day-long
shoot. “Sometimes, we
had to wait for the sun
to be just right,” Pierre
said.

The feature story
highlights the benefits
of collective bargaining

with real-life examples
and survey results
from union members
across the country.
Other CSEA members,
including union
President Danny
Donohue and Delaware
County Local President
George Lawson, are
also quoted in the
story.

Lawson pointed out
the benefits of union
membership, including
voting on contracts
and job stability. The
article also quotes
members of AFSCME
Local 127 in San Diego.

The article also
mentions the activist
role that union
members frequently
play in issues affecting
their jobs. Rozgus
discusses in the article
a successful anti-
contracting out
campaign Pierre and
Unit Secretary George
Hebert led. The
members’ efforts led to
city officials dropping
the contracting out
proposal and the
mayor who originally
proposed it was voted
out of office.

“It was very
satisfying to get the
point across about the
advantages of union
membership to sucha
large audience,” said
Pierre. “There are a lot
of misperceptions out

Left, New York state
Assemblyman Ron
Canestrari, Unit
President Bob Pierre,
Unit Secretary George
Hebert, and Cohoes
Mayor John T.
McDonald at a labor
event in 2004.

there about unions, but
we are the reason why
people have better
benefits and pay.
Unions paved the way.”

— Therese Assalian

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CSEA reaches contract

with Yonkers Public Schools

YONKERS — After nearly
three years of working
without a contract, CSEA
members at the Yonkers
Public Schools have
overwhelmingly ratified a
four-year agreement with
district administrators.

The new agreement is
largely the result of
solidarity among Yonkers
Public Schools Unit
members, who launched a
vigorous contract
campaign when
negotiations stalled. Led
by Unit President Bobbie
DiBattista, members
reached out to union
members, public officials
and the community
through demonstrations
and other activities.

“It’s time to move
forward,” DiBattista told
The Journal News, a local
newspaper in Westchester
County. “We are unified
like never before and we
will only grow stronger
together.”

As The Work Force went
to press, the district’s
Board of Education was
scheduled to approve the

agreement. The CSEA
agreement covers more
than 1,800 non-teaching
district employees, most
of whom also live in
Yonkers.

The contract,
retroactive to July 1, 2003,
includes pay increases,
improved benefits and the
district's continued full
coverage of employee
health insurance
premiums.

The contract talks
quickly moved ahead
when State Sen. Nicholas
Spano, who represents
Yonkers, fought on behalf
of CSEA members winning
a fair agreement.

"Lam proud to have
worked with my
colleagues in Albany to
secure an historic amount
of state financial
assistance to Yonkers
which enabled the city to
reach an agreement with
our hardworking members
of CSEA," Spano said.

It’s not the first time
Spano has helped CSEA
members employed at the
district. Spano has been

Yonkers Public Schools Unit members fight for a fair
contract at a recent district education forum.

crucial in helping district
employees keep their jobs
in the face of fiscal crisis.
In recent years, CSEA
members at the schools
have faced possible
layoffs several times
because of the district's
perpetual multi-million
budget deficits, forcing
many of them to live
paycheck to paycheck. As
one of the state’s “Big
Five” districts, Yonkers
gets its state funding
through the city and the

schools are operated by a
mayor-appointed Board of
Education.

Along with other state
and local officials, Spano
played a lead role in
securing millions of
dollars in additional state
aid for the cash-strapped
schools. He is working
closely with CSEA on
finding a long-term
funding solution.

— Janice Marra

Saratoga educational local holds annual career conference

GLENS FALLS — More than
100 CSEA members from 11
Saratoga County school
districts recently did some
learning of their own at the
annual School District
Support Staff Career
Conference.

The Saratoga County
Educational Local
sponsors the event
annually, with local officers
and members from across
the county coordinating
conference programs.

The one-day conference
included information
tables from 18 vendors and
many workshops
addressing topics that
included retirement, stress
reduction, member
benefits, ergonomics,

political action and civil
service law.

Saratoga County
Educational Local
President Dawn Sweeney
commended the efforts of
the local’s School District
Committee.

“It’s so important that
we all do what we can to
educate ourselves and
keep current about topics
that affect our jobs,” she
said. “The committee did
an excellent job and the
conference proved to be a
great opportunity for
everyone to come together
and learn.”

— Therese Assalian

Saratoga County Educational Local School District

Committee members during the conference. In back row,

left, are Gerry Weatherwax, Sue Oudederk, Local Ist
Vice President Mary Tribley, Pat Alex, Local Executive
Vice President Bob Travis, James Ebert, Maureen
Leerkes and Joe McCormick. In center row, from left,
are Local 2nd Vice President Fred Harris, Carolyn
Hayner, Local 3rd Vice President Paula Galvin, Don
Ostrander, Anita Pratt and John Ellis. In front row, from
left, are Local Treasurer Kim Anatriello, Local President
Dawn Sweeney and Local Secretary Judy Russell.

pater ers

EHUCATTUNE
SEWVLCES

SUEEOLT

“We are
unified like
never before
and we will
only grow
stronger
together.”

sO Frven in a school district
we're facing violence in
the workplace. It’s a new
issue and we're grappling
with how to deal with it. We
need to change to adapt to
new circumstances. 99

— Scott Rajezi, Electrician,
Hyde Park School District
and 10-year member,
attending the recent
Occupational Safety and
Health Conference.

June 2006 THE WORK FORCE Page 9
yw

THE WORK

Building the union through safety

CSEA OSH Committee member
and William L. McGowan
Award winner Frank Cosentino
lights a ceremonial torch
honoring 12 CSEA members
who died on the job over the
past year, to begin the
conference weekend.

LAKE PLACID — The importance
of safety on the job and having a
safe place to work was not lost
on more than 700 CSEA
occupational safety and health
activists who recently met for
the union's Statewide
Occupational Safety and Health
conference.

A reminder

The conference's opening day
coincided with the annual
Workers’ Memorial Day, and
CSEA commemorated the event
with an outdoor ceremony. CSEA
Executive Vice President Mary
Sullivan led the ceremony by
honoring the 12 union members
who died on the job during the
past year. Sullivan recognized
each of the workers individually,
along with 12 presenters who
each read the name, work
location and date the workers
died.

“These are people who went
to work and never came home,”
she said.

Stressing the importance of
workplace safety standards,
Sullivan reminded attendees it is
crucial for all CSEA members to
make every effort to push for
work site regulations and
standards that could potentially
save lives.

“Let's hope that next year
there are no names to read,” she
said.

The presenters then passed a
torch between one another until
it reached Standing Safety and

Health Committee member Frank
Cosentino, who used the torch
to light a flame in a large torch
used in the village’s 1980 Winter
Olympics. CSEA members
employed at the Olympic
Regional Development Authority
helped set up and maintain the
torch.

The flame remained lit
throughout the three-day
conference in tribute to the
deceased workers.

conference's Friday dinner
program, said the idea for the
conference's theme, “Building
Our Union Through
Occupational Safety and Health,”
stemmed from frustration with
the federal Occupational Safety
and Health Administration and
its slowness to implement new
safety standards.

“The last number of years, we
have asked for more OSHA
regulations; we have begged for
more OSHA regulations,” he said.
“At every turn, we have been
denied.”

Sullivan discussed the primary
role CSEA has played in the fight

CSEA’s leading role
Standing Occupational Safety

and Health Committee Chair Jim

McHugh, speaking during the

by tea

CSEA’s Statewide Occupational Safety and Health Committee and
Occupational Safety and Health Department worked hard to put
together the union's most successful OSH Conference yet. From left,
OSH Department Administrative Assistant Monique St. Hillaire,
Committee Chair Jim McHugh, Statewide Executive Vice President
Mary Sullivan, committee members Karen Pecora, Anthony
DeCaro, Frank Cosentino, Jeanette Engle, OSH Department Project
Developer Matt Kozak, and OSH Department Director Janet Foley.
Not pictured are committee members George Walsh, Mike
D’Alesandro and Sarah Frost.

Page 10 June 2006

THE WORK FORCE

CSEA members take part in workshop exercises.

for workplace safety standards
since leading the charge to enact
PESH in 1980, as well as the
union’s current campaign for
passage of the Worksite Security
Act. (See Page 3 for related
story.)

Real solutions

On Saturday, participants
spent time in workshops
covering many health and safety
topics, including hazardous
materials, worker's
compensation, PESH
Basics/OSHA training
requirements, disability and
whistleblower protection and
legal rights to safety and health
information.

An innovative “Outside the
Boxed Lunch” program found
attendees divided into different
“hazard rooms” related to indoor
air quality, ergonomics,
violence/security and
fatigue/stress based on the
location and type of work they
do.

Participants drew on real-life
job experiences to come up with
a set of best practices
representative of each industry
in which CSEA members are
employed. The resulting

strategic plans were gathered
together and presented by
representatives from each group
at the Sunday morning program.

CSEA President Danny
Donohue said the conference
proved to be “an incredible
opportunity to learn and to
network.”

“[ think it’s fair to say that
this conference, at least equals,

zi

tatewide Occupational Safety and Health Committee member Mike

D’Alesandro introduces the Canary, CSEA’s OSH mascot. Canaries
were once brought into coal mines for early detections of
dangerous gases. CSEA’s Canary is no fainting songbird and
projects the union’s image of fighting for safe and secure
workplaces for all union members through early detection of

potential hazards.

and frankly, in my opinion,

exceeds comparable conferences

held on a national and even
international level,” he said.

— Therese Assalian

Cosentino a fighter for safety

LAKE PLACID — Metropolitan
Region activist Frank Cosentino
received CSEA’s William L.
McGowan Occupational Safety
and Health Award at the union's
recent Statewide Occupational
Safety and Health Conference.

Statewide Secretary Barbara
Reeves presented Cosentino
with the award, which
recognizes an individual's
efforts in fighting for safer
workplaces.

The award is named in tribute
to McGowan, CSEA’s president
from 1977 to 1988, who ushered
in an era of transformation for
the union. McGowan led the
fight for the Public Employee
Safety and Health Act, passed in
1980, that gives workplace

safety protections to public
work sites.

Cosentino was spurred on to
become more involved in
occupational safety and health
activism in the wake of the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the
World Trade Center. He and
other members of the CSEA
Metropolitan State Employees
Local were among the numerous
CSEA members personally
affected by the devastation and
health effects of the attacks.

In his acceptance speech,
Cosentino recalled his late
father who inspired him to
activism through his deeds as a
private citizen and a decorated
World War II soldier.

“Health and safety is nothing

Cosentino and Reeves

to brush off,” said Cosentino, a
mailroom supervisor for the
New York State Liquor
Authority. “It affects everyone at
the work site.”

— Therese Assalian

June 2006 Page 11
CSEA remembers fallen members

ALBANY — CSEA marked Workers’
Memorial Day April 28 by
remembering workers who have
died or been injured on the job,
including the nine union members
who died on the job since the last
Workers’ Memorial Day.

In addition to holding a
remembrance ceremony during the
Statewide Occupational Safety and
Health Conference in Lake Placid
(See pages 10 —11), CSEA members
held memorial services and
ceremonies for the workers in their
own regions.

On this page are photos from
Communications Associates
Therese Assalian, Rachel Langert,
Lynn Miller and Jessica Stone of the
some of the ceremonies CSEA held
across the state.

Above, Ossining Unit President Mike Duffy speaks at a Workers’ Memorial
Day ceremony in the village. John Paul Rodrigues, 24, a sanitation worker
with the Ossining Department of Public Works, died last July after falling
from the back of a village garbage truck. Duffy remembered Rodrigues
and read the names of the CSEA members across the state who died on
the job during the past year. The village officially renamed its public
works operations center after Rodrigues; new signs are now on display.
Also on display at the newly named John Paul Rodrigues Ossining
Operations Center was a memorial garden village workers created in
honor of Rodrigues.

i) all CSEA members.

Page 12 THE WORK FORCE June 2006

Above, the memorial plaque at the
state Department of
Transportation’s Memorial Garden
in Clifton Park honors department
employee and CSEA member
George H. Green, who died Feb. 17
while driving a department truck
on the Avenue of the Pines in
Saratoga Springs during a
devastating wind storm. Capital
Region President Kathy Garrison
dedicated the plaque during a
recent memorial service for Green.
Also attending the service were
more than 70 department workers,
state transportation officials and
Green’s family.

Left, Western Region President Flo Tripi addresses the
audience during a recent Workers’ Memorial Day
ceremony at West Seneca Developmental Center. Behind
her is Dawn Smith, president of the Western New York
DDSO local, and family members of Steven Guzzo, a CSEA
member who died in an accident while at work in the
1980s. Speakers at the ceremony remembered Guzzo and
other CSEA members who lost their lives while on the job.
They stressed the need for safe and secure work sites for

Left, Long Island Judiciary Local
President Kevin Ray, Suffolk
County Educational Local Ist Vice
President Harry Ader and Miller
Place School District custodian
Tony Montefusco (foreground), join
Long Island Region President Nick
LaMorte, center, in paying tribute
to CSEA members who died on the
job during the past year, including
Miller Place School District
Maintenance Mechanic Michael
Sallee and Long Island Department
of Transportation Local member
Patrick Mapleson.

ie
HEALTH

Work site security
assessments address
concerns

ALBANY — CSEA is receiving
work site security assessments
from occupational safety and
health activists around the state,
as the union continues to solicit
concerns from members about
security at their workplaces.

The surveys, handed out at
CSEA’s recent Occupational Safety
and Health Conference, are being
compiled into a report to outline
specific areas of concern that the
proposed Worksite Security Act
would address. (See story, Page
3)

CSEA’s proactive assessments
are aimed at addressing and
resolving potential risks before an
incident occurs.

Occupational safety and health
activists who need additional
survey copies may download
them at CSEA’s website at
www.csealocal1000.org/osh/
security_survey.pdf.

Red Cross salutes ‘heroes’

ALBANY — Two CSEA members
received special awards honoring
their commitment to humanitarian
causes.

CSEA Capital Region Judiciary
Local President Colin Farley was the
recipient of the CSEA Special
Presentation Award from the
American Red Cross of Northeastern
New York.

Also honored was Columbia
County Court and Sheriff's
Department worker Mark Bruhmuller
(See story, Page 18).

The award was presented during
the annual Salute to Hometown
Heroes event in Albany on May 5.
CSEA President Danny Donohue was
on hand to personally present the
award to Farley in front of a crowded
ballroom.

The event honors members of the
community for specific acts of

heroism, bravery or generosity.

Farley, featured in the May issue of
The Work Force, coordinated the
“Lifeline Program,” a cell phone
collection program that assists
victims of domestic violence. The
program is ongoing and to date has
collected more than 150 phones.

In his acceptance speech, Farley
encouraged audience members to
turn in unwanted phones and
chargers to collection boxes in
Family Court locations throughout
the Capital Region.

Farley joined nine other
community “heroes,” including
fellow CSEA member Bruhmuller,
who received the IAMS Pet Food
Rescue Award for his role in assisting
animals displaced by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.

— Therese Assalian

CSEA members Colin Farley, second from left, and

Mark Bruhmuller, far right, were recently honored as
American Red Cross Hometown Heroes. Also pictured
are CSEA President Danny Donohue, left, and
American Red Cross of Northeastern New York CEO

Bill Delia.

Jim Feiden, Equipment Operator at the University at Albany, mows an athletic field on the

CSE

NEW YORK'S
LEADING UNION

FAMINE RIENLIS
KEIGEEGKE

d

campus. Feiden and many other CSEA members will help prepare athletic fields, dorms and
other campus areas for the Special Olympics in June. CSEA is encouraging members to
volunteer to help with Olympic events and attend the opening ceremonies. (See info at right.)

JUNE
15-18
University
at Albany

8 pm, June 15, 2006
University at Albany

* x Join US to CHEER* *
for our Athletes

For Volunteer or Competi Information:
Call 800-836-6976 or visit our Website
www.specialolympicsNY.org

June 2006 THE WORKFORCE Page 13

TAX

| {
WE'RE READY
IN CASE A

HAPPENS To COME

FIGHTING TO KEEP
NEWYORK'S HEALTHCARE SAFE

BREAK J

78 years ago ...

CSEA members and other state workers will soon
reoccupy the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building in
downtown Albany. The building, first opened in 1928, has been
undergoing massive renovations over the past several years.

The man for which it is named, former Gov. Alfred
E. Smith, was a towering figure in New York during the early
2oth century. His strong influence on the state continues to
shape CSEA’s growth and development.

A charming personality, Smith emerged from the rough
streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side to become governor
and eventually the Democratic nominee for U.S. President in
1928. Smith first gained notoriety chairing the Factory
Investigating Commission established following the 1911
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that killed 146 young women.
The commission was responsible for more than 30 state laws
to protect workers and improve working conditions.

As governor in the 1920s, Smith pushed through legislation
and state constitutional changes that reorganized and
expanded the role of state government, strengthened the
Executive branch, reformed civil service and adopted
consistent policies and procedures including the first-ever
state budget.

Cbrintepher M1.
FINAN

Above, the cover of “Al

Smith: The Happy Warrior” by
Christopher Finan (Hill & Wang,
New York 2002), detailing
Smith’s influence on New York
state. Finan recently spoke with
CSEA about Smith as part of the
CSEA 100 history project.

Also in 1928 ...

2 Sixty-two countries ratify the Kellogg-Briand
Pact, which outlawed war; the pact was
considered a failure by the early 1930s.

2 Herbert Hoover is elected the 3Ist U.S.
President, defeating Alfred E. Smith (see “78
years ago” on this page for more on Smith).

2 Walt Disney introduces the first cartoons
with sound with the Mickey Mouse features
“Steamboat Willie” and “The Galloping
Gaucho.”

2% The Academy Awards are handed out for
the first time.

2 Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.

2* The New York Yankees defeat the St. Louis
Cardinals in the World Series.

Page 14 THE WORKFORCE June 2006

CSEA supports Rosalynn Carter’s visit
to Albany to help improve
understanding of mental illnesses

CSEA Treasurer Maureen Malone speaks with former First Lady
Rosalynn Carter, left, and former New York First Lady Matilda
Cuomo at a recent Albany event sponsored by the Foundation of
Advocacy for Mental Health. Carter helped to focus attention on
the importance of overcoming stigma and addressing mental
health needs. CSEA President Danny Donohue is on the
foundation board and CSEA helped support the event. More than
10,000 CSEA members work directly with individuals and families
struggling with mental illnesses. Carter spoke of the tremendous
importance of early diagnosis and access to appropriate treatment
and quality care. She also expressed her support for parity
legislation to ensure health insurance cover mental illnesses the
same as other illnesses.

CSEse eStore

Visit your Company Store at

http://cseastore.sm-pm.com
or www.csealocal1000.org

All Products are Union-Made in the USA

In-Stock Items - Order in quantities as small as 1 item
Special-Order Items - Imprint with local information - Minimum quantities apply

CSE-135 © S8.75IM-XL] CSE-126 — s12.251m-x.1_ ~~ powered by
GRAY $10.05 [3X] LadiesTee $13.95 [2x]
TShirt $11.25 [3X]
$12.08 [4X] Embroidered -_
50/50 heather 100% cotton
gray, with 7 ‘scoop neck
color imprint.
(Building Pink

Safer &
Healthier
Workplaces)

cx 888.372.3487x212

While Supplies Last

Good coffee teams up
with fair trade

ALBANY — Among the consumer choices of fair-trade products
that help working families, the options are growing for a decent
cup of coffee.

The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition has joined forces

CSEss

with Deans Beans of Orange, Mass., to
offer fair trade coffee that helps support
coalition’s Fair Trade Project and
guarantees living wages for the coffee NEW YORK'S
farmers. LEADING UNION

Not only that, it’s good coffee, organic, ) Members Strong
and is comparably priced to non-fair AROR ite
trade, store-bought coffee. EABOR FING

“It’s really an issue that affects working
families,” said Martha Schultz, Labor-Religion Coalition
communications coordinator.

Dean’s Beans will donate a percentage of each sale to help
expand the Labor-Religion Coalition Fair Trade Project when you
enter “CSEA” to identify yourself as a CSEA member in the
promotion code box just before checking out on the Internet
order page.

To learn more, visit http://www.labor-religion.org and follow the
“fair trade” links.

DID YOU KNOW?????

* Coffee drinkers in the US consume one-fifth of the world’s supply;

© World coffee prices have plummeted over the last two decades so that
coffee workers can no longer feed their families;

© Children as young as 5 work picking coffee;

* Coffee is the second largest import into the U.S. after oil.

CHOCOLATE & COCOA

¢ A 2002 international study found that at least 284,000 children are
slaves in the cocoa industry in West Africa;

© More than 60 percent of children working on West African cocoa farms
are below the age of 10;

¢ 46 percent of Americans say they cannot live without chocolate;

¢ 3.3 billion pounds of chocolate were consumed by Americans in 2004.

FAIR TRADE

Union Made
& Fair Trade

The
Religion Coalition

Labor
FAIR TRADE AEBS

www.labor-religion:

June 2006 THE WORK FORCE Page 15

CSEA delegates to the AFSCME Convention

The following are results for
the contested races for AFSCME
delegates. The listing of all
unopposed AFSCME delegates
(Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5) appeared
in the April 2006 edition of The
Work Force.

CSEA members vote for
delegates to AFSCME’s
convention to represent the
membership. The convention is
held every two years, during
which changes to AFSCME’s
constitution and bylaws, which
ultimately affect CSEA, are
voted on. This year’s
convention is scheduled for
Aug. 7 - 11, 2006, in Chicago.

Capital Region

Kathy Garrison
Kim Wallace
Rose DeSorbo
Karen Jazvinski

Jeanne Kelso

Elizabeth “Betty” Eagan
Dorothy “Dottie” Dutton
Mike Gifford

Jackie Goldsmith

Sally Bywater

Ed Russo

Jay Ingoldsby

Joe McNally

Carol Bruno

Mike Myers

Patty Kaufman

Hank Wagoner

Joanne DeSarbo

Helen Fischedick
Joseph “Joe” Musso
Allen Mead

Ed Wysomski

Donna Uncher

Clarence Russell
William “Bill” VanGuilder
Ron Briggs

Joe Melita

Richard “Rich” Plumadore
Kevin Brannock

Vianna “Vi” Boyko
William “Bill” LeBaron
Ron Revers

Jack Rohl

George Greiner
Dowell Harrell
Richard “Rich” Chaffin

Western Region

Florence “Flo” Tripi
Nancy P.L. Hart
Marcia E. Olszewski
Joan Bender

Kathy Button
Wendy Wedman
Denise Szymura
Karen Anderson
Dawn Smith

Kelly Volpe

Rose Conti

Mary Jo Tubbs
Charlene Schmitt
Bob Pyjas

Steven J. Hurley
Debi Sherk

Timothy Finnigan
Bill E. Stanton
Michael Jones

Tom Rogalski
Robert “Robbie” Ellis
Doris B. Cota
Thomas J. Warzel
Bruce Porter
Bernadette Giambra
Ronald A. Gillespie
Tom Edwards
Charles Parsons
James R. Smith
Michael Flavin
James Volpone
Robert Mootry, Jr.
Ron Castle, Jr.
David A. Swinnich
Hank Hoisington
Mark Dotterweich
Wayne Dorler

Jerald H. Schlagenhauf
John V. Stading

Fight religious discrimination in the workplace

Editor’s Note: This is the
seventh article in a series of
discrimination articles that have
appeared in The Work Force, to
provide valuable information
regarding important areas of
protection available through the
CSEA Legal Assistance Program
(LAP). The Legal Assistance
Program covers employment and
labor issues involving
disciplinaries, contract
grievances and arbitrations, court
litigation and agency
proceedings. Get more
information about legal services
in the LAP by calling CSEA
Headquarters at 1-800-342-4146,
extension 1443, or by visiting
www.csealocal1000.org, and
clicking on the legal programs
and services menu item.

This article provides an
overview of religious
discrimination in the workplace.

Under federal and state law it
is illegal to discriminate against

an employee because of his or
her religion.

Under federal law, it is illegal
for an employer to fail to
reasonably accommodate the
religious practices of an
employee, unless the employer
can prove that the
accommodation would result in
an undue hardship.

Under New York’s Human
Rights Law, it is illegal for an
employer to require an
employee to remain at work
during a Sabbath or other holy
day, unless granting such an
accommodation would
constitute an undue hardship
on the employer. In addition,
the Human Rights Law
mandates that, in some
circumstances, employers must
allow employees to utilize their
accrued vacation and personal
leave for the period of an
absence related to religious
observance. Alternatively, if the
employee lacks such accrued

leave, the employer is obligated
to permit the employee to treat
the time for religious
observance as leave without
pay.

An employer’s refusal to
permit an employee to use
accrued leave solely because
the leave would be used to
accommodate the employee’s
religious observance constitutes
an unlawful discriminatory
practice.

Under federal law, an
employer can establish the
undue hardship of a reasonable
accommodation by showing
that the accommodation would
require a significant expense or
a significant interference with
the safe or efficient operation of
the workplace, or would
constitute a violation of a bona
fide seniority system.

The most common form of
accommodation is a request by
an employee to change a work
schedule due to religious

practices. Such an
accommodation may conflict
with the seniority clause of a
negotiated contract. It has been
determined by the U.S. Supreme
Court that it is an undue
hardship to require an employer
to violate the seniority rights of
other employees under a
collective bargaining agreement
in order to reasonably
accommodate the religious
practices of a particular
employee.

Nevertheless, employers and
labor unions under federal and
state law have a duty to explore
other means of providing a
reasonable accommodation that
would not result in a
contractual violation or cause
another form of undue
hardship. Such an
accommodation may include a
program permitting voluntary
substitution between employees
or flexible scheduling.

Page 16 THE WORK FORCE June 2006

April 2006 CSEA Board of Directors summary

Editor's
note: The
Work Force
publishes a
summary of
actions
taken by
CSEA’s
board of
directors.
The
summary is
prepared by CSEA Statewide
Secretary Barbara Reeves for
union members.

ALBANY — CSEA’s statewide
board of directors met on April
20. In official business, the
board:

¢ Added the Pinnacle Motor
Club to the official list of
vendors offered to our
members;

¢ Approved to proceed with
all steps necessary to establish
a Private Sector Health and
Welfare Fund, in accordance
with the Taft-Hartley Act
requirements;

e Amended and restated CSEA
Staff Pension Plan;

¢ Retained services of
PricewaterhouseCoopers as
CSEA’s accounting firm for 2006
fiscal year audit;

¢ Created temporary charter
for Local 761 (Westchester
Medical Center Food Service
Employees - SODEXHO);

* Changed name of Local 514
(Hamburg DOT) to Erie County
DOT Local 514;

¢ Merged Local 415
(Middletown Psychiatric
Center) and Local 421 (Rockland
Psychiatric Center);

¢ Dissolved Local 415;

¢ Increased funding to the
Executive Office Department by
$27,000; and

¢ Created position of Retiree
Program Specialist, MC Grade 7.

Questions concerning the
summary should be directed to
CSEA Statewide Secretary
Barbara Reeves,

CSEA Headquarters,

143 Washington Ave., Albany,
N.Y. 12210, 1-800-342-4146

or (518) 257-1253.

Help prevent Lyme disease

Lyme disease is the most
commonly reported tick-borne
illness in the United States. It is
transmitted to humans by the
bite of an infected deer tick,
also known as the blacklegged
tick.

Even though deer ticks thrive
during this time of year in fields
and wooded areas, it is
important to note that not all
ticks carry the bacterium and a
bite does not always result in
the development of Lyme
disease.

Since it is impossible to tell
by sight which ticks are
infected, it is important to avoid
tick bites whenever possible.

If exposure to tick-infested
habitats cannot be avoided,
individuals may reduce their
risk of infection by using
repellents, wearing protective
clothing and regularly checking
for and removing attached ticks.

Symptoms of Lyme disease
typically appear within seven to
14 days from the time of
infection, but symptoms may
appear as soon as three days
and as long as 30 days from
exposure.

These symptoms include but
are not limited to; a circular,
sometimes oval-shaped red rash

Health
Benefits ~%

Department

that starts as a small red spot at
the site of the tick bite and later
appears as a bull’s eye rash,
fever, headache, stiff neck,
fatigue and body aches. In some
cases, there are no symptoms at
all.

There is currently no vaccine
on the market for tick-borne
diseases, and early detection is
crucial in the diagnosis and
treatment of Lyme disease as it
is most treatable during its
earliest stages.

Regular tick checks are
advised for all outdoor
enthusiasts. The best strategy,
however, is to stop them before
they bite and call your doctor if
you are concerned.

Tips to help stop the ticks

¢ Wear light colors, so ticks
are easy to spot.

¢ Tuck pant legs into socks,
so ticks can’t crawl up your leg.

¢ Spray insect repellents
containing permethrin on boots

this summer

and clothing. Apply repellents
containing DEET to the skin: a
10 to 20 percent concentration
for adults, less than 10 percents
for kids (use sparingly on 2 to 6-
year-olds, and do not use at all
on children under age 2).

¢ Check body and hair for
ticks when you get home.
Remove with fine-point
tweezers. Don’t twist! Pull ina
steady motion. Try not to
squeeze the tick’s body.

¢ Don’t panic if you do get a
tick bite. Ticks must remain
attached for several hours to
two days to transmit most
infections to humans.

¢ Ask your veterinarian about
tick repellent if you own a cat or
dog.

© Call your doctor
immediately if you develop
symptoms of tick-borne illness
— usually fever, severe
headaches, body aches,
vomiting and nausea. Rashes
don’t appear in every case.

June 2006

Break in membership
affects el lity

for union office, voting
privileges

A break in union membership status can
have long-term future implications. Your
membership status affects your eligibility with
respect to:

* seeking or holding union office;

* signing nominating petitions for potential
candidates;

* voting in union elections, and;
* voting on collective bargaining contracts.

Only members “in good standing” can
participate in these activities. To be in “good
standing,” your dues cannot be delinquent.

If you go on unpaid leave or for any other
reason have a break in your employment
status, your dues will not continue to be paid
through payroll deductions. You must make
arrangements to pay your dues directly to
CSEA to continue your membership status. If
you are either laid off or placed on leave
without pay status due to becoming disabled
by accident, illness, maternity or paternity,
you may be eligible for dues-iree membership
status for a period not to exceed one year. If
you are called up for active military duty you
may also apply for dues-free status.

Note, however, you must continue to pay
dues to run for office. Dues-free or gratuitous
membership allows members to continue their
insurance coverage while out of work. It does
not protect your right to run for or hold office.
This does not apply to members who are on
leave due to being called up for military duty.
Members on active military duty, upon return,
are considered to have had continuous
membership status for all CSEA election
purposes.

Please notify the CSEA Membership
Records Department at 1-800-342-4146, Ext.
1327, of any change in your status and what
arrangements you are making to continue your
membership in CSEA.

THE WORK FORCE Page 17

ALBANY — Mark Bruhmuller has seen his
share of death and destruction.

As an American Red Cross volunteer and
volunteer firefighter, Bruhmuller is
regularly sent in harm’s way, or to walk
down harm’s path after it has passed.

He spent nearly four weeks in
Manhattan’s Liberty Park after the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks, helping with
recovery operations.

Yet even all that did not prepare him for
the scope of destruction he saw when he
was deployed as part of
a Red Cross hazard
assessment team to
Texas following
Hurricane Rita. In the
Houston area, he
became aware that
humanitarian efforts in
such situations don’t
always apply solely to
humans.

Bruhmuller was able to
find and secure shelter
from seven hotels for families with pets,
finding items and food for them from
abandoned stores or paying out of his
pocket. One lucky pup, Katie, came home
with him to join his family.

Bruhmuller, a CSEA member working in
Columbia County as a court officer and in
the Sheriffs Department, was awarded the
IAMS Pet Food Pet Rescue Award and the
Red Cross of Northeastern New York
chapter’s Hometown Heroes Award (See
story, Page 13). The Work Force’s Lou
Hmieleski recently spoke with Bruhmuller
about his experiences.

Bruhmuller

WF: How long have you been affiliated with the Red
Cross and how did you get involved?

MB: I've been a Red Cross volunteer for about 15

Page 18 THE WORK FORCE

June 2006

years. |'m a volunteer firefighter and work on a

disaster assessment team that is involved in putting up

families and finding shelter if their homes are burned
down or things like that. | decided to become more
nationally involved around Sept. 11.

WF: Were you prepared for what you saw when you
were deployed for the Hurricane Rita assessment?

MB: No, | did not expect that kind of magnitude of
destruction or the stress the people were
experiencing. It was so overloading, it was amazing to
see how the people during those stressful moments
stuck together. The townspeople did not let their fellow
townspeople go by themselves or suffer.

WF: Renew your faith in humanity?
MB: Yes, exactly.

WF: How was it that you came to discover pets were
in need of help, too?

MB: This was a coincidence. We were doing what we
call “hot shots” during the Red Cross assessment.
We'd go to different parts of residences, assess
damage, check on survivors, figure out what are their
immediate needs, such as supplies, diapers, shelters.
As we're going through the neighborhood, one
particular house's occupants were killed by a fallen
tree. A puppy's mother and two siblings were killed,
too. | found Katie on a roofline. | went to grab her, and
a National Guard medic who worked in a veterinary
hospital offered to fly her back to headquarters. He put
an IV in her, she was very dehydrated. | called my
wife, Maria, and asked her if she'd be interested in me
bringing a puppy home. United Airlines was very nice
about it, and told me | could have her on my lap. It
was a privilege.

WF: So how did this grow into helping all the other
animals?

‘A humanitarian
in all senses

Red Cross Hometown Heroes award winner Mark
Bruhmuller watches as Katie, who was still a puppy
when he rescued her from a hurricane-stricken
Houston neighborhood, plays with his grandson.
Bruhmuller helped find shelter for families with pets
when he wasn’t working as part of an assessment
task force.

MB: | was going around on my off time, asking if
people could take in some of these pets. Maybe six of
seven places opened their doors for that idea. A
couple of shopping centers were willing to use their
fenced-in areas. We found a run-down store, not being
used, and they allowed people to throw hay down and
keep horses in there. The Houston American Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals deserves a lot
of credit. I've never seen such a top-notch ASPCA;
how quickly they were able to get the animals into
adopted homes. Thousands are still waiting.

The governor’s pitching pension
changes that could hit us hard

Strike
Back!

Save Your
Pension

Join
PEOPLE
Today

Public employee pensions and benefits have been increasingly
under attack lately, first from big business groups and now from our
own governor.

Gov. George Pataki wants to create a new retirement plan with a
new Tier 5. He also wants to switch your pension from a defined
benefit plan to a defined contribution plan. That means you pay more
in with no guarantee of getting more out.

PEOPLE (Public Employees Organized to Promote Legislative
Equality) is CSEA’s voice in Washington, Albany and in your
community. Join PEOPLE and help defeat this and other proposals
that hurt working people.

+ PAYROLL DEDUCTIONAPPLICATION -

Name

Tat Fit Wis
Address Apt. #/ Floor
City State zip
Social Security No.
Work Phone(—) Home Phone(
Job Title Region Local
Employer
Total amount deducted per year in equal installments:
‘$100 (MVP)* $75 (Local 1000) $50 (VIP)** $ Other

If PEOPLE payroll deduction is not available, enclosed is my personal check, money order or credit card
contribution in the amount of: $ .

VISA | MASTERCARD.
ACCOUNT NUMBER

Expiration Date

SIGNATURE DATE
circle size: X-Small /S | M/ L/XL/XXL/3XL/4XL

Jacket Received Pin Received Keychain Received
VIP Lapel Pin, Local 1000 Key Chain, plus a special gift - a custom

sn MVP jacket with a gold embroidered logo foi ear with pride.

fou receive a practical white windbreaker and a VIP Lapel Pin. These gifts carry the symbol of
PEOPLE, honoring your action to protect your retirement security

Please mail completed application to: CSEA PEOPLE, 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New
York 12210

lance with federal law, the PEOPLE committee will accept contibutions only from members of AFSCME, executive of
to AFSCME PEOPLE are not deductible as charitable contributions fr

federal income tax purposes.

PEOPLE PERSON —
The PEOPLE
recruiter of the
month of April is
Tony Tutino of the
state Department of
Transportation
(Utica area) Local in
the Central Region.
He recruited 13 new
PEOPLE members. 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
legislature, in your community
and in the labor movement ...
EVANS CONTRACT RATIFIED —
Evans town unit members
recently overwhelmingly ratified
a new three-year contract with
raises of 2.75 percent for each
year of the agreement. There
were no changes in health
insurance benefits or employee
contribution. For the first time,
members who retire under this
contract will be able to sell back
unused sick leave at various
rates or have it contributed to
retiree health insurance costs ...
SHANDAKEN CONTRACT —
Shandaken, in Ulster County, has
ratified a three-year agreement
that gives employees wage
increases each year along with
numerous improvements to
benefits, including an increase in
boot allowance, more equitable
health insurance contributions,
anew “comp-time” clause,
increased total of call-in pay
hours, added bereavement leave,
reimbursed cost of training and
an “ambient temperature” clause
to protect employees from
extreme heat and cold ... HOT
DOGS HELP BUILD HOMES —
The St. Lawrence Psychiatric
Center Local recently raised
$550 by selling Michigan hot
dogs. The local’s fund-raiser
benefitted CSEA’s Operation
Home Delivery with Habitat for
Humanity to build “CSEA Street”
for Gulf Coast residents who lost
their homes to Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. The hot dogs
cost $4, including chips and
soda. Glazier Hot Dogs donated

June 2006

TODAY

the food. Local
President Michael
Jameson and Local
Secretary Dorothy
Smith presented a
check from the
fund-raiser to
Statewide Treasurer
Maureen Malone
during the union’s
Statewide Occupational Safety
and Health Conference. CSEA
members also raised during the
conference an additional $3,424
for Operation Home Delivery ...
VOTING MAKES A DIFFERENCE
— State Sen. Catharine Young
was the guest speaker at a
recent Cattaraugus County Local
meeting. She stressed the
importance of voting and the
need for CSEA members to
contact their legislators with
their concerns. One person can
make a difference, she told the
group. Young was elected to the
Senate last year in a special
election. She credited her
success to CSEA’s overwhelming
support ... MEMBER NEEDS
LEAVE DONATIONS — CSEA
member Denise Arena, a child
care aide at the New York State
School for the Deaf in Rome, has
been diagnosed with advanced
cancer and is unable to work
because of her treatments. She
has exhausted all her available
leave accruals and is currently
on leave without pay and is
unsure about when she will be
able to return to work. The New
York State School for the Deaf
Local has reached out to Arena’s
co-workers several times to get
time donated on her behalf, but
the local is now extending its
appeal to all CSEA members
employed by the state. Any state
employee can participate in the
Leave Donation Program, if the
workers have a minimum
vacation balance of 10 days after
making the donation. Donations
must be vacation hours and
must be made in full day units.
Members interested in donating
time to Arena should contact the
timekeeper in their agency’s
personnel office.

THE WORK FORCE Page 19
Gov. George Pataki’s
Budget Power Play

Harms New Yorkers

The pressure on New York's health care system
is a real statewide challenge, particularly for
public hospitals and county nursing facilities.

Gov. Pataki is withholding more than $2 billion

that would help the poor, sick and the elderly,

threatening the quality and availability of

health care services in every community across

the state. It hurts New Yorkers and their families and it will cost us

plenty.

For more than a year, CSEA has worked in

cooperation with other groups to secure a better future for public
health care. Senate Majority

Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have
demonstrated true leadership on the issue and the Senate and the
Assembly

have acted responsibly.

Gov. Pataki, on the other hand, is making

decisions clouded by ambition that are not in the best interest of
New Yorkers. It's up to us who must live with the fallout from those
decisions long after the governor is gone to hold him accountable
now.

Real health care reform means
making the right choices for all
New Yorkers.

1-877-255-9417
\\. Tell him to stop
playing politics with New
Yorkers’ health care

CSEs

Ne we York’s
Leading Union
Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO
Danny Dannhne, Prasifent
www.csealocal1000.org

Western Frontier

Official publication of CSEA Western

Region

* A supplement to The Work Force + June 2006 Vol. 8 No. I

In every corner of the CSEA’s Western
Region, from Lockport in Niagara County
to Bath in Steuben County, CSEA

members work daily to provide high-quality

care to residents of public nursing homes.

That care — and the public nursing
homes at which CSEA members work —
continue to be threatened by several
factors, including a lame duck governor
who, at press time, refused to release
funding for nursing homes that state
legislators included in the 2006 budget.

“Governor Pataki apparently wants to
leave office as he came in — out of touch
with the needs of working New Yorkers,”
CSEA President Danny Donohue said.
“From one end of New York to the other,
public nursing homes have been in crisis
and CSEA has been committed to
securing a long-range solution. We have
worked from the grassroots level to the
halls of the Capitol to create
understanding and support in the state
Senate and Assembly.”

The grassroots fight continues locally.
Activists from CSEA’s Western Region
have come together to form the “Western
Region Nursing Home Focus Group.” The
group will monitor situations at public
nursing homes and develop a plan for
fighting sales or closures.

“Our main goal is to create a campaign
template,” said CSEA Western Region
President Flo Tripi. “It will be a model to
be used when the proverbial wolf arrives
at the door.”

The focus group, however, cannot fight
the nursing home battle alone. Every
CSEA member, particularly those working
in the nursing homes, must get involved to
be successful.

“There are things you can do to get

Paid training included

in new unit contract

Page 2

involved to make sure we keep the upper
hand,” Tripi said. “By promoting our
nursing homes and services and by taking
action early and in strong numbers, we
can more effectively fight to save jobs.”

CSEA at

\vists from public nursing homes throughout,the Western Region traveled

toAlbany March 14 to ask lawmakers to restore fundingsfor these important
nursing homes. Above, activists from the Wayne County Nursing Home:get fired
up before going in:to. speak with their elected representatives. Front row from left,
Sherry Davis, Brenda Brown, John Allen, and back from left, Dawn Wuilliez,
Suzanne Wild, Sue Bloomfield, Louise Wright, Debra Welt and Deborah Johnson.

Activists are mobilizing members in an
effort to save public nursing home jobs
throughout the region.

Cattaraugus County

See how one unit saved

a position from the budget ax

Page 3

CSEA members working at the Pines of
Machias public nursing home in
Cattaraugus County continue to watch the
county legislature following an attempt by

Please see Fighting cont'd on Page 4

Western Region

Family, Friends and Neighbors

Page 4

Brothers and Sisters,

Our efforts continue to
bring you information
regarding CSEA’s
Western Region and The Western Frontier
is one of the forums we use to do just that.
The Western Region is alive and well and
in spite of huge challenges, making a
difference for our members. There are so
many things happening here in Western
New York. | want to take a moment to
update you on some of them.

Contract battles are taking place in
every comer of the region. Our members
in several counties are working without a
contract, and we continue to work to reach
fair agreements for our members.

Political activity has been a major
priority for us. The governor vetoed
funding for many important programs,
including health care, Medicaid, education,
and transportation. Our members have
worked tirelessly calling legislators, getting
on buses to Albany and meeting with
Assembly and Senate members to
override the governor's vetoes.

One area particularly close to home
was additional funding for public nursing
homes and hospitals. Our members

provide the services needed to protect and
care for residents of these facilities and if
the governor had his way, every one of
those community assets would be either
closed or outsourced. We will work hard to
make sure the new governor is Eliot
Spitzer and we will hold all elected officials
accountable to enhance needed public
services.

Your elected officers and |, along with
our CSEA staff, are working hard for you
every day. However, we can’t win our
battles without you. We need each of you
to help in some way. Please see page 3
for some of the many ways you can get
involved.

There is a great deal of work ahead of
us in the region, but we also plan to take a
little time for some fun.

+ The CSEA Western Region Planning
Committee is completing plans for our
spring region conference, June 16-17 in
Lockport. An Erie Canal boat cruise is
planned for Saturday evening.

+ The Planning Committee is also
working on the fall region conference,
Oct. 20-22 in Ellicottville.

+ CSEA members are planning CSEA
labor nights at local ballparks. CSEA

Night with the Buffalo Bisons will be
Friday, July 7, at Dunn Tire Park. CSEA is
also participating in AFL-CIO Labor Night
with the Rochester Red Wings on Friday,
July 28 at Frontier Field.

+ Volunteers are also planning our
annual Jim Jayes Memorial Golf
Tournament. The tournament will be held
Friday, July 21, at the Batavia Country
Club in Batavia.

+ Our annual Western Region picnic

or

Saturday, August 5th

from 12:00 p.m. tl 7:00 pam.

at ame Bowen Rd. Grove

_ Lancaster, New York,

TICKET PRICE
$5.00 Namtry/S7.0Aél Gut
52.0 foreach Chl (¢0 2)
han Ser aig Ue
ded FREE
base day for ticket sales to
Joy PE, 2006.

Cente yu Ste felicia wim
ch Union Hl et 296-1540

GENEVA — Teacher conference days
often mean a day without pay for 10-
month employees, but that’s not the case
anymore for CSEA members in Geneva.

Members of CSEA Geneva School
District Support Staff Unit now attend
training sessions and receive a half-day's
pay, according to the terms and
conditions in the unit's new contract.

“Training is so important,” Western
Region President Flo Tripi said. “This is a
wonderful opportunity for our members to
learn about topics relevant not only to
their lives at work, but to their lives
outside work as well.”

Tripi attended the first training session
in Geneva, held in March during the
district's “Superintendent's Day.” Surveys
completed by employees following the
event proved the event was a success;
most rated the day as “excellent.”

The CSEA unit's negotiating team
proposed the training day idea to the
district last year while hammering out the
details of the unit's contract.

“For years I've received complaints
that there is never anything planned for

support staff on conference days, said
Unit President Mel Thomas. “Now we've
got something we can offer them. We
receive up to $4,000 for training per fiscal
year through our contract and the district
pays everyone for four hours.”

With the help of CSEA's Member
Benefits Department and The Work
Institute, Thomas planned a series of
educational sessions for the support staff.
CSEA members learned techniques for
effective communication, interpersonal
relationship skills, and the importance of
school safety.

“School safety is a big priority across
the state,” Thomas said. “A couple of the
school administrators even sat in on the
school safety session before going to
their own meetings.”

Sessions on elder law and retirement
planning also proved to be popular, with
members filling every session.

“Elder law applies not only to older
people,” Thomas said. “It's about how to
plan for growing older and how to care
for elders, and of course everyone's
interested in retirement.”

Support staff now paid for training sessions

Members of the Geneva School
District Support Staff Unit worked for
more than a year without a contract
before ratifying an agreement last fall.
When a new superintendent joined the
district, negotiations took a turn for the
better and the contract was settled.

“The new superintendent has been
supportive of what we want to do,”
Thomas said. He came from the labor
world. He was a labor relations specialist
years ago for a teachers’ union. He
knows that we are important and | give
him a lot of credit for his involvement.”

— Lynn Miller

Message From Western Region President Flo Tripi

will be held Saturday, July 29, in Warsaw.
It's a great opportunity to get together with
other CSEA members and their families for
a leisurely, relaxing day.

Information on these events is available
by calling the Western Region Office.

Thanks to each and every one of you
for your never-ending dedication, hard
work and unflagging belief in the rights of
working men and women everywhere. |
am privileged to serve as your region
president. | look forward to celebrating our
many successes with you throughout the
year.

Acommitment to safety
RUSH — Western Region President
Flo Tripi, second from right,
congratulated highway maintenance
supervisors Kevin Eddy, left, and Rick

Spencer on a job well done during the
DOT Region 4 (Rochester area) awards
ceremony held recently. With them is
Operations Director Larry Sherman.
Highway workers were recognized
during the ceremony for their
commitment to safety.

CSEA WESIEBNREGION

PRESIDENT 3RD VICE

Ms. Flo Tripi PRESIDENT

Work: 716-691-6555, Mr. Steve Hurley
Work: 607-776-9800

IST VICE ext. 108
PRESIDENT
Ms. Kathleen Button SECRETARY

Work: 585-461-8920
Fax: 585-442-9415

Ms. Dawn Smith
Work: 716-675-7570
Fax: 716-675-7718
2ND VICE
PRESIDENT

Mr. Henry Hoisington
Work: 716-753-3980

TREASURER
Mr. William Stanton
Work: 716-845-3069

Page 2

Western Frontier

Hamburg DPW members mobilize to stop a layoff

HAMBURG — A group of public works employees recently
mobilized to stop one layoff proposed in the new village
budget.

Members of the Hamburg Department of Public Works
Unit packed a public hearing, made phone calls and wrote
letters in an effort to save a position held by one of their
own. Their actions seem to have worked; trustees restored
funding for the position just moments before adopting the
2006-2007 spending plan.

“Even one layoff is too many,” Western Region
President Flo Tripi said. “l am very proud of our members
in the Hamburg Department of Public Works. They stood
up for what is right, sent a message to village trustees and
fought for their brother.”

Upon hearing of the layoff, unit leadership began to
make plans and rally support. At the public hearing,
members wore bright green sweatshirts and packed the
auditorium along with family members.

“| think us showing up at the public hearing really made
a difference,” said Michael Koester, unit president. “We
only have 19 guys here. If you take one away, we'll be real
short-handed. We're already working short because they
never filled a position that was vacated about a year ago.”

Koester supplied village trustees with a list of
suggestions before the hearing that would save money but
would not require CSEA layoffs or concessions. CSEA
members also returned to village hall for the budget
adoption meeting the following week.

“It was a very quick meeting,” said Scott Gabel, whose
position was targeted for elimination. “The trustees decided
to raise taxes to cover it. | was really nervous; I’m the low
man here.”

Some CSEA members speculate the public works
position was originally cut from the budget so the money
could be used to purchase statues on “roundabouts”

Join the Political Power Points program

|| Scott Gabel gives the
thumbs-up from the cab
"| of his sanitation truck.
Gabel's position with the
Village of Hamburg

|| Department of Public

1h targeted for elimination
‘ald
planned for the main road through S@V€ his job.

| HI Works had been
nh
||| earlier this year, but his
ll co-workers mobilized to
the village. The statues will reportedly cost about $150,000.
— Lynn Miller

Political action is the key to political clout

Tom Warzel
CSEA Western Region Political Action Chairman

Want to exercise your political muscle?

Want to know how you can protect your job,
benefits and pension?

Want to help shape the future of CSEA?

Our political clout, coupled with our members’ numbers and
intense efforts, is our greatest resource as we work to
constantly improve conditions for working families across
New York state. The more involved our members are in the
political process, the more clout we have. The more clout
we have, the better we can fight back against attacks on
workers’ rights and achieve new benefits for workers.

How do we increase our clout? We boost our clout by
working with our members to help them speak directly to
the decision-makers through lobbying, town hall meetings,
phone calls and e-mails. We also endorse and campaign
for candidates we can count on to support working families.

How can you exercise your political muscle and protect
your job, benefits, and pension? You can do all of this by
getting involved in political action! Volunteer with your local
political action committee, attend rallies, volunteer for
phone banks or register your co-workers to vote. There are
many ways to help.

Now, you can earn great rewards for helping make
changes!

To recognize CSEA members who work to effect
political change, CSEA's Legislative and Political Action
Department has created the “Political Power Points”
program. Members earn points by campaigning for CSEA-
endorsed candidates and lobbying for union-friendly
legislation.

This new program will be conducted annually, which
means you have about six months left this year to get

involved and earn the 120 points needed to receive a
“Political Power Points” jacket! Throughout the summer
and fall, there will be many opportunities in which to
participate. Getting started is easy — contact your local
political action committee chair or CSEA Political Action
Coordinator Courtney Brunelle to find out how.

In the program's first year, four Western Region
members earned jackets: Toni Black, Local 815; Marcia
Olszewski, Local 815; Cristal Zaffuto, Local 828; and Don
Williams, Local 807. All four worked hard to make a
difference for local candidates who had earned CSEA's
endorsement.

Toni coordinated phone banks for Amherst Town
Supervisor candidate Susan Grelick. Marcia and Cris
supervised phone banks for CSEA-endorsed candidates in
our Amherst and Rochester offices, along with representing
CSEA at various political events. Don went door to door,
made phone calls, and distributed lawn signs for
Chautauqua County Executive candidate Mark Thomas, as
well as organizing Local 807’s first-ever local candidates’
forum. | happily extend hearty congratulations to our 2005
winners, and a challenge to all our members to follow their
example! In doing so, you'll be shaping the future of your
union, while protecting the jobs, benefits, and pensions of
countless members just like you.

Western Region Political Action Chairman Tom Warzel, left,
awards a “Political Power Points” jacket to Don Williams,
vice president of the
Chautauqua County
Local. Williams earned
his jacket by lobbying
legislators, volunteering
on Election Day,
planning a candidate
debate and participating
in literature drops and

phone banks. 7

Here’s how you can earn your jacket

CSEA members can earn a Political Power Points jacket
for activities completed from Jan.1-Dec. 31. The points
are awarded as follows: in-district lobbying, 15 points;
Lobby Day attendance, (AFSCME/Nursing Home), 5
points; volunteer for phone bank, 5 points; volunteer for
literature drop, 10 points; volunteer for canvassing/labor
to neighbor, 15 points; volunteer on Election Day (two
hour minimum), 20 points; write a letter to the editor
(must send copy of letter to PAC Coordinator), 5 points;
writing letters to legislators, (minimum five letters, must
provide PAC coordinator with a copy of each letter), 5
points; attend a rally, press conference or other action
event (must contact PAC Coordinator to confirm
attendance), 10 points; sign up 10 new voters (voter
registration cards must be submitted to PAC
coordinator),10 points; recruit additional people to
volunteer, 1 point per additional person; PEOPLE
recruitment (PEOPLE membership card must be
submitted to PA coordinator), 5 points per new member.

Members need to accumulate 120 points in order to
receive a jacket. The Political Action Coordinator in the
respective CSEA regions will keep track of points. Be
sure to notify Courtney Brunelle when a task is
completed so that points can be properly credited.

Western Frontier

Page 3
Fighting cont'd from Page 1

lawmakers to outsource food service. Legislators had
sought bids from private companies for the preparation of
meals for residents of the county's two public nursing
homes and Meals on Wheels recipients.

Under the leadership of the CSEA unit president — a
nursing home employee herself — and leadership from the
local, activists worked to increase public support and stop
the legislature from accepting a bid. The campaign
included letters, a petition and other community outreach.
Nursing home employees also wore CSEA buttons to work
every day, including the day prospective bidders toured the
facility

‘Our activists did a great job getting our message out,”
Cattaraugus County Unit President Cheryl Smith said. “But,
wearing the buttons also had an impact on our campaign.
Anyone coming into the facility had to notice that CSEA
members are here, providing top-notch quality care to
residents every day.”

County legislators received just one bid for the meal
preparation, and the cost turned out to be higher than what
the county pays for meals prepared by CSEA members.

“If we had allowed this to go through, | think down the
toad we would have seen an attempt to contract out the
entire nursing home,” Cattaraugus County Local President
Clara Ramadhan said. “Even though we won this time,
attempts at contracting out could still happen in the future.
We still need to be vigilant and proactive.”

state's lawmakers.

Niagara County

CSEA members in Niagara County continue to work to
stop the sale of the Mount View Health Care Facility in
Lockport. New messages are being developed, lawn signs
will be distributed and activities to again promote the
nursing home's value to the community are being planned.

CSEA members working at Mount View are also fighting
for a new contract along with members of the Niagara
County General Unit. The unit has been without a contract
for almost four years, and negotiations with the county's
manager have not been productive.

“We are continually working to save Mount View and our
members’ jobs,” Tripi said. “So far, we have been
successful, but we still have a long road ahead of us. We
will not give up.”

Wayne County

CSEA activists in Wayne County have been working
for a year to stop the sale of the new Wayne County
Nursing Home. Regular membership meetings are held
and members of the steering committee frequently recruit
volunteers to help with the campaign.

When nursing home employees learned last June the
county was considering selling the home, they
immediately took action to promote the value of keeping
the home public. Members researched nursing home
funding and presented their findings to lawmakers through
a “position paper” that stressed the importance of public
nursing homes and their “safety net” status. Without public|
nursing homes, the position paper states, the county's
most frail individuals and people on Medicaid could be
forced to leave the county to receive care. Public nursing
homes often care for people when no one else will.

Steering Committee Chair Deborah Johnson and
several other nursing home workers traveled to Albany in
March to stress the importance of proper funding to the

They also show their dedication to residents through
gestures within the facility, including giving a flower to
each resident on Mother's Day. They also plan to
recognize residents on Father's Day.

“We work hard every day to provide the best care
possible to our residents,” Johnson said. “We truly love
them. They are like members of our own families.”

Top photo, CSEA Western Region President Flo Tripi, center,
visits with Robin Mangel, left, and Sue Young at Mount View
Health Care Facility. CSEA members at the facility are fighting
the possible sale of the public nursing home.

Bottom photo, Food Service Workers Jan Kinney, left, and
Charlene McClory put pepperoni on trays of pizza being
prepared for residents of the Pines of Machias public nursing
home in Cattaraugus County. CSEA's Cattaraugus County
Unit recently fought an attempt by county legislators to
contract out food service at the facility and at the Pines of
Olean.

Family, friends and neighbors in the Western Region

Members of the Erie County Local Region answered phones March 5 during

Team CSEA

Chuck Parsons and members of the
state DOT Local in Rochester sold MS
Walk bracelets to
support Team
CSEA. The walk
was held May 7
in the Rochester
area.

Candle for

Katrina relief

Members of the CSEA Western New
York DDSO Local Women's Committee
recently held a candle sale in support of
CSEA‘s Habitat for Humanity efforts. The
committee raised more than $600 for the
cause. Other fund-raisers are also being
planned in support of Habitat for
Humanity's reconstruction efforts in the
New Orleans area.

Auction for food bank

Women’s Committee held a theme
basket auction in March to support the
Food Bank of Western New York. The
auction is held annually and the
proceeds are donated to various
charities. In December, the Erie County
Local's Women’s Committee planned a
food drive for the food bank.

Telethon

CSEA members from the Western

the Variety Kids’ Telethon in support of
Buffalo's Women’s and Children’s
Hospital. Volunteers help with the phone
bank every year. The 12-hour telethon is
broadcast on a Buffalo television station.

Western Frontier
YOUR UNION
NEWSLETTER

Living on Long Island is getting tougher and
tougher as each day passes. Even more specifically,
residing here in Nassau County is even more of a
challenge in most cases. School taxes and energy
costs seem to be spiraling out of control with no end
in sight.

When | read the article in Newsday regarding
public service employees and their pensions, | was
quite angry. It seems the people who chose private
sector employment are now throwing sour grapes at
us, public employees. It's funny how ironic this
situation is today. | remember 30 years ago when
people believed going to work for the county or
towns was a dead-end, no-brains job. It was mainly
perceived that those jobs were for those of us who
could not compete in private sector jobs. For those
of you who actually did take the chance back then
(which was well before my time as a county worker),
times were indeed tough. Public employees were
given measly salaries and were looked down upon in
general.

Today, all of those Wall Street experts who did not
fare so well in the private market now look at public
employees with envy.

Now, we have to hear from those who laughed at
us back in the tough days that our benefits and
pensions are too big. Where were they when it was
difficult to put food on the table, keep the mortgage
payments up or even buy clothes for our kids? They
were gambling their careers with stock options and
corporate greed.

Clearly, we are not a group who intended to
become wealthy from our county jobs, but instead
we chose stability and a sense of security. Those
who wanted to go for the big bucks took that chance
with their future. Some of them won, and some of
them lost. We chose the longer, tougher road, but |
believe the much more sensible road.

Leave our pensions and benefits alone, Mr. Wall

Message from CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta

A Salute to the Public Employees

‘Where were they when it was difficult
to put food on the table, keep the
mortgage payments up or even buy

clothes for our kids? They were
gambling their careers with stock
options and corporate greed.’

Street. We are all responsible for our actions, so look
into the mirror if you want to see the reasons you
may not have done as well as the public sector
worker.

NHCC update

Now, on to the latest round in the effort to stabilize
the Nassau Health Care Corp. Finally, the Board of
Directors worked out a settlement with former CEO
Dan Kane. Mr. Kane has agreed to resign from the
corporation, as well as the Chairman of the Board,
Larry Gottlieb.

Although | was our local’s steady voice urging this
exact action, | want to reiterate that this was nothing
personal. Mr. Kane is not a bad person and he did
indeed have a very difficult job. I’m not even sure if
anyone could have righted the course of the
corporation due to the circumstances Mr. Kane
inherited.

However, | did have a huge problem with his
method of doing business with the union. | felt he
was not the type of person who could get the
support of the majority of the staff. He made some
very real blunders there (his proposal to fire 20
emergency room doctors stands out as No. 1 for
sure) and just seemed out of touch with the average
employee.

| felt the hospital board let everyone down
because they rarely challenged Mr. Kane's decisions.
It appeared to be more of a rubber stamp than an
actual governing body. As a result, checks and

balances in my opinion were mostly waived. Let's
now see what Art Gianelli can do. He has proved to
be someone who can fix big financial problems, as
he did in Nassau County. | know our relationship
between CSEA and management will be immediately
improved. | think it's a good start in the right
direction.

Thank you for taking the time to read our
newsletter. Remember, your union is here for you so
drop us a line or make a visit to our local office at
any time. Thank you and have a great day.

Yours in unionism,

Very Lanriechiuta

WHAT’S INSIDE
May 2006 Express
re Page 3

« Local 830 President Named one of
Long Island’s Most Powerful

t= Pages 4 and 5

© Tour of Nassau County’s Public
Safety and Parks

* ALook at the Police Department's
Building Maintenance Unit

t= Updates on Upcoming CSEA
Events

2 EXPRESS
The \__.

LVYKELSS

June 2006 + Vol. 1 No. 6

‘A Monthly Publication of CSEA Nassau County Local 830
JERRY LARICCHIUTA, President

Ryan Mulholland, Editor
(516) 571-2919 Ext. #13

www csealocal830.07g

CSEA Long [stand Region Communications Associate Rachel
Langert (631) 462-0030

NASSAU LOCAL 830
Executive Officers:

JERRY LARICCHIUTA, President

DIANE RUSS, Executive Vice President
RON GURRIERI, 1st Vice President
ROBERT CAULDWELL, 2nd Vice President
DEBRA IMPERATORE, 3rd Vice President
SCOTT MULHOLLAND, 4th Vice President
TIM CARTER, Sth Vice President

EARL STROUGHTON, 6th Vice President
DEBBIE O'CONNELL, 7th Vice President
BARBARA LANG, &th Vice President
ROBERT McLAUGHLIN, Sth Vice President
JOHN ALOISIO, 10th Vice President
PETER KIERNAN, 11th Vice President
MATTHEW WEYER, Secretary

BETH LUTTINGER, Treasurer

Unit Presidents/Executive Board:
CHUCK ALBERS, Fire & Rescue Services
JOHN ALOISIO Il, Treasurer's Office

ROB ARCIELLO, Deputy Sheniffs

STANLEY BERGMAN, Comptroller's Office
LISA SINAGRA-TIRPAK, Public Safety
ROBERT CAMPO, Public Works Department
RAY CANNELLA, Civil Service Commission
TERRI KOPVITCH, Health Department
ROBERT CAULDWELL, Social Services
‘STEPHEN COHEN, Medical Examiner's Office
CAROL CONTI, County Clerk

CAROL CROSTON, Nassau Community College
VIVIAN CROWLEY, General Services
KENNETH DASH, SR., Board of Elections
MARY DELMARE, Crossing Guards

GINGER DUNLAP, C.B. Operators

LES EASON, A. Holly Patterson

ROBERT GILIBERTI, Senior Citizens Affairs
ROSE SACCHETTI, County/Distrct Attomey
NANCY IANSON, Drug & Alcohol

DEBRA IMPERATORE, Police Civilian

RON KAHL, AMTS

JERRY LARICCHIUTA, Sheriffs Support

PILAR MILLER, Assessment Department

JOHN RINALDO, Parks, Recreation & Museums
MARLA ROWE, Probation Department

DIANE RUSS, Consumer Affairs

EARL STROUGHTON, Nassau University Medical Center
JOSEPH WHITTAKER, Fire Marshal's Office

Work Force _/)
ah CSEA Nassau County Local 830

We welcome reader suggestions: Please address your
—} comments to Ryan Mulholland, Editor, Nassau County
EXPRESS at CSEA Nassau Co. Local 830, 400 County
Seat Dr., Mineola, NY 11501-4137.

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

Valuable Information About CSEA Legal Services Program

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles by CSEA’s expert attorneys appearing regularly to provide valuable information to
you and your family members regarding the important areas of protection available to you through the CSEA Legal Services
Program [LSP]. The LSP covers many areas of law that affect us every day. Get more information about legal plans in the LSP by
calling CSEA Headquarters at 1-800-342-4146, extension 1454, or by visiting www.csealocal1000.org, and clicking on the legal

services menu item.

Taking Care of Business: You, Your Family, and Your Life

Once again, CSEA has created a valuable Legal Services

plan adding to its already impressive array of services covered
under the Legal Services Program. The Plan has been created

to provide you and your family access to attorneys at low
affordable rates who specialize in this complex area of Law.

Events such as illness or disability requiring long-term care
can happen to you, your spouse, your child or your parent at
anytime. You have worked hard to have your own home, put
away money for retirement and save for your children. All of
this could be threatened.

The Plan entitles CSEA members to legal consultations,
guidance, document preparation and, where needed,
representation pertaining to estate planning and Medicaid
eligibility.

What Can the Plan Do for Me and My Family?

The CSEA Plan attorneys will:

+ Meet with you to review your present situation and make
recommendations as to what you should do immediately.

+ Prepare necessary legal documents such as Will, Power
of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, Family Trust, Living Trust.

* Counsel you with respect to estate tax planning
strategies, IRA and pension fund planning, guardianships,
long-term care insurance options, asset protection in face of
catastrophic illness.

+ Represent you in the Medicare/Medicaid application
process, probate and estate administration.

Why Should | Take Advantage of the Plan?

Available services include:

+ Low cost wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies
tailored to protect family assets and homesteads;

+ Reduced fee trust agreements, deeds, medicaid eligibility

CSER® 1 ocat 830

ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP CLASSIC

MONDAY JULY 24, 2006

This event will be the driving force behind the
newly formed CSEA Local 830 Scholarship
Foundation that will be awarding scholarships to
the children of our members!

Call the Local 830 office at 516-571-2919 for more information

and to reserve your spot today for this special event!

services;
+ Non-crisis related consultations and pre-crisis planning;
* On-going annual trust services;
+ Information and publications and
+ Educational seminars

How Much Will it Cost?

All Plan attorneys have agreed to discount their regular fees
by 20 percent for CSEA members and family. Fees vary
depending on the geographic area of the participating attorney.
Without the benefit of the CSEA Plan discount, these services
would cost you much more.

Plan attorneys will provide you with quality services and
expertise consistent with the other plans in the CSEA Legal
Services Program.

How Do | Find An Attorney?

Call the CSEA toll-free number 1-800-342-4146 and follow
the prompts for the CSEA Legal Services Program. Listen to
the directions for accessing the Plan to locate a Plan attorney
nearest you.

It's never too late or too early to consult with a Plan
attorney. Even if a family member is already in a nursing
home, there are special law provisions that might enable you
to protect assets that would otherwise be spent for that care.

Information is also available on CSEA’s website at
www.csealocal1000.org.

“hey Said It:

te of the M a

rhe have proven they cannot
manage this facility, and are
financially incompetent to the
tune of almost $300 million. Had
this been a private corporation,
this room would have been filled
with stockholders wanting your

heads.”

— CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta,
quoted recently in Newsday, regarding replacing
Nassau Health Care Corp’s top personnel.

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

President Jerry Laricchiuta Named to Long Island Press Power List

MINEOLA — CSEA Local 830 President Jerry
Laricchiuta was named to the Long Island Press’
fourth annual Power List for the year’s 50 most
influential Long Islanders.

Laricchiuta ranked No. 26 on the list that includes
many government officials, and corporate CEOs.
The list was published in the newspaper's April 20
issue.

Local 830 President
Jerry Laricchiuta at
the April 25 Long
Island Press Power
| List Party. (Photo
by Wayne
Herrschaft)

Laricchiuta and members of his executive staff
were invited to the Long Island Press Power Dinner
April 25 at Maxwell & Dunne’s Steakhouse in
Plainview to be honored for the achievement.

Since taking office in July 2005, Laricchiuta has
done much to move the local forward. His most
notable achievements include fighting layoffs at
Nassau University Medical Center, ensuring proper
procedures at Wantagh’s Cedar Creek Sewage
Plant, speaking before the legislature on many
occasions and remaining very visible and vocal to
his members at all times.

Congratulations!

EXPRESS 3

UPDATE!

Legislature Approves
Bail-out for Cradle of

Aviation

MINEOLA — On April 24, the Nassau County
Legislature finally approved the

bail-out of the Cradle of Aviation Museum that
will give the museum $500,000 for the remainder
of the year and waive the $2.5 million debt if
financial targets are met.

CSEA disputed this potential bail-out before
the legislature many times, as hopes were to get
county workers again employed at the museum.
The union will continue to fight to return public
employees to the facility.

CSEiz Local 830

IS PROUD TO INTRODUCE
A WORKERS’ COMPENSATION WORKSHOP!

Hosted by Expert Attorney
Marvin Anderman
of Fine, Olin & Anderman

Monday, June 19, at 5 p.m. at the Local 830 Office
400 County Seat Drive, Mineola

MAXIMUM OF 25 PEOPLE FOR THE CLASS,
SO SIGN UP NOW!

The Workshop Includes:

+ Lecture including facts & myths about Workers’ Compensati
and Social Security Disability
+ Information on how to go about obtaining either of them
+ Handouts with information on both programs
AND MUCH MORE!

>

Call Ryan Mulholland or Susan Cohen at the Local 830 Office
516-571-2919 to sign up!

Hope to see you there!

Board of Elections

Information Fair

One hundred thirteen CSEA members employed by
the Nassau County Board of Elections were treated
to lunch during a May 8 membership
meeting/information fair. Local 830 President Jerry
Laricchiuta spoke on many topics, including the
excellent stability of the Board of Elections
Department under the guidance of Unit President
Ken Dash.

The Nassau County Board of Elections is located
in the same building as Local 830, at 400 County
Seat Drive in Mineola.

Jerry
Laricchiuta
speaks in
front of
Board of
Elections
employees.

4 Express

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS:

Building Maintenance Unit Members Go Above and Beyond

Left, Maintenance Lead Carpenter

Sal Natale hard at work.

Right, CSEA Police Department Unit President Debra
Imperatore with members from the BMU.

ELLMORE — CSEA Local 830
B: proud to have 18 of its
10,000 members in the
Nassau County Police Department's

Building Maintenance Unit (BMU).
The unit was founded more than 30
years ago as a result of the great
need for repairs and maintenance in
the Police Department. Unit workers
perform many duties, including
constructing, renovating, repairing
and moving buildings, as well as
wiring, painting, welding and
countless amounts of plumbing work.
That all might sound like dirty
work, but not compared to some
other responsibilities that many
people probably do not realize BMU
members have on their plate. “We
really need to emphasize how these
members are there repairing private
property, doors, windows and fences
at the actual crime scenes,” CSEA
Local 830 Police Department Unit

President Debra Imperatore said.

Maintenance unit employees also
work around prisoners and sensitive
evidence including drugs, firearms
and ammunition. Overall, the quality
of work performed by the BMU
personnel directly affects the safety
of a police officer.

When people hear an ambulance
drive by, its operation is made
possible by the unit. If it wasn’t for
the BMU, the interior ambulance
repair would not get done, nor would
the interior maintenance to bomb
squad vehicles, and emergency

service vehicles among many others.

‘The unit has many recent
accomplishments to boast about.
Two employees recently responded
to and helped in the rescue of two
women from an apartment fire in
Hempstead. In another instance,
workers helped the arson/bomb
‘squad and crime scene unit in

recovering a bomb fragment from
the door of U.S. Rep. Peter King’s
office.

“It's always hectic around here,”
said Richard Deyette, a maintenance
carpenter supervisor. “We have
renovated 25 of 66 police booths in
Nassau County over the past eight
months. That's just the tip of the
iceberg. It hasn't been easy, but | am
so proud of these guys.”

Local 830 President Jerry
Laricchiuta was thrilled to hear of all
these recent feats by the BMU and
said, “It's remarkable some of the
things they have done. | am proud
to recognize them for those
achievements, and also proud to
have them as CSEA members.”

EXPRESS 5

—————————

Busy Season Kicks
Off for Nassau
County Public
Safety

EAST MEADOW — With the
summer fast approaching,
things are starting to heat up at
the Nassau County Public
Safety Department's
Headquarters in East Meadow.

CSEA members employed
in the department are all
instrumental in protecting more
than 80 parks, preserves and
museum, especially during the
summer.

“The May 7 Long Island
Marathon really starts the
season for us,” said Public
Safety employee and CSEA
member Frank Ambrosini. They
were responsible for traffic
control at the marathon, as the
workers were with the Triathlon
and March of Dimes Walk in April.

Public Safety's responsibilities
this summer will include working
58 shows and concerts at the
Harry Chapin Theatre, maintaining ie
security at the Aquatic Center and
‘the Long Island Fair. In past year,
the workers have escorted
Olympic swimmers in and out of
‘the Aquatic Center and will
continue to do so.

Even though summer is the hot season for Public Safety,
they are actually on call at all times throughout the year. They
work with the Police Department to help preserve Nassau
County. “Everything we do is with the Police Department,”
Public Safety employee Dave Beebe said.

They help protect all Nassau County office buildings, and
Public Safety's newest responsibility is handling security at the
Department of Social Services in Uniondale.

‘The May 7
Long Island
Marathon
really starts
the season

From top to bottom: Public
Safety Headquarters at
Eisenhower Park in East

Meadow; Public Safety
Employee/CSEA member Paul
Jording; Public Safety
Employees/CSEA members,
Dave Beebe, left, and Frank
Ambrosini.

Behind the Scenes With Nassau County
Parks
Workers

EAST MEADOW — On April
26, CSEA officers visited
members at the Nassau
County Parks Department,
based at Eisenhower Park in
East Meadow. CSEA has 260
members in the Parks,
Recreation and Museums
Department.

Here are some behind the
‘scenes photos of workers in
the sign shop, carpenter shop.
and electricians:

Top photo: Sign shop workers Jim Bello, ‘Alex
Condelles and Joe Castiglia

Left, Electrical Supervisor Edward Scotti

6 EXPRESS CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS.

A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility
Employees of the Month Honored

Ata reception recently held at A. Holly for the nursing home. Smith, who resides in
Patterson Extended Care Facility, Cynthia East Meadow, is a dedicated employee who
Rolley, a certified nursing assistant, was devotes herself to ensuring the residents of A.

honored as the April Employee of the Month —_ Holly Patterson live in a pleasant

for the nursing home. Rolley exemplifies the environment. She is well-liked by her fellow
qualities so desired in employees having to employees and is an asset to the nursing
deal with a senior population. She devotes home.

herself to treating all the residents with dignity

and caring. .
Andrea Acquavella, director of
Helen Keating, registered Gladis Smith, housekeeper at A. Holly housekeeping at A. Holly Patterson, left,
nurse and nursing Patterson Extended Care Facility, was and Gladis Smith, housekeeper at
honored as the March Employee of the Month A. Holly Patterson

supervisor at A. Holly
Patterson, left, and Cynthia
Rolley, CNA, A. Holly

NHCC Employees of the Month Honored

Sonia Rivera, a clerk-supervisor at the Ata reception, Curlee Spann, a food service
Hempstead Community Health Center, was worker, was honored as the April Employee of
recently honored as the April Employee of the the Month for the Nassau University Medical
Month for the Nassau Health Care Corporation. Center. Spann, a Queens resident, has been a

Rivera, a resident of Long Beach, has been valuable asset to the Food and Nutrition
working for the corporation for more than 10 Department, completing and volunteering to do
years. A dedicated and skilled employee, any task that is required. His attendance is

Rivera ensures the patients are being provided _ excellent and he is very willing to please his
with efficient and professional service during customers in the cafeteria.

their visits to the Hempstead Community

Health Center.

Clerk-Supervisor - Ee Food Service Worker
Sonia Rivera Vg a Curlee Spann
UNCNo—
- i 0 —
CSEm THE WORKSHOP INCLUDES:
+ Presentation and discussion on CSEA
MEMBER BENEFITS WORKSHOP member benefits
Hosted by Member Benefits Specialist * Opportunity to ask questions on what's
Delores Carter important to YOU!
Thursday, June 15 from 5-7 p.m. AND MUCH MORE!
at the Local 830 office
400 County Seat Drive, Mineola Call Ryan Mulholland or Susan Cohen at

the Local 830 office at 516-571-2919 to sign up!

MAXIMUM OF 25 PEOPLE FOR THE CLASS,

SO SIGN UP NOW! Hope to see you there!

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

Let's step up to the plate!

ExPRESS 1

Powerful interest groups want to take away your pension,
make you pay more for your health care and privatize
your job. They think we’re too expensive.

CSEA's PEOPLE program gives us a way to fight back. PEOPLE (Public Employees
Organized to Promote Legislative Equality) protects and improves our jobs, benefits and
pensions in Washington, Albany and in Nassau County. Your support and participation in
PEOPLE strengthens CSEA's clout in the workplace, in the legislature, in the county and in
the labor movement. President Jerry Laricchiuta believes that with our legislative and
political clout we can fight back and win.

To help with our recruitment goals Nassau County Local 830
has taken the PEOPLE Challenge to do PEOPLE recruitment.

We are paired up against Erie County Local 815.

To get an application, stop by the CSEA Local 830 office at
400 County Seat Drive or call Nancy lanson,
Local 830 PEOPLE chair, at 571-2919.

Join PEOPLE today
and help us win the
PEOPLE challenge.

Veteran’s Corner

By Debbie O’Connell

As the weather heats up going into the
summer months, so does the action
surrounding the CSEA Veterans Committee.
Here are some important upcoming dates to
take note of:

June 2 is the Veterans, Active Duty and
Reserve Jobs and Education Fair at Nassau
Community College, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the
College Center Building (CCB).

July 8 is the Mini Stand Down BBQ Style
hosted by the American Legion, Hempstead
Post #390, where the committee will
participate.

Aug. 8 will be a Salute to Veterans at
Eisenhower Park at 6:45 p.m. Kingston Trio
and USO Troupe will be entertainment.

Finally, just a reminder that Nassau County
has an active duty military population of more
than 400 soldiers and a reservist and National
Guard membership of more than 1,000
people. A new website has been created to
help their spouses who are looking for work.

The Military Spouse Corporate Career

Network can be located at www.MSCCN.org.
Also, don’t forget to support our food and

clothing drive and let us know of any family
members deployed abroad. Have a good
summer!

PLEASE LET US KNOW OF
FAMILY MEMBERS DEPLOYED
OVERSEAS!

The CSEA Local 830 Veterans
Committee would like to support
members and families of those
deployed abroad

Please notify with person’s name

and relationship to you:

Debbie O'Connell: 571-2919 Ext. 22
or
Stephen Cohen 571-2919 Ext. 21

THANK YOU!

aes THE VETERANS!

E
Z CSEA is collecting

non-perishable or personal care items
for HOMELESS VETERANS!

(All items must be in original packaging)

Toothpaste * Toothbrush * Soap * Deodorant
Sun Screen * Shaving Cream ¢ Disposable Razors
Insect Repellent + Lip Balm * Snacks
Prepaid Phone Cards

Also, small backpacks/tote bags for clothes

PLEASE DROP OFF ITEMS IN UNSEALED BOXES
BY FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2006
AT THE CSEA LOCAL OFFICE
400 COUNTY SEAT DRIVE, MINEOLA

SOUTH WING — LOWER LEVEL
9AM. TO 5 P.M.

For more information, call
Debbie O’Connell at 571-2919 ext. 22

8 ExPRESS

A Message From Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte

You Have the Right to Union Representation

(CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

Do you know who Leura
Collins is? In June 1972, she
was working as a sales clerk
when she was accused of

f taking money from a register.
During the interrogations that resulted, Collins
repeatedly asked for the assistance of a union
representative. Her requests were either ignored or
denied by management. Though Collins was not
disciplined as a result of the probe, she told her
union about it, and an unfair labor practice was filed
against the retail chain, Weingarten, Inc.

The case was fought all the way to the Supreme
Court, which ruled the store had violated the National
Labor Relations Act. This decision, NLRB vs.
Weingarten, Inc., established that private sector
unionized workers have an absolute right to
representation during an interrogation, in which the
employee is a potential target for disciplinary action.
The worker must ask for his or her union rep to be
present.

The private sector employer is not required to tell
the worker about his right to representation.

SAVE THE DATE!
It’s never too early to plan
your holiday season!
CSEA Local 830 Annual Holiday Party

Dec. 17, 2006
Crest Hollow Country Club in

(. In addition to the right to have a
union representative, the
employer must advise the
public employee they have thai)
right.

All CSEA state contracts provide covered
employees with the right to union representation at a
disciplinary interrogation. Recently, a PERB ruling
extended that right to all public sector workers.
Further, the law was amended a few years ago to
provide this right. In addition to the right to have a
union representative, the employer must advise the
public employee they have that right.

But again, the worker must ask for union
representation during an interrogation.

This is the reason that you may have a little blue
card in your wallet. It explains your rights during an
interrogation at work.

+ You can request CSEA representation.

+ You have the right to know why you are being
questioned.

+ You have the right to speak to your CSEA
representative before and during questioning.

Contact your shop steward, grievance
representative or your CSEA officer for help. If
you don’t know who to speak to, call the region
office and ask for a Labor Relations Specialist
(LRS).

In addition to your elected officers, CSEA has staff
in Education and Training, Field Services and the
Legal departments to help you, but often the first
step in protecting your rights is to know what they
are.

Just remember that CSEA is here for you. All you
have to do is ask for help.

In solidarity,

Nichillamérte fprasident,
If you may be disciplined, and you are facing Lon
tough questions:
Lag Ialaud
LOCAL 830'S NEW RADIO SHOW
Local 830”

\ “Talkin’ Labor with
st Hosted by

CSEA Local 830
President Jerry Laricchiuta

CSEA Local 830’s new radio show
\ debuted April 19. If you haven't
_-———~_ checked it out yet, tune in:

WEDNESDAYS AT 6:30 p.m. on WGBB 1240 AM

Woodbury

Past guests included CSEA Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Former CSEA Local 830
President Tony Giustino and Nassau County Parks Commissioner Jose Lopez.

CSER Island Region ”

2006

‘There's
always
something
going on,
and it
always has
to have
been done
two days
ago.’

Above, Chris Bean and Eileen Langsdorf supervise an activity for young
children at Red Creek Park, the largest in the Town of Southampton.
Bean is shop steward for recreation employees.

At left, Matt Kroy e of the balll fields at Red Creek Park.
“There's always lots ss to cut,” Rich Loetscher sa’

OUTHAMPTON — The 30 CSEA members of the town’s Parks &
Recreation Department have a lot of work maintaining dozens of facilities
and leading the leisure activities the town offers its 55,000 residents and
many thousands more summer visitors.

“We've got our fingers in a lot of stuff,” said Rich Loetscher, a shop steward for Parks members for 15 years and chairperson of Suffolk Local

Please see Southampton continued on Page 3
Southampton workers contd om Page 1

852's Safety and Health and Election
committees.

CSEA members cut the grass at
dozens of baseball and soccer fields, and
keep tennis and basketball courts,
swimming pools, an ice skating rink and a
skateboard park in good repair.

They run plumbing lines to a water
fountain near a ball field. They keep Town
Hall in good shape. In the winter,
members plow the snow so fisherman can
get to their boats at one of the largest
commercial fishing ports in the state.
They put up the tents for the annual
senior picnic and serve the 350 seniors
who attend. They maintain five cemeteries
and a 14-by-14 foot plot that marks the
grave of a horse — the Indian preacher's
horse — killed by one of the first trains
arriving at the East End 150 years ago,

now a state historical site.

In the summer, when the population
doubles, seasonal workers serve as
lifeguards and ticket-takers at the
entrances to town beaches, which include
some of the world's finest and best known
on the Atlantic. They are remodeling an
oceanside bar the town bought and is
turning into a catering facility.

When piping plovers begin nesting on
the beach, CSEA members fence off the
area. They restore the lifeguard chairs
that dot the beaches and put them in
place. They repair beach pavilions, stain
boardwalks, repaint buoys and sink piles
to build docks for boaters. They run
summer day camps for 500 youngsters
and lead weeklong baseball, lacrosse,
olf (for adults and children), soccer,
surfing and multi-sports camps as well as

John Raynor, left, a maintenance
mechanic with 35 years of
service, looks over a sweeper
the town is considering buying.
Staffers say a sweeper would
make cleaning of curbs at
parking lots much more efficient.

This cemetery on Millstone
Brook Road is one of five
maintained by Parks &

Dave Roche, left, and Jason Jude
are shown with one of the

Recreation Department staffers. |.

give swimming lessons.

They offer art classes and instruction
in in-line skating and square dancing.
They maintain the short trustee roads that
lead to the beaches, clean the parking
lots, collect the trash, repaint the trash
bins, recycle cardboard and cans. They
put up and maintain the signs on the
roads and beaches.

They build park benches. The unit's
Members maintain the snow fences on
the beaches, plant shrubs and irrigate
flowers beside some of the main roads
and near the Hampton Bay railroad
station. They maintain historic sites in the
town, such as the 1822 windmill in Sag
Harbor, and lead schoolchildren on trips
to them.

“There's always something going on,”
said Loetscher, “and it always has to have

Dave Thommen, a 20-year
employee, was hired primarily as ,
a plumber but is now a “general
service” guy. “I do a little
-arpentry, a little electricity, a
ittle plumbing, a little bit of
everything.”

been done two days ago.”

Roosevelt
Sykes works on
a water line for
a sprinkler
system in Red
Creek Park.

Aas
[Andrew (Such) Kuroski, left, an
experienced nurseryman who
recently joined the staff, talks with
»_./Rich Loetscher about planting of
“_Jshrubs and bushes.

VP
\ L
Groundskeeper Jim
Chism is a newcomer,
having joined the
department a year ago.

department's mowers. This one can
‘cut an 11-foot-wide swath of grass.

Long Island Reporter 3
PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Oyster Bay Local Executive Vice President Bobby Rauff, along with SUNY Stony Brook Local Executive Vice
President Debbie Nappi-Gonzalez and Judiciary Local President Kevin Ray, make a passionate appeal for
work site safety. See pages 4 and 5 for story, more photos.

G reetings Brothers and Sisters,

Do you know who Leura Collins is? In June 1972, she
was working as a sales clerk when she was accused of
taking money from a register.

During the interrogations that resulted, Collins
repeatedly asked for the assistance of a union
representative. Her requests were either ignored or
denied by management. Though Collins was not
disciplined as a result of the probe, she told her union
about it, and an unfair labor practice was filed against the
retail chain, Weingarten, Inc.

The case was fought all the way to the Supreme
Court, which ruled the store had violated the National
Labor Relations Act. This decision, NLRB vs.
Weingarten, Inc., established that private sector unionized
workers have an absolute right to representation during
an interrogation in which the employee is a potential
target for disciplinary action. The worker must ask for his
or her union rep to be present.

The private sector employer is not required to tell the
worker about his right to representation.

All CSEA state contracts provide covered employees
with the right to union representation at a disciplinary
interrogation. Recently, a PERB ruling extended that right
to all public sector workers. Further, the law was
amended a few years ago to provide this right. In addition
to the right to have a union

representative, the employer must advise the
public employee that they have that right.

But again, the worker must ask for union
representation during an interrogation.

This is the reason that you may have a little blue card
in your wallet. It explains your rights during an
z) interrogation at

Long Island Reporter

Message from Long Island Region President

Nick LaMorte

work.

If you may be disciplined and you are facing tough
questions:

+ You can request CSEA representation.

+ You have the right to know why you are being
questioned.

+ You have the right to speak to your CSEA
representative before and during questioning.

Contact your shop steward, grievance
representative or your CSEA officer for help. If you
don’t know who to speak to, call the region office and
ask for a Labor Relations Specialist (LRS).

In addition to your elected officers, CSEA has staff in
Education and Training, Field Services and the Legal
departments to help you, but often the first step in
protecting your rights is to know what they are.

Just remember that CSEA is here for you. All you have
to do is ask for help.

In solidarity,

Nick LaMorte, president
Long Island Region

Ni ys

LaMorte honored by fraternal group

CSEA Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte recently
received the Golden Lion Award from the Order Sons of Italy in
America from the order’s New York state President Carlo
Matteucci.

The order recognized LaMorte’s lifetime of work fighting for the
rights of CSEA members.

“| accept this award not for me, but on behalf of the 50,000
Long Island Region members | represent. They work hard
providing essential services every day,” LaMorte said.

While accepting the award, he stressed the importance of
members’ daily contributions to their communities.

“| would ask you that when you find your roads are plowed and
in good repair; when your children return home safe after a day in
a warm, well-maintained school; when you get a state license or
permit; when you are helped at University Hospital, Nassau
University Medical Center, or your local library — remember to
thank a CSEA member because they made it happen for you,”
LaMorte said.

“Everything | have done as a CSEA officer has been to
advance or defend the rights of my members,” he said. “When
CSEA members are able to achieve a better standard of living;
when they are accorded the respect they deserve; when their
tights are respected and they are treated with dignity on the job,
then my mission has been fulfilled.”

ite 2
Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, seated in center
with his wife, Carolyn, is congratulated by, from left, Long Island
Region Office Manager Jennifer Nagy, Political Action
Coordinator Gretchen Penn, Retirement Counselor Laret
Williams, SUNY Old Westbury Local 1st Vice President Laura
Gallagher, Long Island Region Director Ron King and Pearl
Carroll & Associates Insurance Representative Benny Torres.

In memory
Thomas Walsh,
father of Local 852 President Bill Walsh 1]

CORAM — Thomas Walsh, father of Local 852 President Bill
Walsh, died May 6.

Because he was proud to be a veteran, the family is
requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the
Jacob's Light Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation that
provides care packages through its Adopt-a-Soldier program.
Visit the foundation's website at www.jacobsprogram.org.

Condolences to the family may be sent to the local at 625
Middle Country Road, Coram, N.Y. 11727.

=== Inside Reporter

CSEA prays
for the dead ...

HAUPPAUGE — CSEA activists and officers recently paid tribute to members
Michael Sallee of the Miller Place School District and Patrick Mapleson of the
state Department of Transportation, who lost their lives on the job during the
last year.

During a moving ceremony at the Suffolk County Workers’ Memorial, they
laid a wreath that said, “CSEA Members Care," and rededicated themselves to
ensure safety and security is improved for all workers.

“We cannot bring back our brothers Michael Sallee or Patrick Mapleson, but
we can vow to do everything possible to make sure that these tragedies don't
happen again," said CSEA Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte.

Sallee was electrocuted while working on a project at the Miller Place
School District last August. Mapleson was hit by a cement truck while repairing
potholes with the Department of Transportation in March.

“Our people are in danger every day. I's a miracle that there are so few accidents,”
Long Istand Department of Transportation Local President Bill Stodolski said. “Motorists
regularly exceed speed limits. Our workers are just an inconvenience for them. They throw
things at us and get very angry, and have litle regard for our safety. We're really there to
make things safer for everyone.”

Sallee, a former union officer, was remembered by his good friend and longtime
colleague Corey Brienes. “Mike always said he would make a change in this place
somehow, and that’s why we became union officers," he said. “We wanted to change and
make things better for everyone.”

4 Long Island Reporter

Ian effort to make that goal a reality, many CSEA activists and officers participated in a
spirited rally outside the state Capitol building in Albany on May 3 to press for state legislation
that will make public work sites safer.

The Worksite Security Act (S. 6441; A. 9691) would require public employers with more
than 20 employees to assess risk and develop a plan of action to prevent potential workplace
violence. The bill would also establish a complaint procedure for workers to call attention to the
potential for violence.

Shouting, "Secure work sites now!” and “Sign the bill now!,” CSEA members called for swift
action on this critical issue. Last year, both houses of the state legislature passed similar
CSEA-backed safety legislation, only to have Gov. George Pataki veto the bil.

“Our court officers have been attacked by inmates or their relatives," LaMorte said. "State
mental hygiene workers have been attacked by mentally ill clients; highway workers can be
killed or maimed by equipment failure or many kinds of neglect. We say enough is enough!
We call on state lawmakers to act because contrary to what people may think, safety is never
an accident.”

“There are a lot of things on my job site that could be handled a litle better,” said Edwin
McDowell, a motor equipment operator in Hempstead who attended the Albany rally. “Safety is
definitely a concern; it should come first.”

Janice Bradley, who collects and repairs parking meters for Hempstead, admitted that
she's now more observant of her surroundings when she’s handling the money, “I would really
like to see better security at those times," she said. “We do team up but there are plenty of
times when we're by ourselves.”

... and fights like
hell for the living

Retired state parks worker Jesse Hunt also came out to
press for better work site safety. “When | was working at
Jones Beach, (members of the public would commit
suicide) there,” he said, “One guy stabbed himself and one
of the cops. Another guy came after our workers with a
machete one day. These things can happen."

George Walsh, Chair of the Long Island Region Safety
and Health Committee, said there are many safety and
security hazards. “I've heard about our people dealing with
mold or asbestos in their buildings,” he said. ‘Nurses
getting abused by patients; sometimes even
schoolchildren’s parents become abusive to staff. These
kinds of things all have to be addressed.”

Long Island Developmental Center Local President
Darryl Wilson attended the rally because he said there’s a
real need for better protections. “I's not our job to get spit
(on, hit, kicked or injured on the job," he said. "These things
occur and management tells us that’s part of the job. 'm
here to say that's not our job.”

“One time, a woman attacked one of our workers while
he was running a chainsaw. Another time, one of our guys
was moving snow with a pay loader and an irate
homeowner dragged the guy out of the truck and beat him,”
said Roger Zimmerman, who works for the Oyster Bay
Parks Department. “It's just insane that people get injured
con the job.”

Jill Mallon, 1st Vice President of the Long Island
Department of Transportation Local, said she felt a special
obligation to suppor the rally and fight for this legislation.
“We're a union family in my home. The only way you get
anything done is with a union fighting for you,” she said,
“So, hopefully, this push will make the bill become law this
time.”

— Rachel Langert

From top to bottom: SUNY Farmingdale Local President
Tom Dodney and Town of Oyster Bay member Roger
Zimmerman also tumed out forthe rally; Long Island
Department of Transportation Local 1st Vice President Jill
Mallon and Long Island Developmental Center Local
President Darryl Wilson were among those attending the
rally; Long Island Region members join our mascot, the
CSEA Canary, in calling on the state to secure work sites
now. Even the youngest activist, Sarah Ruby Alessi, lent
her voice to the cause.

On opposite page, top photo, Long Island Region
President Nick LaMorte leads the CSEA workers’
memorial tribute, while Judiciary Local President Kevin
Ray, Suffolk Educational Local ‘st Vice President Harry
Ader and Miller Place School District member Tony
Montefusco bow their heads; bottom photo, some of the
Long Island Region members who joined their CSEA
brothers and sisters from around the state.

Why The Canary?
Years ago, miners would take canaries into the
mines to use them as monitors. Miners could
not sense many hazardous gases, and
by the time they were aware they were
being poisoned, it was too late for the

miners to react.

The canary seemed like a perfect
monitor because it would react immediately
to hazardous gases. The Canary is your monitor
for a safe and healthy workplace.

} }

sd 9

Long Island Reporter 5
Central Islip Library Unit fights trustees

CENTRAL ISLIP — The trustees of the
Central Islip Public Library just don’t get it.
They claim they can violate their
contract with the Central Islip Library Unit
of Suffolk Local 852 which represents 50
library employees. The trustees say they
didn’t mean it when they signed the
contract so they shouldn't have to live up

to the agreement.

A State Supreme Court judge in
Central Islip found for the union but the
trustees intend to appeal the decision.

“We won the court case,” said Grace
Perez, president of the unit, expressing
the hope the board will decide not to
appeal. “We did everything by the book
and won, and we think that's enough now.”

So far the trustees have spent $15,000
on legal fees and court costs. If they
appeal, their costs will likely triple, which
would be close to the amount the trustees

refuse to pay the employees.

The four-year contract, which expires
at the end of this month, calls for step
increases in the third and fourth years.
Instead of paying the step increases,
however, the trustees offered a one-time
across-the-board increase that would not

Anne Zwerlein and Shep attend
CSEA's Occupational Safety and
Health Conference in Lake Placid.
She has served as an elected
officer of the unit for the past five
years.

Long Island Reporter

have been included in the salary schedule.

The union then took the trustees to
court, with Paul Levitt, CSEA Suffolk
regional attorney, representing the unit.

The unit members have begun
demonstrating at the trustees’ monthly
meetings and having members attend in a
show of solidarity. Before the May 2
meeting, 35 members, supporters in the
community and librarians from other units
of Local 852 demonstrated in the rain. “We
had about 35 people, neighbors, we
recruited everyone we could get our hands
on,” said Perez.

Local 852 President Bill Walsh
addressed the trustees, pointing out that
everyone had just recited the Pledge of
Allegiance, which ends “with liberty and
justice for all.”

“That's what our members want,” he
said. “They won the court case and the
trustees should pay them.”

“You are wasting taxpayers’ money,” he
added.

The library workers plan to protest
again at the next trustees meeting, on
June 6.

Labor Relations Specialist Ken

Local 852 President Bill Walsh speaks to Central Islip Library Unit members and
supporters before the group went to the trustees meeting on May 2. Grace Perez,
center, president of the unit, wears a sign telling the trustees that the union members
demand respect for themselves and their contract.

Brotherton works with the union which is
made up of librarians, principal, senior and
library clerks and maintenance employees,
full- and part-time.

“We are absolutely firm,” said Perez.
“We have been patient and gone through
all the procedures quietly. It's time the
public knows how their money is being
thrown away. We are now going to be
heard. We are a voice and a big voice.”

Security officer’s training leads guide dogs

NORTH HEMPSTEAD — While
Anne Zwerlein and Shep, her
golden retriever puppy, were at
CSEA’s Occupational Safety and
Health conference in Lake Placid
recently, both were engaged in
learning.

Zwerlein, 3rd vice president of
the North Hempstead Unit of
Nassau Municipal Local 882, was
learning about improving safety
on the job. Shep was there as
part of his training to become a
guide dog for visually impaired
people.

“We get puppies between 7
and 9 weeks and begin the
socialization process,” said
Zwerlein, a 22-year town
employee who works as a
security officer in the Parks &
Recreation Department. “That is
basically teaching them how to
behave in public and how to
interact with the public. We take
the dogs into public settings,
malls, train stations, restaurants.

“Shep accompanies me to
most of my union business,
including labor-management
meetings in the Town of North

Hempstead, so he's in settings
similar to where he will be when
in working situations,” said
Zwerlein, who is the unit's
grievance committee co-chair
and has served on the
negotiations committee since
1988.

If Shep is medically fit at the
end of his first year, he'll be
returned to the Guide Dog
Foundation for the Blind in
Smithtown, his owner. Shep will
undergo formal training for a
period that runs from four months
to a year, depending on his
aptitude, and will then be
presented to a visually disabled
person.

“They try to match the
personality of the person to the
personality of the dog,” said
Zwerlein. “A more playful person
would go with a younger dog, a
more sedate dog with an older
person. Dogs, like people, have
their own strengths and
weaknesses. A shy or timid dog
is not fit for service in the city.
You want boldness, competence
and control, a dog that can

control itself.”

The dogs are extremely
helpful for the visually impaired.
“The guide dogs make it a lot
easier and faster for people to
move about in urban and
suburban settings,” she said.

The length of the guide dog's
service depends largely on
where the person lives. In a high
stress situation, the service could
be five years; in a suburban
setting, as much as eight years.

Shep is the fifth guide dog in
training that Zwerlein and
Richard, her husband, who also
works for the Parks & Recreation
Department, have taken into their
home. “This is definitely a two-
person operation,” she said.
“Without his help, there’s no way
| could do it.”

Two of the five dogs, Misty
and Sam, were medically
disqualified, and remain with the
Zwerleins. Two other dogs
continued their training and went
into service. The Zwerleins have
a fourth dog, Dolly, a mini-
schnauzer.

Zwerlein also speaks to

groups about the guide dog
program, usually taking Shep
along. “When | speak to the
public, | try to tell them what they
can and cannot do when they
see working guides,” she said.

One recent evening she
spoke to a Cub Scout pack in
Seaford. The Cubs are taking
part in Pennies for Puppies,
which will raise funding for the
Guide Dog Foundation. “Fund
raising is very important because
these dogs are presented to the
recipient at no cost,” said
Zwerlein. The value of the dog
when it's finished training is
upward of $30,000.”
WEOUnG=tne=hke gion

1 Local 430 General Membership Meeting —
1-5p.m.

5 - Human Rights Committee Meeting —
5:30 p.m.

7 - Education & Training Committee Meeting —
6pm.

3 - PEOPLE Committee Meeting — 5 p.m.
4 - Defensive Driving — 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

5 - Defensive Driving — 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
49 Women’s Committee Meeting — 5:30 p.m.

Calendar of Upcoming Events:

June 2006

20 - Health and Safety Committee Meeting —
5pm.

23 - Constitution and By-Laws Committee Meeting —
6pm.

24 - Defensive Driving — 9 am. -3 p.m

21 - Political Action Committee Meeting —
5:30 p.m

28 - Local Government Private Sector Grievance
Workshop — 5:30 - 9 p.m.

29 - Local Government Private Sector Grievance
Workshop — 5:30 - 9 p.m.

LIDC clerical staff
honored

MELVILLE — They say that nothing
works without clerks. With that in
mind, CSEA officials and
management at the Long Island
Developmental Center recently
joined forces to say “thank you,” to
the entire clerical staff on
Administrative Professionals Day.

Long Island Developmental
Center Local officers, including
Executive Vice President Ronnie
Oliver, worked hard to put together
for the workers a successful
celebration lunch.

“We're here because CSEA cares,
and the work you do every day is a

Long Island Developmental Disabilities Services
Office Director Irene McGinn and Long Island
Developmental Center Local President Darryl
Wilson sing workers’ praises during Administrative
Professionals’ Day celebration.

reflection of that,” said Long Island
Developmental Disabilities Services
Office Director Irene McGinn. “What |
very much appreciate is that people
here own what they do. They don't
walk around saying, ‘That's not my
job.”

“| just want to thank each and
every one of you for all the great
work you do every day for the
consumers and for the public,” Local
3rd Vice President Michaelle
Jackson said.

Lake Grove Unit starts contract talks

LAKE GROVE — Negotiators for the Lake Grove
Unit of Suffolk Municipal Local 852 held their first
bargaining session on a contract renewal with the
village April 27.

The unit's bargaining team includes President
Bill Parente, Pete Tronair and Bill Mausling. Labor
Relations Specialist Guy DiCosola is assisting the
negotiators.

The current three-year agreement expires May 31.

CSEA represents blue and white-collar
employees of the village, which is in the western
section of Brookhaven.

State Negotiation Kick off

and state local officers for the statewide negotiating committee. From left, LaMorte,
Judicial Local 330 President Kevin Ray, SUNY Farmingdale Local President Tom
Dowdney, SUNY Old Westbury Local 1st Vice President Laura Gallagher, SUNY
Stony Brook Local President Carlos Speight, Long Island Developmental Center
Local President Daryl Wilson and Region 3rd Vice President Bobby Holland.

COMMACK — Local officers from the Long Island Region recently met to nominate
members from the five state bargaining units to sit on the statewide negotiating
team.

That team will hammer out a successor agreement between the state and
CSEA.

The bargaining units involved are ASU — Administrative Stervices Unit, OSU -
Operational Services Unit, ISU — Institutional Services Unit, DMNA - Division of
Military and Naval Affairs and OCA — Office of Court Administration.

All state local presidents and region officers were given the opportunity to
nominate members to CSEA's statewide negotiating team.

“This is important because CSEA is a grassroots union in which members will
participate in negotiating the contract that will impact upon some 80,000 members
around the state,” said Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte.

The names will be submitted to President Danny Donohue. One member from
each region will be selected for each bargaining unit to represent CSEA at the
bargaining table.

Lindenhurst DPW Unit holds

fund raisers for member

LINDENHURST — CSEA members in the Lindenhurst
Unit recently held a couple of very successful fund-
raising events for one of their own.

Vinny Radmann, a Lindenhurst Department of Public )™)
Works employee with 20 years of service, is
undergoing cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan-
Kettering Cancer Center.

Unit President Tony Poldino announced the unit
was able to raise more than $20,000 in March to help
the Radmanns pay their mounting medical bills. In
May, the unit held an auction and raised about
$37,000.

“It was amazing how people pulled together,” said Poldino. “Everybody knows
somebody with cancer, so people really felt for (Radmann). Our thoughts and
prayers will be with him when he undergoes surgery in June.”

Members Vinny
Radmann and Sharon
Guarini at a recent fund-
raiser

Long Island Reporter 7
SUNY Old Westbury fighting contracting out

OLD WESTBURY — Members of
the State University of New York at
Old Westbury Local are again battling
the contracting out of union members’
jobs on the campus to private
companies.

Local President Mary D’ Antonio is
setting up a meeting with college
officials to urge them to stop
contracting out tasks such as cleaning
dormitory rooms and maintaining the
grounds.

“We had this same problem years ago when they
brought in Marriott,” said D’ Antonio. “We hope we can
win again.”

Two nearby colleges, Briarcliffe College and the
New York Institute of Technology, rent dormitory
space for their students from the state college and use
an outside company to clean those rooms.

The SUNY administration has begun bringing in the
same company to clean the dormitory rooms of Old
Westbury students on weekends. CSEA wants the
college to either pay union members overtime to clean
on weekends or hire additional staff for a Friday
through Wednesday workweek.

“The administration complains about the job our
people do, but they do have supervisors in the dorms
and there have never been any complaints about our
people,” said D’ Antonio. “They don’t give us adequate
supplies or equipment in the dormitories. It’s like
they’re trying to sabotage our people.”

They don't give us
adequate supplies or
equipment in the
dormitories. It's like
they're trying to
sabotage our people.

She said there was a large area to
keep clean and only five cleaners to do
the work although there are supposed to
be nine cleaners for the dorms.

The union is also fighting against
contracting out work on the grounds.

“T came out two Sundays ago and
saw a private landscaping company
clearing bushes on the grounds,” said
D’ Antonio. “We went from 11
groundskeepers to five, with nobody
being laid off. They just haven’t hired anybody. Our
groundskeepers are such hard workers — they do all
the delivering on campus, all the moving of furniture
on campus and keep up 604 acres of grounds on
campus. I was shocked to see this outside contractor.”

Among the proposals CSEA will bring to the
meeting are having members work in teams cleaning
the dorms, rotating the teams in the dormitories because
some buildings are harder to clean than others and
adding supervisors in dormitories where there are none
now. “We'd like to see a supervisor promoted from
within the ranks, and we'd like to see them hire more
union members,” D’ Antonio said.

Expected to join her at the meeting will be Local 2nd
Vice President Tommy Noble and Secretary-Treasurer
Karen Carlen-Murray.

“If we don’t have good results from the meeting, we
plan to hold demonstrations so the administration will
be well aware of the problem,” D’ Antonio said.

Stony Brook
strikes back

CSEA Local 614 has filed several
contract class action grievances
and improper practice charges
against management, regarding the
exclusivity of CSEA member
work, as well as demonstrated anti-
union animus on the part of
university hospital construction
administrators.

The local has scheduled a
meeting to update members about
these and other matters: June 13

CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Guy DiCosola and SUNY Stony
Brook Local President Carlos Speight discuss the action plan to
address management's giving in-house construction work to

outside contractors.

from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. in the
Student Activities Center on the
SUNY Stony Brook Campus,
Ballroom A.

8 Long Island Reporter

Making a difference

FARMINGDALE — Barbara Sarringer and
the Operation Shoebox packers will be
featured on News 12 Long Island’s “People
Making a Difference” broadcast May 26.

Sarringer, a secretary in the Psychology
Department at Farmingdale State University,
created Operation Shoebox, which provides a
variety of personal items to U.S. military
personnel serving in Iraq and other areas
around the world.

Info fair to be held

FARMINGDALE — Members of
Farmingdale State University Local 606 will
hold their annual picnic-barbecue and
information fair June 16.

Local Secretary Amanda Gist is leading
the committee planning the event, which will
take place from noon to 4:30 p.m.

For more information about the event, call
Gist at (631) 420-2656 or e-mail at
amanda. gist@ farmingdale.edu.

Tom Dowdney is the local president.

FREE Admission

CSEA Is a major sponsor

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JUNE
15-18

University
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. an A
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8pm, June 15, 2006
University at Albany

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