The Work Force, 1999 July

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION CSE R Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO

State contract
battle heats up
Page 3

Photo of the Month

BACKING UP THE WORK FORCE — A CSEA member says
it all during the recent protest at the state Capitol to
deliver nearly 40,000 postcards to the governor.

Youth lockup melee
spurs safety concern

RUSH — A melee at a state youth detention facility where
kids yanked legs off tables to beat staff members with has
left at least one CSEA member injured and the union
concerned about management's response to the threat of
more trouble.

One union member was struck twice in the face by two
teens and is out of work, union leaders said.

“We were about to transfer a resident who had been a
source of trouble to another cottage on the grounds,” said
Harold Milton, a youth development aide at the facility near
Rochester. “He resisted, a tussle started, and several of his
friends jumped in and attacked a staff member.

“It started in the cafeteria, as the residents were lined up
to leave. As the scuffle escalated, two residents broke away,
and tore the legs off a table to use as weapons. It took about
10 staff members to subdue the five residents,” Milton said.

This is the latest rash of violence which has injured CSEA
members who work in these state-run facilities for kids who
are doing time for felonies ranging from arson to murder.

The incident renewed CSEA members’ call for hazard duty
pay for those who work with the troubled, and often violent,
teens.

CSEA members, however, said they are concerned
management hasn’t addressed the underlying problems of
short staffing, worker safety and the dangerous teens with
multiple problems who they oversee.

“We're very concerned about our members’ safety in such
incidents,” said Wilma Hasser, local president.

— Ron Wofford

Pee THE WORK FORCE 1999

July

New faces in the family:

CSEA organizes 445
at Long Beach Hospital

Workers in the service and
maintenance unit of the Long
Beach Hospital and nursing home
in Nassau County exploded into a
roar of excitement when they
realized workers voted to make
CSEA their union.

CSEA welcomed 445 new
members to the union family after
the National Labor Relations
Board recently confirmed the
election results.

The on-site election was the
product of a determined, year-long
effort by the workers at the
private hospital and nursing home
to become unionized.

“We are very excited and proud
to be members of CSEA,” said
Angel Alverez, a 20-year employee.

“We needed representation and
now we've got it!” Alverez said.

“CSEA will be proud to
represent the Long Beach Hospital
workers who showed so much
courage,” CSEA President Danny
Donohue said.

Lead CSEA Organizer Mary
Bryant and Supervisor Phoebe
Mackey praised the workers for
their strength and perseverance
even in the face of management’s

intimidating tactics.

“I am inspired by the workers
and the CSEA staff and activists
throughout this campaign,” said
CSEA Long Island Region President
Nick LaMorte.

“We are proud these employees
have chosen CSEA to represent
them. Our first order of business
is to begin negotiating a contract
for these deserving workers,” said
CSEA Director of Organizing Diane
Campion.

CSEA's effort to represent three
other units in the hospital and
nursing home — skilled, technical
and business office employees —
will continue.

CSEA, which represents
employees in hospitals and
nursing homes throughout the
state, will continue to support
workers’ efforts to organize the
hospital and nursing home’s
remaining three units.

“We are going to continue to
work with the employees in the
other units and hopefully, next
year, they will choose CSEA as
well,” said Bryant.

— Sheryl C. Jenks

Still no budget as session comes to close

As this edition of the Work Force went to press, the state budget was
nearly three months late. With the legislative session coming to a close,
there was still no deal in sight.

CSEA President Danny Donohue said Gov. George Pataki and state
lawmakers should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves.

“What gall it takes to hand yourselves a 38 percent pay raise and then
not even do the job you were elected to do,” Donohue said. “Especially
when the people who really do the work in this state are still without a
contract,” he added.

The following are some CSEA-supported bills pending at press time:

© §,3383/A.5558. Allows members of a retirement system who had a
break in service to re-enter their original tier of service.

¢ $.5081/A.7984. Authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT)
to pay a hazardous duty differential to DOT employees who work close
to traffic and are in unavoidable risk of injury.

¢ §.3136/A.5861. Authorizes counties an option of providing a 3/4 final
average salary, performance of duty disability retirement to sheriffs,
deputy sheriffs, undersheriffs and correction officers who are injured by
the act of an inmate.

CSE. |

tocer tone Anew
ATL CIO

The state Capitol
isn’t the only place
CSEA members
have turned out in
force. Mobilization
efforts have
greeted Gov.
George Pataki
from Buffalo to
Long Island — and
everywhere in
between. These
pictures were
taken across the
state and give a
glimpse of the
many union
members who
have taken our
fight to the street
for a fair deal at
the state
negotiating table,

Zeroing in on justice

ALBANY — Marching to singer
Aretha Franklin’s soul hit “Respect,”
hundreds of angry state workers
zeroed in on the Capitol in Albany last
month demanding respect in contract
talks.

Led by CSEA President Danny
Donohue, more than 600 CSEA
activists from across the state
delivered Gov. George Pataki the
biggest zero he’s ever seen.

Union members circled the Capitol
with a garland made from thousands
of postcards signed by CSEA members
angered by Pataki’s latest four-zero
wage offer.

“We're not starting at zero and
these guys should know it!” Donohue
yelled to the boisterous crowd as he
gestured toward the Capitol.

The protest was one of many CSEA
contract-related events held across
the state the last few weeks to crank
up the heat on the state for a solid
contract. The public pressure
prompted the governor to continue
vital dental and optical benefits for
CSEA state workers through Sept. 30.

Thunderous chants of “Zero is not a
number” and “You got yours, We want
ow (referring to the 38 percent pay
raise state lawmakers gave
themselves) ricocheted across the
noontime throng as Donohue led a
charge up the Capitol steps toward
Pataki’s office.

“This is the beginning of the fight.
This is not the end,” Donohue said.

Joined by CSEA Executive Vice
President Mary Sullivan, Treasurer
Maureen Malone, Secretary Barbara
Reeves and CSEA’s region presidents,
Donohue delivered nearly 40,000
postcards signed by CSEA members
onto Pataki's doorstep.

“We're going to hang out there one
day longer than they are willing to
jerk us around to make sure that we
have a contract that every CSEA
member can be proud of!” Donohue
shouted.

— Ed Molitor

July 1999 THE

+ ay | CSEA protesters

WORK F

WORK 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
Asst. Director of Communications

RONALD S. KERMANI, Editor
LOU HMIELESKI, Assistant Editor

CATHLEEN HORTON
Graphic Design & Support Services

RALPH DISTIN, Graphic Artist

JANICE NUSBAUM
Communications Production Coordinator

BETH McINTYRE
Communications Secretary

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

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

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

COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATES

SHERYL C. JENKS Long Island Region
(516) 462-0030
Metropolitan Region
(212) 406-2156
Southern Region
(914) 831-1000
Capital Region
(518) 785-4400
Central Region
(315) 4 eeo5)

ANN CARROLL:
ANITA MANLEY
DAN CAMPBELL
MARK M. KOTZIN
RON WOFFORD

ED MOLITOR

LONG ISLAND REGION John C Shepherd
METROPOLITAN REGION vacant
SOUTHERN REGION Diane Hewitt
CAPITAL REGION Marguerite Stanley
CENTRAL REGION Bruce Damatt, Chair
WESTERN REGION James. V. Kurtz

soon COMMUN,

ILA

T+ AFLCIOICUS *

amma
'vigossy SRO

Coenen aint yet

a

err me THE WORK FORCE

July

In Touch with the

CSEA President Danny Donohue :

hen hundreds of CSEA leaders and members
delivered nearly 40,000 postcards demanding
respect to the Governor’s doorstep recently, it was
a victory for all CS9EA members.

This fight is not just about a state contract. It’s a fight for fairness and
respect and that affects CSEA members no matter where you work.

There is no contract for state members but there is no-state budget for
all New Yorkers. And the Governor’s proposals shortchange us in both areas.

That’s why CSEA will continue to go wherever the Governor goes to
deliver our message:

CSEA members are tired of doing more with less; We’ve shouldered
more than our share when times were tough.

CSEA members are tired of being shortstaffed and not having the help
they need to do the jobs they have to do.

CSEA members are tired of not being appreciated for the hard work and
dedication they bring to the job everyday.

CSEA members are tired of not being able to take vacation because their
worksites are so short-staffed that they can’t get any time off.

CSEA members are sick and tired of getting hurt on the job because of
understaffing and lack of safety protections.

What’s more, CSEA members are tired of high priced political
appointees getting the reward and the credit for the sacrifice and productivity
of CSEA members.

The Governor should know that talk is cheap. In budgets and in
bargaining it’s time to start showing the CSEA Work Force that he means it
when he says CSEA members are the best workers anywhere.

oe

1999

Fight spills into court, media
on OMH worker safety issue

CSEA is intensifying its battle in the
courts and the statehouse to protect the
health and safety of members who work in
state psychiatric centers.

In court, a judge forced the state Office
of Mental Health (OMH) to give CSEA
important documents about the agency’s
plans for
Manhattan
Psychiatric
Center.

The union
sued because
state officials
refused to turn
over the
public papers that highlight the state’s
plans for the huge psychiatric center
downstate.

The documents CSEA sued for are
“important to state employees as well as
the vulnerable patient population that may
be impacted,” by layoffs or firings, a state
Supreme Court justice wrote in the
favorable decision.

On the statehouse floor, CSEA supported
a bill that would set up staff-to-patient
ratios based on the types of clients the
facility serves.

CEA REPRESENTS

CPs sat
200 worxens in THis WO

Danger Zone
“Staffing is dangerously low and our
members are working in facilities that are
tinder boxes of violence. They're being

forced to work double shifts and they’re
getting hurt working with the most difficult
clients,” said CSEA President Danny
Donohue.

“CSEA members are tired of not being
able to take vacations because their
worksites are so short staffed. And they’re
angry because they’re getting hurt because
of this,” Donohue added.

These “deplorable working conditions”
were thrust into the public spotlight
recently with an exhaustive 12-page New
York Times Magazine expose.

The piece highlighted the state Labor
Department’s ruling that the Hudson River
Psychiatric Center is a hazardous
workplace. In the article, an OMH
spokesman said CSEA’s health and safety
complaint was a union ploy.

“It’s disgraceful that OMH would dismiss

our members getting attacked and injured
as a ploy,” Donohue said.

“They’re obviously out of touch with
reality,” the president added.

Joel Schwartz, a CSEA member at South
Beach Psychiatric Center, knows the wear
and tear bad working conditions take on
employees.

“Our members are now working more
hours. We now have significantly fewer
employees serving the most difficult clients
who may have drug and alcohol problems
compounding their mental illness,” said
Schwartz, co-chair of CSEA’s Mental
Hygiene Advisory Committee.

Workplace violence is common, said
union leaders, and the mandatory staffing
bill would help the agency provide quality
care and service.

Pick up the phone!

CSEA members are encouraged to call
their state lawmakers and demand some
of the proposed beds for the state Office
of Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities (OMRDD) be state-operated.

The New York Cares program is slated
to create more than 900 new beds this
year.

When announced earlier this year, the
new beds were to be operated by private
sector employees.

CSEA members began lobbying state
legislators to make a portion of these 900
news beds state-operated.

“The lobbying and letter-writing efforts
have helped greatly because both the
state Senate and Assembly have voiced
their support making some of the new
beds state-operated,” said CSEA Treasurer
Maureen Malone.

“Although we have made progress, the
battle is far from over,” she added. “CSEA
members need to continue calling their
legislators on this issue.”

5) of the Work Force A

66 'y main concern is the paperwork that Medicare has mandated us to do. It takes a
lot of time to fill out, so it takes away from the time we have with our clients.
It seems like the clients suffer the most. We provide the same amount of care, but
maybe not as much of the quality of care.
I feel overwhelmed and frustrated because I don’t have enough time to do my
work, It’s just impossible. 99

Jeff Hanna, community health nurse — Herkimer County Dept. of Public Health

July 1999 THE WORK FORCE Moree)

Sentenced to 53 days without a day off

Prison chef is fed up

MARCY — Work is a hot, noisy kitchen
surrounded by dangerous convicts.

Routinely overworked and understaffed,
you serve 5,000 meals a day.

If the food isn’t hot or it’s served late,
hungry inmates start angrily yelling your
name because you're the only guy wearing
aname badge.

Imagine working 53 days
without a day off.

Unfortunately, this
hellish scene has
confronted Civilian Cook
Carl Murphy at Marcy
Correctional Facility, where
up until recently, it seemed
like he was the one doing
hard time.

Short staffing in state prisons such as
Marcy are complicating family vacation
plans and forcing CSEA members like
Murphy to work long stretches without a
break.

Murphy said he took the overtime
because, as the least senior employee, he
would be forced to work the shifts.

To help his co-workers avoid even more
days on the job without rest, Murphy said,
“I just went with it” as other kitchen
employees pitched in during the staffing
crisis.

“It makes you frustrated, but you try not
to think about it too much,” Murphy said
about his 53-day kitchen sentence.

“I got burned out close to the end. Don’t
watch the clock, don’t look what day it is —
that helps,” he added.

SEA REPRESENTS

Law
Enforcement

15,
20 wonxens yrs WO

Ingredients for short staffing

The kitchen staffing problem began last
year when one employee died and several
transferred to other positions.

Prison management isn’t to blame, said
CSEA Local President Jocasa Relf.

A state hiring freeze has chilled all but
emergency staff requests
and state budget
bureaucrats in Albany
aren’t budging on pleas for
more help.

“They know it takes
seven people minimum to
run the process,” said Relf.

“With four people, what
happens if someone gets
sick, hurt, or has a family emergency?”

Recipe for disaster

Head Cook Sam Scampone says
understaffing the kitchen is also unsafe.

Inmates get very angry if their food is
late or cold.

“If they start getting rowdy, its 360
inmates against about 20 guards,” he said.

The work is consuming.

“It’s hectic and hot, and with the toasters
running, the fans running, the ovens
running, people talking, and the constant
noise from utensils hitting plates, it gets
rather loud. After an eight-hour shift, your
ears are ringing,” Murphy said.

Spelling ‘relief’
Since a recent statewide corrections
conference where Relf highlighted the

Short staffing sentenced prison chef Carl
Murphy to 53 days at work without time
off.

problem to agency officials, the kitchen is
slowly returning to normal.

Six of the seven positions have been
filled, and the agency wants to hire a relief
person to cover food services.

And finally, Murphy and Scampone have
taken some well-deserved time off.

— Mark M. Kotzin

of the Work Force »)

66 oO”. office is responsible for all incoming and outgoing paperwork for inmate transfers,
court appearances, immigration hearings, and legal issues.
In January 1998, we got 200 more maximum security disciplinary inmates, with no extra
staff. It’s affected us tremendously because of the paperwork involved.
It’s mind boggling, because we didn't get any extra help. 99

Page 6

THE WORK FORCE

July

Crystal Donahue, clerk — Marcy Correctional Facility

4:9:0°9

Monroe County members give

kids shot at healthy future

ROCHESTER — CSEA
members are making sure kids
have a healthy future.

The “Healthy Shot For Kids,”
a pilot electronic registry
operated by Monroe County
CSEA members, makes sure
children in an 11-county area
are immunized.

“We're part of a very
important aspect of children
growing up healthy, and that’s a
good feeling,” said Donna
Miller, an immunization clerk
and Local secretary.

Healthy Shot enables local
health care providers to
manage immunization records

CSEA members Nancy Hackett, left, a public health nurse, and
Donna Miller, an immunization clerk, discuss immunizations
given to travelers visiting foreign countries. The two also work
on the computerized immunization registry.

for their young patients by
storing the records in a
regional computer data bank.
Parents must
give permission
before the
records can be
archived.

The program
— the first of its
kind in the state
— may be
expanded to
other areas,
organizers said.

The computer
registry benefits
parents and
doctors, Miller
said.

“Tt helps
parents keep
complete
records, even
when children
change from one
medical provider to another. It
also makes sure their children
get vaccinated at the
recommended times, or age of
the child, from hepatitis B to
varicella (chicken pox).

“Right now there are about
15 or 16 shots recommended

SEA REPRESENTS.

50, =r nt
200 WoRKens wi THIS WO

“We’re part of a
very important
aspect of children
growing up
healthy.”

w

GES of the Work Force

66 [” upset with our members not mobilizing to fight for a fair contract! It’s their contract.

for the early months and
years,” Miller said.

The registry helps doctors
maintain
complete and
accurate shot
records and
provides a
reliable source
doctors can
check to see if
the children
have all the
needed
vaccinations.

The registry is
confidential,
Miller said, and
parents can get
a copy of the
immunization
record for day
care, school,
camp or social
services
registration.

The program is supported
with funding from the New York
State Health Department and
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.

— Ron Wofford

Our local is doing different things to get the message out. It would be nice if other members

in other locals would get involved. 99

Steve Ableman, clerk — state Office of Children and Family Services

July

1999 THE WORK FORCE berwAe

Summer brings surprises
for CSEA roadway mowers

ROTTERDAM — The sight of CSEA

highway workers mowing the grass along

county highways on a clear summer
morning cuts a bucolic
image as their tractors
lumber along, unhurried.

Lurking in the grass,
however, are any number of
surprises waiting for the
highway workers, who need
to keep track of traffic, their
tractors and anything along
the roadside that shouldn’t be meeting
the whirring blades.

“Fences, cables, tires, stumps, you
name it and it’s there,” said Schenectady
County Local member Ken Stevens.

“I was surprised the other morning
when | caught a snake on the end of the
thing,” Stevens said.

“It’s like anything else, you gotta be

careful,” added local member
Lou DeSorbo. “Safety first.”

Doing two things at once
As DeSorbo and Stevens
f. | prepared their machines for
ia another day of mowing, they

Above, Schenectady County.
Local member Ken Stevens,
right, gets a hand oiling his
tractor before a day of
mowing. At left, it’s a tight
squeeze along a county
highway.

GSEA REPRESENTS

Waste
Management,
Maintenance
Infrastructures)

90, et
200 WorKens wi Tus WO

told of some of the challenges their jobs
bring. Keeping an eye on traffic is one.
Sometimes the tractors can take up most
of a travel lane while cutting,
and operators have to share
the road with motorists.

At the same time, they
watch the cutting bars or flail
mowers, which could flatten a
mail box or street sign.

The tractors resemble huge
fiddler crabs as they crawl
along the highway, intermittently lifting
their large right claw that is the mower
to avoid an obstacle.

Tires heaved along the road are a
particular threat, Stevens said. Getting
one jammed in the mower can involve
using the second tractor to pull it out.

“Yesterday, I got a pair of pants and
somebody’s knit shirt in the mower,”
Stevens said.

Old carpets dumped by motorists and
telephone wire left behind by utility
crews also can stall their methodical
progress down the road.

In all} Stevens, DeSorbo ‘and four'othér
workers keep 220 miles of roadside clear
from May to mid-November, Unit
President Andy Brown noted.

The work is essential to maintain safe
sight lines for motorists and keeps the
roadways looking neat, Brown said.

— Lou Hmieleski

66 hat is interesting about my job is the element of never knowing what's going to
happen. It might be a broken main, a clogged line, checking stations — we have 43

Par

stations that have to be checked on a regular basis — or a repair job. I might have to wash

fs wes) and wax a truck. You never know. It’s a different thing every day, It breaks it up. 99

Bill Plass — Town of Poughkeepsie

Water Pollution Control Department Maintenance Mechanic

THE WORK FORCE July 1999

Long Island pickets
prod municipalities

LONG ISLAND — School
employees from three
districts on Long Island held
rallies recently to protest their
protracted contract talks.

In Comsewogue, CSEA
demonstrators were mostly
concerned with
a pervasive
administration
attitude that
part-timer
employees were
working for
“pocket change”
or “just to get
out of the house for a few
hours.”

The unit reached an
agreement shortly after the
demonstration.

“I credit Unit President
Eileen Romaszka for her
strength and fortitude during
the difficult negotiations,” said
CSEA Labor Relations
Specialist Stephanie Bonfante.

“We have a contract in place
now, and while we did not get
everything we wanted, we
certainly let the district know
how they have chipped away
at the morale of their part-
time employees,” he added.

In the West Babylon School

SEA REPRESENTS

93, 3 nt
400 worKens iy THs WO

District, the paraprofessional
unit also protested.

Bonfante, who led their
negotiations, said the
committee was bringing an
agreement to the members for
ratification.

“The committee
can only do the best
it can do and in the
end it is up to the
majority of the
members to have
their voices heard at
the ratification vote,”
Bonfante said.

As the Work Force went to
press, CSEA members in the
West Islip School District
clerical unit were holding a
protest.

That group has been
without a contract for a year.

“We have had two
mediation sessions that met
with no success. Unit
President Colette Ribaudo and
I hope the protest will make
the public who attend the
board meeting aware of the
unfair treatment these
employees are getting,” CSEA
Labor Relations Specialist Toni
Soucie said.

— Sheryl C. Jenks

IN THE CHIPS
| Jennifer

| from left to
| right, part of
the Ichabod
Crane cafeteria ©
crew, get ready |
| to serve lunch. ©
| The district
recently settled ~
» a 30-month
contract fight.
See story

| below.
lat. J

Perseverance pays off at ICC

Members working in the Ichabod Crane School District near
Albany are realizing the power of CSEA as they put a bitter
30-month contract battle behind them and ease into summer.

Salary increases and improved health insurance coverage are
among several benefits in the new pact for 135 union members.

What can’t be quickly measured, however, is the invaluable help
and support local members showed their colleagues.

“What was amazing was not once did I hear ‘when is this going
to stop’ from one member,” said unit President Sherrill Phillips.
“Rather they would say ‘What can I do next to help the union?’
That really amazed me,” she added.

The arduous fight with the district galvanized members,
including those who had not been active in union issues.

“| just had to fight back,” said secretary Georgia Leonard.

“They just wanted to take things away from us and they wanted it
all. So we all just fought back,” she said.

“It was as if everybody had something to lose so we all had to
work together to win,” President Phillips said.

— Daniel X. Campbell

66 hat burns me up is the inequity of our situation. The legislators give themselves a raise,
Pataki gives himself a raise. We’re the front-line workers and he offers us zero. We all
have families, mortgages to pay and we pay taxes. We're ready to FIGHT BACK!99

Frank Berghela — state Department of Education, Albany

July 1999 THE WORK FORCE [Gertie

CSEA members help bring high-tech
9-1-1 system to rural county

SCHOHARIE — Schoharie County is one of the
last counties in the state to get 9-1-1 service, but
CSEA members are working to make sure the new
system is one of the most advanced.

When the county Real Property Tax Office
workers’ work is done, not only will residents be
_ able to call 9-1-1 in emergencies, but 9-1-1 will

call them if they're in danger of being flooded
by the fickle Schoharie Creek.

Meanwhile, county staff will be able to call up
tax maps on their computer screens, putting all
the county’s real property information a
computer-mouse click away for residents.

Schoharie County

Beam me up

“I got to see the GPS (global positioning
satellite) points on the map for the first time and
they all fell on the rooftops and I said, ‘This is
going to work!’” said union member Mark Wood.

Wood has spent the last two years traveling

\" Myo .
Schoharie County Local members Mark Wood and Marjorie Troidl check
a digital map of the county.

page 10 ES ae July 1999

every road in this rural county west of Albany to
canvass nearly every building, an important task
in creating the data base dispatchers will rely on
to send help when an emergency call comes in.

“When we merge the information that Mark
has with the real property information, we will
have nearly everything —
literally everything —
linked on the property
records to these
points,” said CSEA’s
Marjorie Troidl, a Real
Property Tax Office
title searcher.

“We'd like to make it
all available to the
public,” she added.

A decade or two ago, the demand for such
specific and ready information was not as great
in the largely rural county.

But in the last 10 years, many new residents
have moved in.

Some may not know their neighbors’ names,
while others may be serving as volunteer
firefighters and be unfam with the geography.

Likewise, the county’s aerial tax maps were
compiled in 1973, “Getting something 25 years
newer is a real plus,” Troidl said.

High tech comes to town

A map of Schoharie on a computer screen
using the new system shows dozens of small red
dots, like fire ants marching along county roads.

Click on a red dot and you get the resident's
name, address, phone number, the property
owner and the latitude and longitude.

While much of the team’s work has
been done in the county office
building, Wood has been visible along
the country lanes cri
county as he canvasses ¢
9-1-1.

When Wood comes to a residence
to be plotted, he hoists a backpack
equipped with a satellite receiver onto
his shoulders. He's instantly linked to
up to six satellites which locate the
property.

If the homeowner isn’t home, Wood can use
information from a house’s electric meter to
access utility databases to get the resident’s
name and telephone number.

Software written by CSEA member Tom
Buschynski, a system and network program
analyst, helps collect all the data to create a
master street index guide.

We’re from the government ...

Wood has canvassed about 12,000 properties
but has had only a few problems.

“IT had a gentleman tell me to drag my butt
down the road — he didn’t have 9-1-1, he didn’t
need 9-1-1 and he didn’t want 9-1-1,” Wood
chuckled.

The man’s daughter, who lived down the road,
gave Wood the information he needed.

During
another
jaunt, Wood
came to a house
where a water

pipe had
burst. The
homeowner
was
complaining of
chest pains
brought on by
the ruckus.
Wood helped fix the
pipe and got the man his heart medication.
“Dogs make it interesting,” chimed in
part-time assistant Terrie Gaida.
Once complete, Troid] said many will benefit
from the combined system.

The county health department can track
water wells, planning and zoning boards will use
the information to help set development policy,

and agricultural
planners will be able to
plot changes in the
Schoharie Creek which
affect neighboring farm
fields.

— Lou Hmieleski

July 1999

Wood and Troidl at the work station that
will provide them with up-to-the-minute
real property tax information.

At left, Wood and his
assistant, Terrie Gaida,
collect data in the field for
the new 9-1-1 system. Above,
Wood receives a signal from
a satellite, locating the
property he is cataloging.

THE WORK FORCE Pons

Shock facility sawmill
bears a lethal legacy

A state lumber treatment plant which was later converted into a
sawmill is leaving a potentially lethal legacy of chemical
contamination among CSEA members
who worked there.

Although the dip plant and sawmill at
the Summit Shock Incarceration Facility
in rural Schoharie County is padlocked,
CSEA wants to know why state managers
allowed workers to be exposed without
adequate protection to concentrations
of dangerous chemicals thousands of
times higher than safe levels.

“It’s clear EnCon (the state Department of Environmental
Conservation) has treated its own employees very badly,” said
Ward Stone, the well-respected EnCon wildlife pathologist who is
investigating the shuttered dip plant and sawmill.

.
265,000 memazns st0"™

A history of ignoring health and safety
From 1964 to 1975, CSEA members supervised the hand dipping
of logs used in conservation projects and outdoor buildings into

FeMarei Heal 3

Avoid becoming a casualty of heat stroke by watching
for these danger signs:

0) Heavy visible sweating

U Increased heart rate — if your pulse is pounding,
take a break.

O Clumsiness or confusion

() Unexplained irritability

U “Feeling kind of funny” — heat strain often feels
similar to the flu.

Aveiding heat stress:

U1 Start slowly and gradually increase your exposure to
hot weather.

C1 Drink plenty of water — as much as a quart an hour.
_] Learn to recognize the early signs of heat stress.

_] Alternate work and rest periods.

_) Avoid taking antihistamines.

_| Encourage your employer to provide sunscreen.

_| Wear a wide-brim hat and light, cotton clothing —
avoid baseball hats, which offer less protection.

July 1999

ee ee THE WORK FORCE

Logs left unsawn lay in a closed dip plant and sawmill at
Summit Shock Incarceration Facility in Schoharie County.

vats of noxious, dangerous preservatives, including suspected
cancer-causing agent pentachlorophenol (PCP). The employees
were not given appropriate protective gear or information about
the chemicals.

In July 1975, after a decade of treating millions of board feet of
lumber and logs, the facility was suddenly closed, and not
because managers were worried about the workers’ exposure to
the witch’s brew of toxic chemicals.

A spill of the log-treating solution flowed into a nearby creek
and killed hundreds of fish.

In 1997, CSEA members began converting the dip plant into a

sawmill.

Workers were again exposed to massive amounts of the potent

chemicals which had dripped into the surrounding soil, wood
and equipment over the decades.

Massive contamination

At issue is why EnCon and the state Department of
Correctional Services, which operates Camp Summit, would
knowingly expose their workers to PCP, dioxins and other
chemicals for several decades without proper protective
clothing.

And the state Department of Health is doing little, if anything,
to protect the health of active and retired workers who were
exposed at the camp, CSEA activists said.

To find answers, CSEA recently convened a meeting with
representatives from EnCon, the state Health Department and
local and state governments.

“What I found were percentage ratios indicating a massive
exposure” to PCP and other chemicals, Stone told the group
about his tests on work boots and slivers of wood from the dip
plant.

CSEA demands action

CSEA demanded immediate action.

“CSEA wants EnCon, the health department and all of the
involved agencies to act responsibly in this matter,” CSEA
Industrial Hygienist Matt Kozak said.

“CSEA wants the building thoroughly examined, studied and
then properly disposed of so it can’t accidentally expose our
members to known carcinogenic ing chemicals in the future.
The area should be put on the toxic site super cleanup fund list.

“And, most importantly, all of the exposed workers from the

(See SHOCK FACILITY’S on Page 13)

Shock facility’s potent contamination affects members

(Continued from Page 12)
1960s to the recent 1997
incidents should be
provided health care check
ups and all future needs due
to their exposure by EnCon
and the state to this
situation,” Kozak added.

Why did the state health
department approve the use
of the former dip building as
the site for a lumber mill in
1990?

Health department
officials couldn’t say. Their
report said the building was
free of PCP.

While the state considers
PCP levels of more than 1
ppm dangerous, current
studies put PCP levels in the
building as high as 6,000
ppm. A scrap of wood from
the building topped the
scale at 81,000 ppm.

The state agencies
responsible for overseeing
employees’ health and
workplace safety have yet to
answer CSEA’s concerns.

— Daniel X. Campbell

Two days that may forever change a life

Carlton Dibble wants to live a long life.

What happened to him on two days in August 1997 has
forced Dibble and others working at the Camp Summit
Shock Incarceration Facility to question their health.

Dibble was jackhammering through the floor in the
former lumber dipping facility as part of its conversion
into a sawmill.

His jackhammer struck a pocket of liquid under the
concrete. The liquid doused him.

He wiped it off as best he could and continued working.

But Dibble was soon overcome by vapors.

Stricken, Dibble was hospitalized but doctors couldn’t
determine the cause of his sudden illness.

He returned to work at the sawmill a few days later but
again became sick from the fumes.

Another hospitalization didn’t find the cause of his
ailment.

CSEA health and safety experts believe Dibble and
others who worked at the contaminated sawmill have been
exposed to massive concentrations of dangerous
wood-preserving chemicals.

Retired Corrections Officer Conrad Radloff, who ran the
dip plant before it became a sawmill, said: “They closed
the dip operation down real quick. We have a lot of
cancers around here, a lot of cancers.”

— Daniel X. Campbell

A contaminated history

The state Division of Lands and Forests, the
forerunner of the state Department of
Environmental Conservation, opened the Summit

facility in the early 1960s.

The pole and lumber dip treatment plant was

built between 1962 and 1964.

Logs were soaked in copper napthenate as a
preservative. The excess chemical often dripped

onto the ground.

In late 1965, the facility started using
pentachlorophenol (PCP) and fuel oil as a dipping
preservative. PCP is deadly after prolonged

exposure.

Dioxin, a known carcinogen, is created when

PCP breaks down.

In July 1975, after a decade of treating millions
of board feet of lumber and logs, the facility
suddenly was closed. Some toxic PCP
accidentally drained into a nearby pond, killing

hundreds of fish.

At right, DEC wildlife pathologist Ward Stone
discusses contamination at the Summit Shock

Facility with CSEA officials.

Carlton Dibble

Break in membership
affects eli; ity 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 candidat

* 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-free membership status for a
period not to exceed one year,

Note, however, you must continue
to pay dues to run for office. Dues-free
or gratuitous membership allows
members to continue their insurance
coverage while out of work. It does
not protect your right to run for or
hold office.

You must notify the 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.

’ 4 : # |
" |
THE WORK FORCE July 1999 [tee eed

CSEA’s Peanut Man
comes out of his shell

Some people might think he’s
“nuts,” but CSEA activist Ken
Koopman is really just coming
out of his shell.

Koopman, also known as
“Peanut Man,” has spent the
spring and summer dressed in
a giant Peanut Man costume,
dogging Gov. George Pataki
around the state.

A popular symbol of Pataki’s
four-zero salary offer to state
employees, Peanut Man hands
out tiny brown paper bags
containing just four “Peanuts
from Pataki,” as he leads
crowds of 1A members
chanting “We don’t work for
peanuts!”

Koopman, who also serves
as CSEA Office of Temporary
Disability Assistance Local
Secretary in Albany and
statewide chairperson of the
OTDA’s Employee Assistance
Program, took time from his
busy schedule to talk with
Work Force reporter Ed Molitor.

Why he does it

“We were trying to revitalize
our local and the contract fight
provided the perfect
opportunity.

“At a region mobilization
meeting, someone brought up
the idea of using peanuts and
the possibility of having a
Peanut Man.

“Mark Juliano, our Local vice
president, leaned over to me
and said ‘Hey, I've got a Peanut
Man costume.’

“Well, being a motivator and
being nuts in general, I thought
it was a perfect opportunity for
me to volunteer and do my
part.”

“In the very beginning he
was all smiles. He would look
at us and say ‘CSEA, I
appreciate you being out here.”
At one rally he actually shook
all our hands and thanked us
for doing a silent protest.

“But the next day
he spoke at Albany
City Hall and I was
outside (they
wouldn't let me
inside) and he kind
of gave me a little bit
of a look.

“When he finished
speaking at city hall,
he had another

appearance at the
train station nearby
just an hour later.
“And when Pataki got out of
the car and saw Peanut Man
was already there, he gave us a
really irritated look and a
sarcastic ‘thanks’ as he walked
by. So we are getting to him.”

“I was down in Port Chester,
Westchester County, where we
were protesting outside a hotel
where the governor was
speaking at a fund-raising
dinner.

Page 14

THE WORK FORCE

OH, THE TALL GUY WITH
THE SUITCASE? I'VE SEEN
HIM PASSING THROUGH
ONCE INA WHILE... THINK
MAYBE HE WORKS HERE.

July 1999

Ken Koopman with alter ego Peanut Man.

“We were walking back and
forth in a crosswalk when one
of these surrogate judges (we
could tell from his license
plate) decides he wasn’t going
to wait for us even though we
had the right of way.

“He pulled in front of other
cars and almost ran me and a
couple of other people over.

“That was the night Peanut
Man almost became peanut
butter and jelly.”

“Peanut Man is a thorn in the
governor's side.

“But Peanut Man is just a
symbol, and the guy inside the
costume is just a person. To
really push that thorn in and
make it hurt we need the other
members standing with me,
chanting and holding up their
signs.

“The more members, the
deeper the push,

“I'm doing this so we have
something to rally around. My
No. 1 project and my No. 1
commitment is the union and
getting this contract.

“And if that means me
walking around in this hot,
smelly, stinky, silly looking suit
to irritate the governor, that’s
my part in the fight.

“And I’m hoping other
members also find things that
can make them get involved in
it too.”

Kurtz lauded for community involvement

Jim Kurtz, center, a public health sanitarian who enforces
swimming pool health codes, discusses pool maintenance with

hotel staff Christine Huff and Adam Carnes.

to all this acclaim. I couldn't do
any of the things | do without
the support and understanding
of my wife, Arlene. | am truly
blessed,” he added.

The award “is given annually
to a union member who has
worked to strengthen our
communities in the areas of
health, human services and
recreation, and who has
instilled a spirit of community
service in the labor
movement,” said Colleen
Gardner, state AFL-CIO director
of community services.

The award is named for Van
Arsdale, a visionary union
leader who led the New York
City Central Labor Council from
1957 to 1986.

“Service” could be a middle

A long-time CSEA activist
who for decades has been the
sparkplug for union issues has
been honored with the
prestigious Harry Van Arsdale
Jr. Memorial Community *
Services Award from the state
AFL-CIO.

CSEA stalwart James V.
Kurtz, president of Chautauqua
County Local 807 and Western

Region treasurer, earned the
mantle by selflessly giving his
time, talent and energy to
union causes the last two
decades.

“It’s really humbling to have
so many people supporting you
for such an important award as
this,” Kurtz said.

“T’m truly thankful to
everyone. I hope I can live up

name for Kurtz, who subscribes
to the maxim, “leadership —
not by conquer and control,
but by submit and serve.”

Over the years, Kurtz has
forged a reputation for
consistency and friendliness
that is only surpassed by his
sincerity.

A Village of Mayville resident
and father of two, Kurtz has

On the road, on the run

Sullivan helps drive member

With the governor’s office behind her, the
union in front of her, and nearly 40,000 post
cards at her feet, Mary Sullivan is right at home
stirring the pot of public opinion.

Sullivan, CSEA’s executive vice president and
the leader of CSEA’s biggest membership
mobilization campaign, was the lead organizer
for the state Capitol demonstration last month
that brought more than 600 unionists and
almost 40,000 post cards to Albany.

“This is the new and better CSEA and we
must make members a greater part of this
union,” Sullivan said.

The heart and soul of this mobilization
campaign is leadership and membership
involvement, Sullivan added.

“The more members we have involved, the

mobilization

more power we have at the bargaining table
and the better off we'll all be,” she said.

Gov. George Pataki “must know that when he
talks with the members of our contract
negotiating team, he is talking with 77,000 state
workers. He needs to know the union is strong
and powerful!” Sullivan said.

CSEA’s mobilization plan was designed last
year by CSEA President Danny Donohue and the
union’s top officers as a way to better involve
members in union business and communicate
more directly with the rank and file.

It is now being tested under fire as tough
talks with the state continue for a new contract.

The union’s power comes from
communicating up and down the line and
getting members involved, Sullivan said.

July 1999

266,000 mempens S1RO

been a public health sanitarian
for Chautauqua County for 29
years.

His involvement with CSEA
goes back 27 years, and his
union resume fills an entire
page with accolades, honors
and local, regional and
statewide leadership positions.

Kurtz has been a unit and
local steward, and a member of
political action, negotiations,
membership, charter and
insurance committees.

He has served on the region
political action committee,
membership and Special
Olympics committees and has
been treasurer for 14 years. He
also is a member of the CSEA
statewide board of directors.

— Ron Wofford

THE WORK FORCE

Sullivan leads the chants at a
recent state Capitol rally.

Page 15

Local government workshop participants learn

Communicating skills, community involvement are keys to union building

BUFFALO — Michael Myers
said he has always been
blessed with a “silver tongue”
because he can cajole most
folks to pitch in at the Albany
Housing Authority local he
belongs to.

But even the glib and
confident Myers was
polishing his speaking skills
during one of several
well-attended workshops for
CSEA’s local government
leaders held in Buffalo
recently.

“I've always been
comfortable speaking in front
of a group,” Myers said
nonchalantly after the public
speaking workshop, “but now
I’m honing my skills to be on
an even keel with
management negotiators.”

Myers was among
hundreds of CSEA members
from school districts, towns,
counties and the private
sector who attended the
conference which featured
workshops ranging from
public speaking to union
building.

“This is my first workshop
and I’m loving it,” said Val
Juby, who works in the Lewis
County treasurer’s office. “I
can better myself and my

union members” by sharing
the workshop information
with other colleagues on the
job, she added.

Led by CSEA Executive
Vice President Mary Sullivan,
Treasurer Maureen Malone
and Secretary Barbara
Reeves, members also
learned the importance of
communicating frequently
and effectively with
members.

“We are putting together a
stronger and more powerful
union driven by the members
and led by you!” Sullivan told
the cheering crowd of local
union leaders.

“We have to involve that
percentage of members who
don’t understand that being
part of a great union is the
greatest thing they could
have,” Sullivan added.

Being good neighbors

Community involvement is a
key to union building, the
union leaders stressed.

“We need to be known in
our communities as the union
that cares about our neighbors
and neighborhoods,” Malone
said.

That theme struck home
for Donna Borquist.

About a dozen years ago,
Borquist and her mother,
both Dutchess County
employees, attended their
first general membership
meeting.

They were the only two
who showed up.

“I’m now very passionate
about union building,”
Borquist said, adding she has
helped build her local into a
hotbed of activism.

Pressed for time, most
union members are reluctant
to volunteer to help with a
union project or lead the
local, members said.

However, all said they
would be happy if members
would offer 15 minutes or a
half hour once a month to
distribute information or
make phone calls.

“Most members think it’s
all or nothing when it comes
to giving time to their union,”
said Linda Campbell,
president of the Syracuse
Housing Authority local.

“But I'll take 15 minutes if |
that’s all someone has to |
offer,” she added. “Everybody
counts and everybody is |
important. We all need to }
help build this union,” \
Campbell said.

These budget cuts

hurt everyone!
“The governor's budget
shortchanges New York's
counties, cities, towns and
villages as well as schools and
health care facilities.

“All this while the state is
sitting on a multi-billion dollar
budget surplus that CSEA
members helped create through
hard work and sacrifice.

“It’s time for the governor to
get to work to reach
agreement on a budget that
treats CSEA families with
fairness and respect.

“Judging from the spirit and
strength CSEA members are
showing, the governor ignores
these issues at his own peril.”

| — CSEA President Danny

Donohue to hundreds of CSEA
local government activists

| meeting in Buffalo

Sail away with CSE
on Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign of the Seas
November 8-12, 1999

(Monday to Friday; November 11 is Veterans Day)
Explore the Bahamas and Key West with family,
friends and fellow CSEA members on a deluxe 4
night cruise aboard the Sovereign of the Seas from

Miami to Nassau, Cocco Cay, and Key West.

TRAVEL TO THESE DESTINATIONS REQUIRES PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP.
PLEASE INQUIRE FOR DETAILS

YOUR CRUISE PACKAGE INCLUDES:

** Round trip airfare to Miami

** Round trip transfers, airport to pier

** Your choice of outside or inside cabins
** All meals and entertainment on board
** Port charges and departure tax

RATES (per person) DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
Outside (category |): $859
Inside (category N): $799

CANCELLATIONS:
Please refer to the RCCL brochure for RCCLs policy.
Plaza Travel has a cancellation fee of $50 per person
separate from RCCL's policy and is not protected by
the RCCL insurance shown at right.

DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE:
Please make your reservation by
calling Plaza Travel at 800-666-3404
no later than July 15. For those who
desire the insurance option below, an
additional $49 per person must be
paid. Payments are accepted by
check only, and are made payable to
Plaza Travel Center. Your balance is
due in full by July 30, 1999.

OPTIONAL INSURANCE
Insurance is available at the rate of $49 per person
which covers trip cancellation, medical protection,
baggage protection and emergency assistance.

rage LG aa ly 1999

Union business is
all in the family

NEW PALTZ — Union business is all in the family at
the Beaulieu house.

Both Len and Janice Beaulieu are union activists at
SUNY New Paltz where Janice, who serves as first vice
president of the local, is a secretary in the theater
department. She’s worked for the state 11 years.

Len, a state worker for five years, is president of the
local and works as a refrigeration maintenance assistant.

Janice’s sister, Linda Franzella, is also an activist who
works in the college library and serves as a shop steward
for the local.

Married nearly 15 years, Len and Janice were
attending a union meeting when Southern Region
President Carmine DiBattista announced the local needed
members who were willing to run for office.

“The union had helped me out with a problem,” said
Janice. “I had some spare time and I volunteered to be a vice
president.”

Later, she learned her husband was going to run for local
president.

“Carmine (DiBattista) told me my husband was planning to
run for president and that was news to me —! didn’t know,” she
said.

“l asked him that night and he said he
was thinking about it,” Janice said. Lary
Both new officers have “hit the mily
ground running” attending conferences
and training and becoming well
acquainted with CSEA.

As expected, CSEA is a major topic of
discussion in the home.

266,000 mempens S1RON™

VOGAL 1000 AFSCME «
Fe Ss al

pee Sear, ee.

SUNY New Paltz Local First Vice President Janice Beaulieu and
President Len Beaulieu work together at the union office.

“We spend a lot of time discussing the union,” said Janice,
who also serves as the local’s grievance chairperson.

“It’s not bad — we have something in common to talk about,”
she said, “but then again, it’s not good to spend all our time
talking about union problems.”

Family gatherings with Janice’s sister, also in the union
movement, “are a real blast,” said Len.

“She’s a good soldier,” he said.

Len said he was at first concerned how Janice would react to

him “doing things my way” at the local.

“I have to keep her under control,” he joked, “she’s the
radical one.”

Len referred to an incident where a college official objected to
a letter Janice had written him,

“He said he wasn’t used to the union being so
confrontational. We knew that wasn’t true,” said Len. “He wanted
us to withdraw the letter. | backed Janice and he backed down.
You do what you have to do.”

— Anita Manley

JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS — Members of Highland Division for
Youth Local contributed toys, games and school supplies to
the Catherine Street Community Center in Poughkeepsie.
About 75 inner city children attend the center's after school
program. These youngsters enjoy opening the gifts which will
be used by all of the center's young members. Shown with
the children is Local President Ingrid Opsis.

Ee a Page 17

Dear Member:
We are pleased to report CSEA’s financial state is improving.

For the second year in a row, net assets increased. And, for the
first time in five years, the deficit in operating activities was
reversed.

The improved financial situation is good news for the CSEA
Family.

C

DANNY DONOHUE MAUREEN S. MALONE
PRESIDENT TREASURER

The Civil Service’ Employees Association, Inc.

Statements of Financial Position : The Civil Service Employees Association, Inc.

September 30, 1998 Statement of Activities

Year ended September 30, 1998

Temporarily

CURRENT ASSETS Unrestricted _Restricted ___Total

Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,574,044

Membership dues and agency fees receivable 2,077,060 Operating revenue;

Miscellaneous receivables 1,187,137 Membership dues and agency shop fees:

Prepaid expenses 1,192,654 State 26,563 $ $ 26,563,184
Total current assets 9,030,895 Local government A ( + 34,215,962

i 60,779,146.

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Land 2,173,742 Less:
Olice buildtigs’anc tnarovements| 11,825,937 Dues refundable to locals and regions 10,954,117 10,954,117
Furniture and equlament 4,258,640 Political Action provisions 1,829,686 1,829,686
78,258,319 Affiliation dues
Less accumulated depreciation (6,559,009)
11,699,310

32,642,009 32,642,009

OTHER ASSETS
Long-term investments 21,597,340 Other:
Prepaid pension cost 1,647,805 Grant revenue 4,678,469 4,678,469
23,245,145 Interest income and dividends 604,707
Administrative fees 2/381,535
Total assets 975,350 Miscellaneous 81
— 8,483,974 96. — 8,501,870

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Total operating revenue 41,125,983 7,896 41,143,879

CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable and accrued expense $ 4,477,205 Operating expenses:
Compensated absences ‘5 Program service:
Due to locals 7,587,789 Field services 6,351, 76: 16,351,764
Current maturities of long-term debt 359 Legal services .
Current maturities of capital lease obligations 66 Convention and representation
Deferred revenue Education

Total current liabilities Public relations 9 3, 176, 789
Support services:
OTHER LIABILITIES < Officers, directors and committees ; 1,955,777
Long-term debt 3,514,6( Administrative 97,29 12,497,292
Capital lease obligations Total operating expenses 4 i 39,888,111
Deferred compensation liability 644,67 Change in net assets from operating activities 237,872 896 768

Accrued postretirement obligation, net of current portion __ 6,109,481 : j
Total liabilities 24,203,200 Nonoperating activitie:
Net realized and unrealized gains 3,941,088 3,941,088

NET ASSI Gain on disposal of equipment 934 934
Unrestricted 19,294,184
Temporadhy, Testicied 477.966 Change in net assets from nonoperating activities 3,942,022 3,942,022

Total net assets. 19,772,150

Change in nét assets 5,179,894 17,896. 5,197,790

Total liabilities and net assets $_43,975,350
une Net assets, beginning of year 14,114,290 460,070 _ 14,574,360

CSEA also has reporting requirements to fulfill with the US Department of
Labor (LM-2) and the Internal Revenue Service (990). Because of the
different reporting requirements the Audited Annual Financial Report as
printed here may differ in presentation from these other reports,

Net assets, end of year $19,294,184 $ 477,966 $ 19,772,150

A copy of the financial statements and report of independent accountants Pricewaterhouse Coopers, L.L.P. for the year ended Sept. 30, 1998,
is available upon written request by contacting the CSEA Treasurers Office at CSEA Headquarters, 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY +2210

ois E THE WORK FORCE July

seh Maan ie «88 dicts tte

Union scholarships
key to success

Education is key to improving the lives of union
members and their families. And since 1980, CSEA
scholarships have helped improve the lives of hundreds
of CSEA families.

CSEA's Special Memorial Scholarship Committee
administers the programs and it's no small task.

For three days this spring, committee members
reviewed more than 900 applications to select the 20
winners listed below.

Except for the Jardine Group Services and the MetLife
Insurance Co. scholarships, which are awarded solely on
academic merit, the committee judges each candidate on
several criteria, such as parental income, work
experience, extracurricular activities and academics.

If there’s a tie, the applications are rescored by two
different committee members who rarely arrive at the
same numbers as the original scorers. Though the work is
time-consuming, members said serving on the committee
is rewarding.

“As a union activist, it’s very rewarding to be able to
help out your fellow members,” said committee member
Jeanette Newman. “ It’s even more rewarding when you're
able to help out their kids.”

The committee will resume its duties this fall, helping
more members’ children achieve their dreams.

WINNERS

CSEA has announced the 1999 winners of the Irving
Flaumenbaum and Jardine/Met Life Scholarship Awards.

The Flaumenbaum Scholarship awards 18 $1,000
scholarships annually to high school seniors. Three
awards are granted in each of CSEA’s six regions.

The Jardine and Met Life scholarships are $2,500 each.

LONG ISLAND REGION: Matthew J. Giusto of Meford, whose mother, Susan
Giusto, is a Clerical Aide with Patchogue Medford School. Steven Ling of Dix
Hills, whose mother, Irene Ling, is a Motor Vehicle Representative with NYS
Motor Vehicles. Jonathan Lissauer of Shoreham, whose mother, Elaine Lissauer,
is a Secretary with SUNY Stony Brook MSRC.

METROPOLITAN REGION: Larisa Vaynshteyn of Staten Island, whose mother,
Anna Ryvkina, is a MHTA with South Beach Psychiatric Center. Varghese
Varughese of Elmont, whose mother, Aleyamme Varughese, is a Senior
Underwriting Clerk with the State Insurance Fund. Deana Jones of Brooklyn,
whose father, Gregory Jones, is a Clerk with Workers’ Compensation Board,
SOUTHERN REGION: Carrie B. Sinski of Warwick, whose mother, Ellen Sinski, is
a Clerk-Typist with Warwick Valley CSD. Jessica Shaw of Yonkers, whose mother,
Roberta Shaw, is a Teacher's Aide with Yonkers Board of Education. Jennifer
Zaveckas of Warick, whose mother, Grace Zaveckas, is a Food Service Aide with
Warwick Valley SD.

CAPITAL REGION: Rebecca MacDowell of Clifton Park, whose mother, Deborah
MacDowell, is a Teacher's Aide with Shenendehowa SD. Amanda Chase of Lyon
Mountain, whose mother Robin A. Chase, is a Keyboard Specialist with NYSDOCS
Lyon Mountain. Michelle Lea Johnson of Scotia, whose mother Cynthia A.
Johnson, is a Teacher's Aide with BH/BL Central Schools

CENTRAL REGION: Leslie A. Reed of Adams Center, whose mother Carol A.
Reed, is a Secretary with South Jefferson CSD. Beth Ann Fitch of Bridgewater,
whose mother Colleen Mary Fitch, is an Assistant Cook with Mt. Markham HS.
Greg A. Tingley of Binghamton, whose mother, Melissa A. Tingley, is a Library
Aide with Binghamton City Schools.

WESTERN REGION: Rose E. Marmion of Tonawanda, whose mother, Cecilia R
Driscoll, is a Developmental Aide with WNY DDSO, Joseph H. Dolan of West
Seneca, whose mother, Margaret Dolan, is a part-time Clerical Worker is West
Seneca CSD. Norman U. Boyer, Il of Buffalo, whose mother, Rosemary Boyer, is a
‘Teacher Aide with West Seneca CSD.

JARDINE GROUP SERVICES AWARD: The 1999 winner is Danny McNatty of
Depew. His mother, Margaret McNatty, is a developmental aide at the Western
New York DDSO,

METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY AWARD: The 1999 winner is Leslie Mackrell of
East Greenbush, Her mother, Maria Barrington, is a principal court analyst with
the Unified Court System,

sent to Troy Area
Labor Council, 4
Orbit Circle,
Latham, NY
12110. ...
BROADCAST BEEF
2 \y — CSEA Long Island
55,000 MEMBERS STRONG President Nick LaMorte
recently spoke out for state
workers during an hour-long radio
show on WLUX. The host, Newsday
columnist Ed Lowe, also took calls
from listeners, most of whom were
CSEA members. Lowe was clearly
shocked at how low the salaries were,
especially for long-term employees ...
PEOPLE PERSON — May’s PEOPLE
recruiter is Rutha Bush of Long Island,
who recruited 20 new PEOPLE
members. PEOPLE is CSEA and
AFSCME’s Federal Political Action
Committee, helping elect members to
Congress who are friends of working
families.

DONATIONS
NEEDED FOR
MULLANEY

SITE —

Donations are
being accepted to
erect a Celtic cross
on the Troy grave of
labor heroine Kate Mullaney,

who organized the first all-women’s
union. The Troy Area Labor Council
(AFL-CIO) is soliciting donations,
which will be used to buy a grave
marker. A year ago, Hillary Rodham
Clinton unveiled a plaque designating
Mullaney’s home in Troy as a National
Historic Landmark. Mullaney
organized the Collar Laundry Union
and was a delegate with Susan B.
Anthony to the National Labor
Congress in 1869.

She was also the first woman
appointed to a national labor union
office. Checks may be made out and

Deadline for AFL-CiO scholarship Sept. 30

The Northeast Council AFL-CIO awards 10 $1,000 scholarships annually to
children and grandchildren of affiliated members.

Applicants must be accepted by an accredited two or four-year college. Winners
are drawn by lottery. The deadline to apply has been extended to Sept. 30.

For applications, write to: Mario Cilento, New York State AFL-CIO, 48 East 21st St.,
12th floor, New York, NY 10010 or call (212) 777-6040.

LEAP extended to local government, private sector

Union members working in local government or the private sector can now
get a career boost with a new CSEA program that offers financial aid
information, career planning and academic advising.

This confidential toll-free service was recently expanded from the original
program for state government workers to now include all union members.

Called the Labor Education Action Program (LEAP), advisers work with
members on the telephone and provide them with financial aid information
and advice and help with career planning, academics and adult basic
education skills.

LEAP offers career and education guides, test preparation booklets and
videos and financial aid and educational planning booklets. Hundreds of state
government workers have used the LEAP program to boost their careers.

“I got a lot of support from the LEAP office,” said Barb Denison, a union
member at the Central New York Developmental Disabilities Service Office. “I
would not have been able to get my degree without their help,” she added.

A keyboard specialist at the facility for a decade, Denison said she was
ready to go back to college and advance her career.

LEAP advisers may be reached at 1-800-253-4332 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The office is open Thursdays until 8:30 p.m.

Members may call at other times and leave a message. A LEAP advisor will
return the call at a convenient time.

July 1999 THE WORK FORCE [ee ks)

Come join

Clip one
coupon at right
for each CSEA

member and
family member
and bring
coupon(s) to
any fair gate for
a two-for-one
admission on

TWO-FOR-ONE ADMISSION for CSEA members and families on Sept. 4 and 5
during CSEA Weekend.

CSEA member or family member

‘Coupon good for Saturday and
Sunday, Sept. 4-5, 1999, only

Celebrate CSEA Weekend at the
New York State Fair Saturday and

Buy one fair admission, receive the
second free for one CSEA member or
family member, Children under 12 free.
NAME

ADDRESS,

2()

AY

4

Saturday, Sept.
4 and Sunday,

Sept. 5, 1999,
only. PHONE

Sunday, Sept. 4 and §, 1999.

CSEA LOCAL

DISCOVER AMERICA IN
THE HEART OF NEW YORK.

Aug. 26 - Sept. 6, Syracuse

ps

‘Coupon good for Saturday and
Sunday, Sept. 4-5, 1999, only

Buy one fair admission, receive the
second free for one CSEA member or
family member. Children under 12 free.

Celebrate CSEA Weekend at the NAME
New York State Fair Saturday and

Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5, 1999. ADDRESS

PHONE

CSEA LOCAL

Buy one admission, get one free
CSEA member or family member

if

The New York State Fair
is at the Empire Expo
Center located off Exit 7
of Interstate 690, 3 miles
west of Syracuse.
Hours of operation are
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Buy one fair admission, receive the
second free for one CSEA member or
family member, Children under 12 tree

Coupon good for Saturday and
Sunday, Sept. 4-5, 1999, only

Reproduced
coupons
will not be
accepted.
Additional
coupons will
be available
at your
CSEA region
office.

Colebrate CSEA Weekend at the NAME
New York State Fair Saturday and
Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5, 1999.

CSEs

Saturday, Sept. 4 and Sunday, Sept. 5, 1999, is CSEA WEEKEND at the Ne"
York State Fair in Syracuse. CSEA members and their families will receive
two-for-one admission that weekend, compliments of CSEA and the
New York State Fair.

ADDRESS.

PHONE

CSEA LOCAL

Pec ene - === == =e

CSEA will maintain a booth in the Center of Progress Building on the fairgrounds
throughout the entire fair, so stop by and visit the CSEA booth at any time. The
two-for-one coupons above, however, are only good during CSEA Weekend,
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5.