The Work Force, 2006 August

Volume 9 No. 8

E WORK FORCE
After the flood

See Pages 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12
ee
Photo of the Month

Pee :
Fl

loodwaters from the Mohawk River rush toward lock

aE

ovided by Brian P Moore Sr~
a iar

houses at Lock 12 on the Erie Canal in Montgomery
County west of Amsterdam, one of the many instances of
the June 28 flood damage to buildings and infrastructure
in the Capital, Central and Southern regions. For more
coverage of the floods, see pages 1, 4, 6, 10-11 and 12.

On Page 1, CSEA members assess flooding damage to a
washed-out road in Sullivan County. (Photo provided by

Diane Bull.)

Wyoming County worker’s
death investigated

WARSAW — CSEA members
are mourning the death of
Robert L. Batt, a Wyoming
County Department of
Public Works employee who
died last month while at
work.

Batt, 56, reportedly had
been sent to pick up a
forklift from a job site. A
farmer later spotted Batt on
the ground near the lift,
which had slid from a
flatbed truck, said CSEA
Occupational Safety and
Health Specialist John
Bieger.

CSEA and PESH
investigated the accident
and PESH will cite the
employer for violations at
the county public works
garage, Bieger said.

Batt is the fourth CSEA
member to die on the job in
2006.

Page 2 THE WORKFORCE August 2006

“Bob was a good man
from a CSEA family,” said
Western Region President
Flo Tripi.

Batt’s wife, Lynn, is a
CSEA member at the
Wyoming County Hospital. A
daughter, Carrie, is a CSEA
activist at the Roswell Park
Cancer Institute’s Local.
Another daughter, Becca,
has just begun working at
the University at Buffalo and
is a CSEA member. Batt’s
sister Betty just retired from
Wyoming Correctional
Facility and is a CSEA
Retiree member.

“This horrible tragedy
again reinforces the issue of
job safety and that we must
never let our guard down or
forget for one minute how
dangerous our jobs can be,”
Tripi said.

CSEA wins 25/55 fight

ALBANY — In a major victory for CSEA,
Gov. George Pataki has signed CSEA-
backed legislation that will allow public
employees to retire with no penalties if
they have 25 years of service and are 55
years old or older.

“This is a great day for all public
employees, and I commend the governor
for doing the right thing and signing the
25/55 bill,” CSEA President Danny
Donohue said.

The state Assembly and state Senate
passed the 25/55 retirement legislation in
June. The 25/55 plan applies equally to
all public employees, regardless of where
they work, and does not call for any

$30 mi

eliminations of positions.

The 25/55 bill opens 90-day window
periods this year and in 2007 for workers
to retire. The window periods vary
depending on where workers are
employed.

CSEA led the fight to pass 25/55
through grassroots efforts, including
generating more than 1,200 e-mails to the
governor, urging him to sign the 25/55
legislation. The e-mails were generated
through Get Active, a web-based
advocacy and messaging tool that allows
CSEA members to target elected officials
on specific issues.

ion NYSARC bond halted

pending further review

ALBANY — The Dormitory Authority of
New York State tabled action on the New
York State Association of Retarded
Citizens’ (NYSARC) 2006 revenue bond
application after CSEA raised concerns
about conditions at some NYSARC
facilities.

The action was taken pending review
of various issues, including a complaint
filed over quality of care problems at
Schoharie ARC, one of 13 ARCs involved
in the NYSARC application. The other
chapters are Westchester, Ontario,
Montgomery, Essex, Herkimer, Monroe,
Putnam, Chemung, Otsego, Saratoga,
Steuben and Warren-Washington.

NYSARC is the statewide umbrella
organization representing county-based
ARC chapters across New York. NYSARC
contracts with the state of New York
through the Office of Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD)
to provide services to individuals with
developmental disabilities. NYSARC

operating revenues come almost entirely
from public funds.

“Before the taxpayers guarantee more
funds for NYSARC expansion, we need to
know that their operations meet all
standards and are not at risk,” said CSEA
President Danny Donohue. “The reality is
that OMRDD must step in at
considerable taxpayer expense when
outside contractors fail to measure up.”

In recent months, CSEA launched
the Quality Care Campaign to ensure a
better future for developmental
disabilities services across New York.
CSEA was instrumental in the legislative
approval of the Quality Care Act which
would help improve pay and benefits for
employees of the not-for-profit providers
including NYSARC chapters, to begin to
address the employee turnover crisis.
That legislation is now pending the
governor's action.

Ray Delfyette, CSEA staff member

COMMACK — Ray Delfyette, a CSEA labor relations specialist in the Long Island

Region, died in early July from injuries he had sustained in a June 14 car accident.
Delfyette, a seven-year CSEA employee, was returning from a meeting in the field

when the accident occurred. Before coming to CSEA, he had been an elected officer

for another union for many years.

Colleagues at CSEA remembered Delfyette as a quiet guy with a wry, quick sense of
humor, an avid Mets fan and former Little League coach. Delfyette, who lived in

Bayside, leaves behind a son and a daughter.

“Ray dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of others. He stood up to many
managers and public officials to make them do the right thing,” Long Island Region

Nick LaMorte said.

“Ray was very deliberate, thorough and took his job very seriously,” Long Island
Region Director Ron King said. “Writing was Ray’s forte, and he really knew what
levers to push to get the job done for the membership.”

CSEA backs Cuomo, Hevesi

ALBANY — CSEA President
Danny Donohue recently
announced the union’s
endorsements of Andrew
Cuomo for New York state
attorney general and Alan
Hevesi for New York state
comptroller.

Building on a legacy

Cuomo is running for state
attorney general, an office
being vacated by CSEA-
endorsed gubernatorial
candidate Eliot Spitzer.

“We are proud to endorse
Andrew Cuomo as New York’s
next attorney general,”
Donohue said. “Andrew has
always been and will continue
to be a tough and effective
champion for all New Yorkers.
We can count on Andrew to
fight hard for the dignity of all
workers, fair pay and safe and
productive working conditions
for all working New Yorkers. No
other candidate is better suited
to build on the legacy of Eliot
Spitzer.”

“Today is a great day for our
campaign,” Cuomo said. “New
York thrives because of the
hardworking men and women
across this state. They deserve
their fair share to make ends
meet for their families and a
supportive working
environment to make their
work enriching and fulfilling.
That is why, as attorney
general, | will fight hard to
enforce the laws that protect
the rights of every worker to
the fullest extent.”

Protecting workers

CSEA is also supporting
Hevesi’s re-election. As sole
trustee of the state pension
system, the comptroller
oversees the second largest
pension fund in the nation.

Electing a comptroller who
responsibly administers and
protects the retirement fund
for New York’s public
employees is especially

CSEA Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan, Attorney General
candidate Andrew Cuomo, CSEA President Danny Donohue and
Western Region President Flo Tripi at the CSEA/AFSCME Lobby
Day in March.

important to CSEA members.
Hevesi was initially elected
state comptroller in 2002.

“Alan Hevesi has proven he
can do the job right,” Donohue
said. “Over the past four years
he has been fair, responsible
and beyond reproach in his
administration of the
retirement system and in all
other aspects of the
comptroller’s responsibility.
With Alan Hevesi as
comptroller, CSEA members
can be confident that their
retirement system funds will be
well invested and that the

system will be protected
against attempts to raid it. We
also know he will continue to

State Comptroller Alan Hevesi
speaks at CSEA's 2005 Annual
Delegates Meeting in Buffalo.

make sure that all New Yorkers
get an honest and independent
accounting for their tax
dollars.”

“I'm proud to receive the
endorsement of CSEA. As state
comptroller, I’m working hard
to protect pension benefits for
retirees and keep pension costs
down for local and state
government,” Hevesi said. “For
more than 30 years, I’ve
worked together with New
York’s labor movement to
protect the right to organize, to
provide quality health care to
all New Yorkers and to build
affordable housing. | truly
appreciate the support of CSEA
and look forward to working
with them for many more
years.”

Donohue, as CSEA President,
makes the union’s
endorsements for statewide
offices after canvassing CSEA
members and seeking input
from the statewide Political
Action Committee and other
union officers.

CSEA, the first major union
to endorse Spitzer's
gubernatorial candidacy back
in April, will spearhead
numerous grassroots efforts to
elect all of its endorsed
candidates.

August 2006

Legislative wrap

The following CSEA-backed
legislation was approved.

Nursing home update

The legislature and governor
agreed to a budget clean-up bill that
stretches the CSEA won state grants
for public nursing homes over four
years as follows:

$5 million April 1, 2006 - March
31, 2007

$15 million April 1, 2007 - March
31, 2008

$35 million April 1, 2008 - March
31, 2009

$100 million April 1, 2009 - March
31, 2010 and each year thereafter

Public nursing grants for upper
payment limit

Also included in the budget
cleanup was a new state grant for
public nursing homes. This will give
50 percent of what public nursing
homes would have been entitled to
under a new rebasing formula if the
federal government did not cap the
reimbursement level for public
nursing homes.

Combined with the straight state
aid grants described above, these
two CSEA proposals will help to
offset the huge financial problems,
service cuts and closures that have
plagued public nursing homes.

School tax rebates
Beginning this year, all school
property taxpayers who are eligible
for STAR or the enhanced STAR will

be eligible for a new school
property tax rebate to be issued by
Oct. 31 of each year. The amount of
the rebate will vary depending on
assessment rolls and other factors.

New data center — Office of
Science and Technology

CSEA defeated a proposal to
transfer existing employees from
the Albany Office of Science and
Technology to a new location in
central New York. The legislature
and governor did agree to fund a
new, state operated data center.
However, they did not agree where
such a facility would be located and
no employees will be relocated as a
result of this agreement. CSEA will
monitor this agreement and any
related proposals as the issue
develops.

For more information and details,
visit www.csealocall000.org

THE WORK FORCE Page 3
TEWOR TE

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

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(631) 462-0030
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(845) 831-1000
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The Publications Committee

LONG ISLAND REGION Jane D'Amico
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CAPITAL REGION Helen Fischedick
CENTRAL REGION Doreen Gilbert
WESTERN REGION Mary Jo Tubbs

\RBOR COMMUN C4

SERNATIONAL
‘eigossy SX

TeAFLCIONUS +N

CSEA President Danny Donohue

Waters recede; CSEA members on the
job addressing needs

he record flooding of late June wreaked havoc

on thousands of lives throughout a wide area
of eastern New York from the Capital Region
through the Southern Tier. CSEA members were
on the front lines responding to the crisis in
every way. Many also had homes and property
destroyed or damaged beyond repair and lives
changed forever.

This edition of The Work Force provides a
glimpse of some of the devastation and tells the stories of CSEA
members who experienced the disaster first-hand as they tried
to help. They all deserve our thanks and admiration for their
dedication and professionalism.

The waters have now receded and the immediate crisis has
passed but the needs are great and mounting in the aftermath.
Mold and structural damage has made homes uninhabitable.
Infrastructure repair to roads, sewage and water systems must
be accomplished to protect public health and safety. CSEA
members will continue to be a part of the response, even as
many face their own losses.

As attention turns away to other concerns, please
remember your union brothers and sisters and their
communities. CSEA is working to determine how we can best
help. In the meantime, please give generously to your local
American Red Cross chapter or other reputable relief agencies.

fone

Page 4 THE WORKFORCE August 2006

Public nursing home aid
applauded in Ulster County

KINGSTON — The news of
the state Legislature’s
approval of millions in new
state funding for public
nursing homes brought
cheers from lawmakers and
residents alike at Golden
Hill Health Care Center,
Ulster County’s public
nursing home.

Golden Hill is one of
many public nursing homes
that will reap the benefits
of the new funding, which
begins this year with $5
million spread throughout
the state and will top out in
2010 at $100 million. That
$100 million payment rate
will continue in 2011 and
beyond.

“This funding will
provide needed resources
to maintain facilities such
as Golden Hill that provide
first-class care,” CSEA
President Danny Donohue
said.

CSEA recently held a
press conference at Golden
Hill to praise lawmakers for
their approval and how the
funding will affect the
nursing home. While the
exact dollar amount going
to Golden Hill has not been

State Sen. John Bonacic, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and
CSEA Ulster County Local President Kevin DuMond
applaud additional state aid for Golden Hill Health
Center and other public nursing homes.

_ NEI KS.
LEADING|UNION
Represents 60,000 Workers in
eventually secured is half IAEAGEM GARE
of what the county could SERLWVLCES

have gotten had the federal
government not enacted
the Medicaid cap. The aid
secured was decreased by
50 cents for each dollar, he

“This funding

said. will provide
In addition to ensuring

Ulster County’s elderly needed

population continues to

receive the quality care resources to

offered in a public facility, maintain

Bonacic said the funding is
“extremely important for
the workers who work

facilities such
as Golden Hill

a shortfall left by shrinking
federal assistance.

“Our representatives in
Albany and CSEA have
come together to support
our public facilities such as
Golden Hill after the federal
government shirked its
responsibility in providing
funding,” said Ulster
County Local President
Kevin DuMond.

Joining DuMond at the
press conference were
state Sen. John Bonacic and
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill.
The union has worked with

the two lawmakers and
other state representatives
for several years fighting
for funding for the public
nursing homes. DuMond
announced that additional
state grants were approved
in the legislature to
compensate for money
nursing homes would have
received had the federal
government not placed a
cap on Medicaid
reimbursement rates.
Cahill said he was glad
to be able to help, but
noted that the money

here. Public employees do A
an excellent job in” that provide
providing experience and first-class
quality care to all the ”
residents. care.

CSEA members

aggressively lobbied for the
funding, calling and writing
state legislators and
meeting with elected
officials in their local
offices and in Albany.
Approval of the new state
grants is the result of a
multi-year union campaign
to secure additional
funding and represents a
major victory for CSEA.

CSER Voices

— Jessica Ladlee

announced, the aid will fill

Westchester workers clean up from tornado

MOUNT PLEASANT — Westchester
County wasn’t affected by the severe
flooding that recently hit upstate, but
CSEA members here still had their
share of weather-related devastation
to clean up from after a tornado
ripped through two communities.

After being spotted first in the
Hudson River, a July 12 tornado
ripped through the Town of Mount
Pleasant villages of Valhalla and
Hawthorne.

The several 90-plus degree days
following the tornado consisted of
round-the-clock cleanup work for
municipal workers in Westchester,
including about 30 members of the
Mount Pleasant Blue Collar Unit.

“The tornado went all the way up
this road,” said Unit President Ron
Ruvo of the Valhalla thoroughfare of

Stevens Avenue, as he operated a
chainsaw to remove high tree limbs
damaged in the storm.

Ruvo said unit members, who work
for the town’s traffic safety and water
departments, were on the job
immediately following the tornado’s
departure, working until midnight that
day.

It took workers two days to make
Stevens Avenue, a popular shortcut
from the Bronx River Parkway,
passable due to the high number of
downed trees.

While some injuries resulted from
the storm, no fatalities were reported.

66" Through PEOPLE, CSEA

members increase
their clout. We can use that
clout to maintain on-the-job
protections we have and
make even more gains in the
future. 99

— Shirley Baker, Long
Island Developmental
Center Local and Long
Island Region PEOPLE
Committee member, on the
importance of PEOPLE,
CSEA and AFSCME’s
program to protect our
jobs, benefits, and pensions
in Washington, Albany and
your community.

— Jessica Ladlee

Ron Ruvo, Mount Pleasant Blue Collar
Unit president and a Traffic Safety
Department worker, removes tree
limbs damaged in a tornado.

August 2006 THE WORK FORCE Page 5
Through CSEA members’ own eyes

; em
«on. Images from the floods

© 9(9)) 4) * s floods raged
ELOOD We Aureus the Central,
Capital and Southern
regions on June 28, 2006,
CSEA members recorded
much of the devastation
the floods brought.

Here are some of the
images from the floods’
aftermath, provided by
State Department of
Transportation Sullivan
(Floyd Culligan) Local
President Diane Bull,
Delaware County Local
President George Lawson

CSEA members worked around the clock at flood relief even when their own work

Road closures, such as this and State Department of sites, including the state Department of Transportation residency in Fultonville,
one in Sullivan County, Transportation Fultonville Weve under water.
were widespread during Residency Local member Right, Brian P. Moore Sr.

and after the storms. Brian P. Moore Sr. stands in front of the

For more flood damaged Erie Canal
coverage, see pages I, 4, Lock 10 in Montgomery

CSE Vo ices 8, 10-11 and 12. County.

Left, CSEA members
repair the washed out
County Route 16 in
Delaware County.

Below, CSEA
members helped
clear water from
flooded streets,
including this one in
Canajoharie.

66 (SEA members should
get involved with Sa?

PEOPLE beause of the impact State Department of Transportation worker and CSEA

it has in the political arena. member Randy Green cleans a highway sweeper

PEOPLE gives CSEA members _ after spending 12 hours sweeping highways in

the opportunity to be more in Montgomery County.

tune with the issues. PEOPLE

gives CSEA members the

chance to become part of the

solution. 99

za

— Tim Finnigan, SUNY
Geneseo Local and Western
Region PEOPLE Committee
member, on the
importance of PEOPLE,
CSEA and AFSCME’s
program to protect our
jobs, benefits and pensions

in Washington, Albany and ys =
your community. Flooding devastated highways much like this one in

Sullivan County.

Page 6 THE WORK FORCE August 2006
Liquor authority member
keeps tabs on bars and clubs

MANHATTAN — When the brutally
murdered body of a young, pretty
college student was found dumped
on the side of a deserted street in
Brooklyn, Donald Bryant
immediately thought like many
parents throughout New York City.

“It angered me since that could
have been my daughter,” said
Bryant.

What made the event even more
personal to Bryant was the fact that
the young woman, Imette Saint-
Guillen, had spent the final hours of
her life drinking at a bar in lower
Manhattan.

Authorities later discovered that
the chief suspect in her murder
worked as a bouncer at the bar and
had a lengthy criminal record.

Bryant, a CSEA member for the
past 19 years, knows New York City
nightlife well. He works as an
investigative aide for the New York
State Liquor Authority, the agency
that regulates and controls the
manufacture, sale and distribution
of alcoholic beverages within the
state. It also issues and renews
liquor licenses and permits.

“My main job is to conduct
warning interviews,” said Bryant.
During such interviews, licensees
are briefed on allegations that may
jeopardize their license, including
sale to minors, disorderly premises
and consumption on premises in
places such as grocery stores.

Licensees are also allowed an
opportunity to demonstrate how
these infractions will be corrected.

State Liquor Authority
Investigative Aide Donald Bryant,
shown here outside a New York
City bar, helps protect the public
by enforcing state regulations for
places that sell alcoholic
beverages.

Often, authority investigators will
be sent to perform unannounced
inspections.

“If they find that the licensee is
still in violation then formal charges
are brought against the licensee,”
said Bryant.

The authority also works with
local law enforcement agencies and
localities across the state to ensure
compliance with the alcoholic
beverage control law.

With assistance from the State
Liquor Authority, the New York City
Police Department conducted a

series of raids in late April that
resulted in the shuttering of at least
five city establishments and the
arrest of 20 people on drug and
other charges.

“The licensees have to know that
it’s (a liquor license) not just
something that we hand out like
candy,” said Bryant. “It’s a privilege
to have one of these licenses.”

Even before Saint-Guillen’s
murder, the authority issued
weighty fines last year to 29
establishments statewide that hired
ex-felons to work as bouncers,
which is prohibited by law.

“It’s great when I get a bad
licensee out of the way,” said
Bryant. “One that has so many
charges against him and continues
to repeat what he’s doing and only
cares about making money.”

Bryant, who is currently training
and awaiting a promotion, said he
enjoys his job although it often
involves late night hours because
that’s when clubs and other
establishments are open. Summer is
the busiest time.

Often, he’ll think about the
responsibility he has as a parent of
five children, two daughters and
three sons.

“I wonder about my children
going to one of these places and
possibly getting hurt and then I
think about all the other children
who go there as well,” said Bryant.

— 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.

behalf:

+ Adiscounted consumer items buying service.
+ Discounted dental and vision care programs.
+ A personal 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

+ 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.

August 2006

THE WORK FORCE

CSEs

INEW.YO
LEADING:
Represents 50,000 Workers in
SOCIAL SELWICES end
ADIUNISTUSTIVE
SELWVLCES

“It’s great
when I get
a bad
licensee out
of the way.”

CSER Voices

66D ZOPLE is important to
me because it is my
voice in the political process
and it gives me the power to
protect the things that we
have fought hard to achieve
like good pensions, health
benefits, better salaries,
workplace safety and
representation. 99

— Jon Hart, New York
State Insurance Liquidation
Bureau Local, on the
importance of
PEOPLE,CSEA and
AFSCME’s program to
protect our jobs, benefits,
and pensions in
Washington, Albany and
your community.

Page 7
CSER

LEADING)
Represents 30,000 Workers in
VAS TIE WAL:
INAINTENANG
LINFLUASTRUCTURES

“If you can
imagine it,
it happened.”

CSER Voices

66 PEOPLE works to keep

us informed not only
on the state level, but on th
federal level. Through
PEOPLE, we become
educated on issues such as
the proposed privatization of
Social Security. 99

— Rick Preischel, SUNY at
Buffalo Local, on the
importance of PEOPLE,
CSEA and AFSCME’s
program to protect our
jobs, benefits, and
pensions in Washington,
Albany and your
community.

Page 8 THE WORK FORCE August 2006

Montgomery County workers
rise to flood relief needs

FONDA — Andy Aldi was
sitting in his first floor
office in the Montgomery
County Department of
Public Works building on
June 28 when floodwaters
raging outside the building
began to rush indoors.

“The water rushed up to
here,” said Aldi, a CSEA
member and highway
supervisor, pointing to his
chest. “I watched furniture
float out the window. I've
got equipment that is shot
now — motors, expensive
computer equipment,
highway records. If you
can imagine it, it
happened.”

Aldi and other
Montgomery County
employees affected by the
massive flooding that
damaged buildings, land
and infrastructure in
eastern and central New
York now face a daunting
cleanup effort to get
buildings and highways
back to normal.

“Our members were out
there trying to fix the
roads (the day after the
floods) without any rest,”
Aldi said. “We (pulled)
double and triple shifts,
and I’m in deep gratitude
toward the workers.”

The flooding hit Fonda
and surrounding areas
hard, submerging
highways, homes and

businesses in water that
was at one point at least 4
feet deep. The hardest-hit
neighborhoods border the
Mohawk River.

CSEA members played a
crucial role in flood relief,
including evacuations,
salvaging equipment,
clearing floodwaters from
buildings and
infrastructure, and
repairing significant
damage to both.

“We have had slight
flooding before, but this is
the highest I have ever
seen the water rise,” CSEA
Montgomery County Local
President Ed Russo said.

Also submerged in
several feet of water were
the county Department of
Public Works building and
the nearby County Annex
Building, which houses
numerous county
departments that employ
CSEA members.

At the county’s old
courthouse building, a
stairway outside the rear
of the building leading to a
basement door was full of
water. A basement flooded
in the county’s new
courthouse several blocks
away.

“(The flooding) started
around 6 a.m. By noon, it
was about 3 feet high,”
Russo said. “We had to
make sure people were out

Montgomery County Local President Ed Russo points out
the County Annex Building, which was surrounded by
more than 3 feet of water.

Mark Hoffman, while on the back of a Department of
Public Works truck passing through more than 3 feet
of flood water, talks about flood damage done to the
County Annex building, shown behind him.

of the buildings because
the water was rising so
fast.”

Shannon Doesburg, a
structural maintenance
helper and 12-year CSEA
member who later helped
remove water from the
basement of the new
courthouse and moved
district attorney’s office
files to prevent damage,
also faced the rapidly
rising water.

“When I got into the
building, I could walk
around normally,” she
said. “The water
eventually went up over
my waist.”

As the water rose,
buildings and nearby
neighborhoods were
evacuated. As the garage
in the public works
building began to fill with
water, Russo and other
county employees acted
fast to move county
vehicles and other
equipment to higher
ground. While workers
were able to safely move
much of the equipment,
not all of it was saved.

“Our equipment (was)
floating back there,” Russo
said.

Mark Hoffman, a CSEA
activist and mail clerk for

the county, was forced to
move mail equipment from
the building through a
window. He also helped
move files to a nearby
town that was not as
seriously affected by the
flooding.

“When I saw the water, I
went out to help,” he said.
“With luck, I hope I will be
able to deliver the mail
again next week.”

CSEA members were
also crucial in
coordinating relief efforts
given by other counties,
including Rensselaer,
Saratoga and Washington,
helping operate a relief
staging area in the parking
lot of the undamaged, new
county office building.
Union members also
volunteered at American
Red Cross shelters, one of
which was at the Fonda-
Fultonville High School.

While CSEA members
are working hard to
quickly make buildings
safe and roads passable,
the flooding still left a
mark.

“We have so much work
ahead of us,” Russo said.

— Janice Marra

Head Start workers
demand fair contract

PLATTSBURGH — More than 30
employees and supporters from
the Joint Council for Economic
Opportunity of Clinton and
Franklin Counties (JCEO Head
Start) recently demonstrated
against stalled contract
negotiations.

CSEA represents about 70 JCEO
workers in locations throughout
Clinton and Franklin counties in
titles such as teacher, teacher
assistant, home-based visitor,
center support staff, computer
aide, family worker, cook, bus
aide and bus driver.

JCEO receives federal funding
to implement the Head Start
program to income-qualified
families and children. About 300
area children receive services
during the school year.

The workers’ contract expired
Jan. 31 and negotiations have
stalled primarily over the

employer’s desire to cut hours for
teachers and teacher assistants.
Starting hourly pay rates vary
from $6.75 per hour for computer
and bus aide to $8.10 for teachers
and bus drivers.

Employees are united in
opposition to the cuts.

“With the starting salary for
teachers at $8.10 per hour, these
workers can’t afford to lose hours
and pay,” Capital Region President
Kathy Garrison said.

JCEO management received 3
percent to 5 percent raises on
Feb. 1, the start of the new grant
year.

“These employees do such a
wonderful job for the children and
families receiving services
through JCEO,” Garrison said.
“They deserve a fair contract
now.”

— Therese Assalian

Clinton and Franklin counties
Joint Council for Economic
Opportunity Head Start workers
demonstrate in Plattsburgh
recently, demanding a fair
contract.

Represents 53,000 Workers in
ERUCATLON SUEEQKT
SERVICES

“These
employees do such
a wondertul job for
the children and
families receiving
services through
JCEO. They deserve
a fair contract
now.”

School workers pass the hat for scholarships €SE&# Voices

CSEA members in the
Copiague School District
Custodial and Grounds
Unit have been saving for
college all year, and
recently awarded two
$500 scholarships to
graduating seniors.

The money for the
Bruce Williams Memorial
Scholarships was
donated directly by the
32 custodians, grounds
and maintenance workers
in the Copiague School
District. They gave a

=

schools for 19 years
before he died in May.
“He was a good man, and
avery active and
supportive union
member,” said Cirasole.
“He wanted to present
these awards himself.”
The first Bruce
Williams Memorial
Scholarships went to
Diony Rodriguez, 19, and

both of Copiague.
Matyjaszek, who will
attend SUNY Stony

little bit from their

Brook, hopes to be a

Katarzyna Matyjaszek, 18,

checks every time they
got paid.

“This is something
these guys are doing out
of the goodness of their
hearts,” said CSEA Long
Island Region President
Nick LaMorte. “It is
really commendable.”

“We wanted to support
the kids in the
community and show
them that hard work is
rewarded,” said CSEA

CSEA members present the first Bruce Williams
Memorial Scholarships to Copiague residents (center,
left) Diony Rodriguez, and (center, right), Katarzyna
Matyjaszek. Presenting the scholarships are (left to
right) CSEA Copiague School District Custodial and
Grounds Unit Treasurer Joe Chirco, Long Island
Region President Nick LaMorte, CSEA Copiague School
District Custodial and Grounds Unit President Pat
Cirasole and Copiague School District Custodial and
Grounds Unit Secretary Frank DelVecchio.

The scholarships are
named after custodian
Bruce Williams, who
worked in the Copiague

Copiague School District
Custodial and Grounds
Unit President Pat
Cirasole.

pediatrician. “I was very
happy to receive the
money,” said Matyjaszek.
“It will definitely help me
out.”

Rodriguez will attend
Farmingdale State
University, where he will
study computer science.
“I was so happy, I just
couldn’t believe that I
won,” he said.

— Rachel Langert

as to PEOPLE is so
important. You need
money to have power. That's
what PEOPLE represents,
strength in numbers. 99

— Ruth Martin, State
Education Department
Local, on the importance
of PEOPLE, CSEA and
AFSCME’s program to
protect our jobs, benefits,
and pensions in
Washington, Albany and
your community.

August 2006 THE WORK FORCE Page 9
xt

T

Massive flooding brings out best in responders

Rising to the challenge

SEA members in the Central, Capital and Southern

regions are responding to recent massive flooding that
damaged buildings, land and highways across parts of the
state and claimed several lives. Damage in Montgomery
County alone is estimated to top $100 million. Disasters
were declared in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer,
Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan,
Tioga and Ulster counties. CSEA members are helping with

relief efforts in their communities, including volunteering at

various flood shelters, as well as working to clear roads,
provide assistance and inspect the safety of flooded
properties. Stories in this edition deal mainly with the
immediate response; future editions will report on other
work CSEA members are doing in the aftermath.

Sullivan County sees worst flooding in Hudson Valley

MONTICELLO — The June floods
that hit Sullivan County with a
vengeance are far worse than any
natural disaster members of the
Sullivan County Department of
Transportation Local have battled,
Local President Diane Bull said.

“Winter storms are easy in
comparison,” said Bull, a highway
maintenance worker.

Numerous county and state
highways sustained massive
damage from the heavy rains,
while the force of the Delaware
River led to evacuations along
riverfront towns. In the town of
Livingston Manor, a 15-year-old
girl drowned after becoming
trapped in floodwaters.
Transportation workers were on
the job around the clock, directing
motorists traveling along state

roads to alternate routes.

“Unfortunately, so many roads
were washed out that many of
them had to turn around and go
back south,” said Bull.

Members of the 72-person local
worked furiously to patch roads
and slowly clean up roadways
where floodwaters receded. The
work won't stop once the rains
cease, Bull said, as work will be
necessary on the numerous small
bridges that flooded and pieces of
roadway that washed out.

Despite weariness, local
members were sticking together.

“We've all pulled in together to
get through this,” said Bull.

— Jessica Ladlee

Broome County
Broome County, including the
Binghamton area, received some
of the storms’ worst flooding
damage, including the closure of
188 after a culvert washed away,
opening a chasm over both
barrels of highway and causing
the deaths of two truckers.
Highway Maintenance Worker
Chris Merrall, Ist vice president of
the state Department of
Transportation (Broome
Residency) Local, said the cleanup
continues around the clock.
“We're all wearing face masks,
because we don't know what
we're getting ourselves into. We

5 =

5

4 aN
Pavement lays like a rumpled
rug along this washed-out
Sullivan County road after
flooding.

don't know what all the dust is
from,” he said of dried debris and
muck left behind.

Merrall and his assistant
resident engineer got stuck in the
Conklin area, one of the county's
hardest-hit areas. “We got trapped
here. There was just no way out;
the water just rose so fast,” he
said.

The two were stuck in a half-
mile stretch of road that remained
dry, and eventually had to be
evacuated by helicopter.

“The worst part for us is the
lack of sleep, because you're just
trying to get as much done for
these people. The people who lost
their houses; you feel so sorry for
them,” Merall said.

Otsego County

John Imperato is an Otsego
County 911 dispatcher who works
out of the Sheriff's Department
Communications Center in
Cooperstown. He lives in
Schenevus, along the Schenevus
Creek, which flows into the
Susquehanna River.

When Imperato went to work at
7 p.m. on June 27, the night before
the floods, the water was still
flowing through the creek and the
phones at work were starting to
get busy. Soon, the county had
declared a state of emergency and
six dispatchers, instead of the
usual three, were hard at work
answering calls, dispatching fire
and police, and dealing with the
flooding’s effects.

“The phones were ringing for a

Page 10 August 2006

THE WORK FORCE

good 20 hours non-stop,” he said.
“We all pulled together and did
what we had to do.”

About 10 p.m. on June 28,
Imperato's daughter called to
report that the creek was
overflowing and water was
nearing their house. Soon, he was
calling the local fire department to
go and rescue his two grown
children, who couldn't leave due
to the rising water. His wife, a
CSEA member at the county
nursing home, was also at work.

Imperato said he had to put his
own family concerns out of his
mind while he dealt with other
people’s emergencies. “I didn’t
even have time to think about it.
There were people far worse off
than I was.”

In the flooding’s aftermath, the
entire first floor of Imperato’s
home is ruined, having had more
than 2 feet of water come through.
The family is now living out of
their motor home as they clean up
and wait for insurance adjusters

‘A Canal Authority scow crew removes trees and other debris from

the Erie Canal. Sections of the canal from Lock 9 to 15 were
affected by heavy flooding. Erosion, utility and structural damage
and significant debris trapped in canal gates and lock mechanisms
were to blame. From left, Canal Authority Local members Louis
King, captain, Bruce Pavius, Machinist Bob Lisco and Crane
Operator Ron Klump haul a tree from Lock 13 gates.

Ina scene typical across a dozen New York counties, a roadway
disappears into a flood-swollen creek in Sullivan County.

to come and survey the damage.

Fred Sellards is a state
Department of Transportation
highway maintenance worker and
president of the CSEA Otsego
Residency Local in Oneonta. While
the flooding was happening,
Sellards and some of his co-
workers kept working to help
clear damage.

“[ worked 24 hours that first
night,” he said. Many of his co-
workers worked 16-hour shifts,
including over the holiday
weekend, to help clean up.
“Everybody responded very well
and did what we had to do. We got
the roads open pretty quick.”

Sellards said it was a team
effort, with the bridge and
highway maintenance crews
working well together to help
clean up, mostly culvert work and
repairing shoulder washouts.

Delaware County

CSEA Delaware County Local
President George Lawson, a safety
and training coordinator for the
county's Highway Department,
said the flooding caused the worst
devastation he's seen.

“I've never seen it this bad,” he

said. “We probably have 20
bridges that are wasted.”

He said one town in the
Hancock area was almost
completely under water. “I'd say
90 percent of the buildings have
been destroyed.”

Days after the flooding, Lawson
and about 100 co-workers were all
putting in 12- to 16-hour days in
cleanup efforts. “Right now we're
clearing mud, trying to get roads
open. I think everybody is doing
heroic stuff. It's a real joint effort.
I'm really proud of the crew,” he
said.

Schoharie County/Northern
Delaware County

State Department of
Transportation
Schoharie/Delaware North
Residency Local President Betsy
Jester said she and her co-workers
were working around the clock,
some with little other choice.

“A lot of our members can't get
home,” Jester, a highway
maintenance worker, said. “We're
working around the clock, even
though a lot of us have damage at

(Continued on Page 12)

August 2006 Page 11
Workers respond
to massive flooding

(From Page 11)
home. We're giving our energy to
be here.”

She said the department’s
bridge crew building in Hancock
had been completely washed
away and that many roads in
Delaware County were
impassable. She said one of her
crews got stuck for about 18
hours and other department
crews had to be sent down to
bring them food and water until
they could be brought out.

Little Falls
John Sullivan, a Little Falls

Department of Public Works
employee, said his city got hit
with flooding but it was nothing
he and his 18 co-workers couldn't
handle. “We got hit pretty good
with three major creek
overflows,” he said. “We had some
roads wash out and we've got our
hands full, but knock on wood,
nothing too disastrous. Just a lot
of cleanup, basically.”

State Police, Binghamton

Before the flooding, Steve
Barlow, a communication
specialist for the New York State
Police, worked out of the Troop C
office in Kirkwood, outside of
Binghamton.

After the waters began rising,
Barlow and his co-workers found
themselves searching for a new
home. “Our office was totally

Page 12 THE WORK FORCE August 2006

flooded,” he said. “They’re trying
to look for a home for us.”

During the flooding, he and his
co-workers were relocated to the
Broome County 911 facilities, and
worked 12-hour shifts to handle
the disaster’s response.

Chenango County

Chenango County Local
President Jerry Sayles, who works
for the county’s Highway
Department, said most roads were
impassible right after the floods.
“We have 308 miles of road here
and I don’t think you can goa
mile without damage,” he said.
“Almost every road has got
shoulder washouts or driveway
washouts. I would say the rest of
the year will be spent cleaning up
from this. These floodwaters were
the highest I’ve ever seen.”

SUNY Binghamton Events Center
workers

The Events Center at SUNY
Binghamton became home for up
to 2,000 people during the days
after the flooding. The center is
the largest American Red Cross
shelter in Broome County, one of
the storm’s hardest-hit areas.

Many CSEA members pitched in
to help make sure that things
went as smoothly as possible for
flood evacuees, including Pat
Greco and Joe Wlostowski, who
work in parking services. They
were among the volunteers who

A Delaware
County DPW
workers clears
flood debris
from a ravaged
County Route
16. This scene
is a familiar one
in the dozen
counties hit by
recent floods.

“ae Se

A bridge in Sullivan County is overwhelmed by flooding in this

image shot by a state Department of Transportation worker.

helped greet the buses full of
evacuees and made sure people
knew where to go to get help.
Greco, a clerk, said many of the
buses were ‘standing room only.’
“Your heart just went
out to them. People
were left with the

CSEss

temporary shelter. “You feel
hopeless, but at the same time
you want to help everyone,” he
said.

Greco said many people were
glad for their help.
“Most were just
thankful. It’s a

clothes on their NEWAVORICS wonderful feeling to
backs,” Greco said. REACT be able to help them.
Wlostowski, an 265,000 Members Strong It puts into

operations manager,
said his most
important job was
making sure the
buses were unloaded
in an orderly fashion, but he also
helped in other ways. He made
trips to local stores to pick up
donated supplies such as diapers
and water and even drove one
woman to the pharmacy to refill
her medication.

For Supervising Janitor Bob
Pflanz Jr., the challenge was
keeping the Events Center clean
for the evacuees. He and his co-
workers made sure the bathrooms
were clean, and did whatever else
they could to help out, including
serving food. When Pflanz saw
people wearing clothing that was
soaking wet, he went home and
brought back three bags full of
dry clothes for people to wear.
“People needed them,” he said.
“They came with nothing.”

Pflanz said one of the most
difficult moments came when he
found his sister and her family
had been brought to the

perspective what

I hi h
LALOR MUS sit Katrina anit

makes you appreciate
what you have here.”

Pflanz said that he was glad the
university could offer the center
as a shelter and glad he and his
co-workers could help out.

“| think it’s great for the
community and great for
everybody involved, because
everyone’s working together
hand-in-hand, any way they can,
trying to help people,” he said.
“It’s a tough situation for
everybody.”

— Mark M. Kotzin
and Therese Assalian

While major flooding has
receded, the needs are great.
Please help your neighbors in

need by giving to your local
Red Cross chapter or other
reputable relief agency.

Pelham school workers save man’s life

PELHAM — Traveling around
to the schools in the tiny
community of Pelham in
Westchester County,
the maintenance
workers for the
Pelham School
District see mostly
familiar faces, whom.

265,000 Members Strong

worker from a private
contracting company in
medical distress, his co-

workers oblivious
to his plight.
“The other
workers had ear
protection on and
had no idea that

they pass ne , PAMUIN, GIMENDS eng eee a badly
wave or a honk O! NELGHECKS urt, Sal

the car horn.

So it was a big
surprise when,
traveling back from a
maintenance visit at an
elementary school, they
happened upon an unusual
sight.

“We were driving back from
the Hutchinson School, where
we'd just finished fixing some
plumbing,” said Dwight Norton,
a maintenance mechanic and a
member of the Pelham School
District Unit. “I saw a worker in
a truck from (local power
company) Con Edison trying to
get the attention of some other
workers who were on the side
of the road when we realized
something was wrong.”

Norton, along with co-
workers James Richardson and
Anthony Pagnotta, quickly
realized they needed to stop.
Upon doing so, they found a

Richardson. “With

the noise from the

jackhammers they
were working with, they
couldn’t hear a thing.”

The three school workers
exited their school vehicle.
Norton bolted down the street
to a nearby firehouse to alert
firefighters. Pagnotta and
Richardson inspected the
victim.

“The man’s whole body was
shaking,” Richardson said. “We
realized he'd taken a bad hit to
the head.”

Thanks to the quick
response of local emergency
service providers, the man was
immediately taken to a hospital
for treatment. It was later

From left, CSEA Pelham School District Unit members Dwight
Norton and James Richardson reflect on their recent heroics in
the district’s carpentry shop. Anthony Pagnotta, not shown in
the photo, also helped save an injured man’s life.

Modest about their
assistance following the
incident, the CSEA members
are quick to credit the fast
response of police, firefighters
and EMS. However, their unit

Stay informed about what state government is doing through

INSIDE ALB

CSEA is a longtime, major underwriter of this award-winning public television
program. See the times below for the 2006 broadcast schedule in your area.

knows how long this man
would have been laying
injured,” said Torres. “They
don’t think they did anything
that anyone else wouldn’t have
done, but they’re being

det ined his ini d president, Victor Torres, said modest.”
COSTOBOE. BS INUEY BCCUNTe he wasn’t surprised to hear
after the man lost control of an 7 . 7
irh h ki ith that his co-workers aided a — Jessica Ladlee
Bim nOSE ne "Was Wor sing Wn worker in distress.
the device striking the back of “If they hadn’t stopped, who
his head. y RPRSe,
Local 1000 AFSCME,
Members AFL-CIO
LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM .
~
Saturday
Binghamton — WSKG 2:30 p.m.
NYC WNET 1:00 p.m.
Rochester WXXI 3:00 p.m.
Sunday
Albany WMHT 12:00 noon Pp °
z OR 0 ON; SO
Buffalo WNED F 0 ATI
Long Island WLIW 5
NYC WNET 6:00 a.m. ‘Quality legal representation at litle or no
Plattsburgh WCFE, 9:00 a.m ea Reece tes ea
Syracuse WeNy 200 p.m. prepublished fees for other personal matters,
atertown 200 a.m. 5 q
cat 1-800-342-4146
Monday and Follow Prompts for
Long Island WLIW 7:00 p.m. CSEA Legal Services Program

August 2006 THE WORK FORCE

Page 13
Hier WATER MARK
for CSEA Members

SOC
SERVICES.

35 years ago...

se vVef J
In 1971, CSEA and its then president, Dr. “ — ae
Theodore C. Wenzl, took on the formidable ¢
Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller over excessive
use of consultants and outside contractors by
New York state — an issue that remains a
bone of contention.

The CSEA challenge to the administration
over the wasteful spending on costly
outsiders stemmed from a tight state budget,
rumors of layoffs (referred to as firings) and
contentious contract negotiations in the early
years of Taylor Law, which established true
collective bargaining for the state’s public
employees.

| CaP Oy Waa er)

|) avy. sine oure edit |

a

NOW, YOU APE REALLY GOING To NEED A CoNSULTANT/”

The political cartoon depicted at right
appeared in the Albany Times Union, circa 1971. The original is signed by Hy Rosen, the paper's
cartoonist from the 1950s to the 1990s. It was recently presented to the union for the CSEA 100
history project by Wenzl’s son Thurman, who also donated several other pieces of his father’s
memorabilia. The material will be preserved as part of the CSEA archives in the Grenander Special
Collections at the University at Albany. Wenzl served as CSEA President from 1967-1975, and he died in
1997.

Nearly 1,000 images from CSEA’s history, including many from Wenzl’s term in office, are viewable
online via the Grenander website at http://library.albany.edu//speccoll/PhotoCollection.

Also in 1971...

2k Chinese dictator Mao Zedong invites the U.S. ping-
pong team to visit Beijing, while President Richard
Nixon ends the U.S. trade embargo with China.

2% The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is
ratified, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 years
old.

2k The New York Times publishes a series of articles on
the Pentagon Papers that detailed U.S. military
involvement in Southeast Asia, leading the U.S. Justice
Department to issue an injunction against further
publication that the U.S. Supreme Court later
overruled.

3 Alll in the Family debuts on CBS, introducing a trend
of socially conscious television programming.

38 Jim Morrison, lead singer and songwriter for the
rock group The Doors, dies in Paris at the age of 27.

Page 14 THE WORKFORCE August 2006

Spotlight shines
on Unseen America

SEA members across the state are
taking part in an innovative arts project
documenting through photography and
their words the unseen side of the their
communities and the working world.
Unseen America New York State has
already published a book of prints from
around the nation that includes photos
from CSEA members Karen Jabonaski,
Wanda Lubinski, Garry McWilliams and
Craig Waltz.
“Unseen America gracefully lifts this
country’s greatest asset, its working men
and women, from the shroud of obscurity.

At right, a
photo by
CSEA
Department
of Labor
Local
member
Garry
MeWilliams
that appears
in Unseen
America. The
picture is of
Sage Monast,
a lamp
worker.

This awe-inspiring book provides a face,
meaning and substance to our everyday
working heroes,” said New York State AFL-
CIO President Denis Hughes. The project is
funded in part through the New York State
AFL-CIO and the Workforce Development
Institute.

The project’s core involves a 10-12 week
workshop in which participants gain hands-
on photography instruction about lighting,
perspective, and composition while
discussing how it is we come to see what
we see.

Unseen America Newburgh Exhibit
The exhibition space at the Newburgh
Board of Education building is usually filled

with the work of locally known artists or
student work, but this August, the spotlight
will be on the school workers themselves.

The district is hosting an exhibit of
Unseen America worker photography
throughout the month of August at the
Board of Education complex, home to
Newburgh Free Library. The exhibition will
be set up in the beginning of August. A
reception for the community and the
photographers is set for Aug. 26 from 1 to 3
p.m.

“We’re excited that the community will
be able to get another glimpse of

CSEA President Danny
Donohue discusses the
recent flood disaster across
upstate New York with
Gary Striar, chief executive
officer of Red Cross of
Northeastern New York.
CSEA members were on the
front lines of the disaster
in many activities from
coordination through the
State Emergency
Management Office, State
Department of
Transportation and local
highway crews to social
services and other relief
offices as well as working
with Red Cross volunteers
in temporary shelters and
other response. CSEA
donated $5,000 to Red
Cross relief efforts and is
encouraging members to
help through their local
Red Cross chapters.

August 2006

An Unseen America photo, taken by
Newburgh Schools District Unit President
Joyce Quinn, a head security guard at
North Junior High School.

Newburgh, this time through the eyes of
the workers in the community,” said
Newburgh School District Unit President
Joyce Quinn, who participated in the class.

Unseen America
held a class for
members of the
Newburgh Enlarged
City School District
Unit, thanks toa
grant obtained
through the CSEA
Work Institute.
Newburgh was chosen due to its diversity
as a small city school district drawing
students and workers from both inner city
and suburban areas. Now that the series of
photography classes has ended, it is time
for the work to be seen.

265,000 Members Strong
LABOR LINTC

Other classes and exhibits

An exhibit has also been held in Buffalo,
and a second class may be held there in
the spring, said Capital Region Coordinator
Zoeann Murphy. Classes have already been
held in Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Troy,
Westchester County, Poughkeepsie and
Hudson, Murphy said. More are scheduled
for September in Utica, Schenectady and
Long Island.

Nationally, more than 400 classes have
been held. For more information, visit
www.wdiny.org.

— Jessica Ladlee

THE WORK FORCE Page 15
Marital, military, genetic, adoptive and injury
status protected by discrimination

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth
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 disciplinary actions,
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.csealocall000.org, and
clicking on the legal programs and
services menu item.

This article provides a quick
overview of discrimination based
on marital status, military status,
genetic status, adoptive parent
status, and workers’

'SEi=

AFSCME Local 1000, AFL-CIO
EMPLOYEE
BENEFIT FUND

Seeing is
believing at
the Employee
Benefit Fund
this summer

Summer is here and that means
warm weather, cool clothes and, of
course, a fresh, new look.

This season, while you are out
and about searching for the latest
fashion trends that suit you the
most, why not complement that
new look with a brand-new pair of
designer frames?

The CSEA Employee Benefit Fund
is happy to announce two new
frame collection rollouts for 2006.
That’s right, folks, there will be new
frames in the collection and that
means more choices, as a matter of
fact, 42 more choices!

Eighteen new frames have been
added to the collection, consisting
of 14 fashion styles and four
designer styles. In July, 24 new

n Ever Better Future

Page 16 THE WORK FORCE August 2006

compensation. As prior articles
have indicated, “discrimination”
in this context refers to employer
action that treats persons with a
certain status, background, or
other demographic differently
based on or specifically because
of that status, background, or
demographic.

Marital Status Discrimination —
Under New York’s Human Rights
Law, it is illegal for an employer to
discriminate against an employee
based on marital status. However,
the prohibition against marital
status discrimination does not
prohibit an employer from
imposing a rule barring spouses
from working together.

Although federal law does not
prohibit discrimination based on
marital status, the EEOC has
determined that it is illegal sex
discrimination for an employer to
refuse to hire women who are
married but not apply the same
rule to married men.

frames were rolled out
consisting of 16 fashion
styles and eight
designer styles.

When visiting a
participating vision care
provider, the CSEA EBF
frame collection is
identified by yellow, red and blue
tags that are located on the
sidebars of the frames.

All state employees enrolled in
the EBF vision plan have yellow, red
and blue tags as part of their
benefit. Local government
employees enrolled in any of the
EBF vision plans have yellow and
red tags. If your local government
unit has Platinum vision, blue tags
are also included.

Should you have any questions
about the new frame collection
additions or need to check on when
you are eligible for your next visit,
contact the CSEA Employee Benefit
Fund Monday through Friday from
7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (800) 323-2732.

ilitary Status Discrimination
— In 2003, New York’s Human
Rights Law was amended to
prohibit employers from
discriminating based on an
individual’s military status in the
U.S. military or the National
Guard.

Genetic Status Discrimination
— New York’s Human Rights Law
prohibits employers from
discriminating based on the
genetic disposition or carrier
status of any individual. In other
words, employees cannot be
discriminated against because
they may have a genetic
predisposition to a particular
illness.

In most situations, state law
also prohibits employers from
requiring or administering a
genetic test as a condition of
employment or to acquire an
individual’s genetic test results.
An employer may require a
specific genetic test as a condition

law

of employment where the test is
shown to be able to establish that
a particular genetic anomaly
might increase the risk of disease
as a result of working in a
particular occupational
environment.

Adoptive Parent Status —
Under New York's Labor Law,
employers are prohibited from
discriminating against adoptive
parents with regard to the child
care leave granted to employees
after the birth of a child.

Workers’ Compensation — New
York’s Workers’ Compensation
Law prohibits discrimination
against an employee for filing a
Workers’ Compensation claim or
for participating in a workers’
compensation hearing. Unlike
other forms of discrimination,
claims of discrimination relating
to Workers’ Compensation must
be brought before the New York
State Workers’ Compensation
Board.

Break in membership affects eligibility
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-free
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.

Protecting Your Benefits

Make sure your children’s shots
are current before college

Is your child off

to college this fall? Healt h
Benefits =a vaccination and

If you’ve made a
checklist of items
to pack and things
to take care of before he or she
goes, you may want to add just
one more item - make sure your
child’s shots are up to date.

Growing research has found
that some groups of college
students may be at a higher risk
of contracting bacterial
meningitis, but the risk can be
minimized by means of a quick
injection.

As Empire Plan enrollees and
their eligible dependents gear up
for another fall semester, the
CSEA Health Benefits
Department would like to
remind those in charge of

planning that the
Empire Plan’s

immunization

benefit was
recently enhanced to include the
meningitis vaccine for
dependent children and full-
time, dependent students.

Enrollees who have questions
about whether their child has
received the meningitis
vaccination should contact their
doctor’s office.

If you would like to learn more
about the Empire Plan’s
vaccination and immunization
benefit, including the meningitis
vaccine, please contact United
HealthCare, the Empire Plan’s
medical/surgical provider, at 1-
877-7NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447).

Promoting Good Health

Another CSEA member benefit in time for

Vacation travel

Pinnacle Motor Club

Flat tire, dead battery, locked out of your car, or your
car just won't start? Has this or something similar
happened to you or a family member? If so, Pinnacle
Motor Club is a benefit that can help. CSEA members
can enroll in Pinnacle for a cost as little as $1.00 a

week per member, $1.75 a week

for member and | family member or $2.50 a week for the

member and entire family.

Pinnacle’s Premier Membership offers members
safety, security and service on today’s increasingly
busy and dangerous streets and highways anywhere in
the world! When an unexpected hazard or
inconvenience occurs, members are entitled to

receive: $100 in emergency roadside assistance and locksmith service, $5,000 stolen
vehicle reward, free custom trip routing, maps and road atlases, 24/7/365 customer

service and support, and much more.

For more information about membership benefits and services, how we compare
with other motor clubs, and exactly who Pinnacle Motor Club is, simply call toll-free

877-848-7333, and ask for Dave or Ken.

Backup of sewers and drains
Will YOUR homeowner’s insurance cover this?

Fall and spring tend to be our wettest seasons, making our
homes most vulnerable to the backup of sewer or drain lines.
While these events don’t occur often, when they do, the
problem can be a potential disaster. The standard homeowner’s
insurance policy does not provide coverage for the backup of
sewers and drains or the breakdown of a sump pump.

Typically, heavy rains will trigger a backup. A storm sewer
backs up into your home and usually comes in through a sump
well, washtub or toilet in the basement. However, the damage
can happen anywhere in your house.

Sump pump failure normally occurs from power outages or
motor failure. Sump pumps run on electricity and so often the
power is knocked out from bad storms. Of course, this is when
you rely on the sump pump the most to pump out any excess
water in the basement that the storm has caused.

The damage caused from these events can be expensive. Most
damage will occur in the basement, which may contain such
items as: washer, dryer, furnace, hot water tank and numerous
personal items including precious family heirlooms. Water or
sewage will usually destroy everything it comes in contact
with. Since the damage you may incur from either of these
problems will not be covered, you will be responsible to pay for
the loss and the cleanup. For the thousands of dollars in
damage, it is well worth purchasing the additional coverage
with your homeowner’s policy to cover such an event.

This coverage can often be purchased on its own, or with an
endorsement that can expand, or increase the other coverage’s
on the policy. The cost typically runs between $25 and $50
annually. A price worth your peace of mind.

Call today to insure yourself against these damaging events.

Toll Free: 1-866-829-4982

If your homeowner's insurance is not currently with the CSEA
Valuable Insurance Program, our representatives will review
your current policy with you and offer you a quote from one of
our nationally recognized companies. The advice is free and
there is no obligation to purchase coverage.

Administered by:

PPC

PEARL-CARROLL

& ASSOCIATES

Sponsored by:

CSE

Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO

August 2006 THE WORKFORCE Page 17

Bvvere knows cigarettes can cause
cancer, that’s why CSEA worked with
Roswell Park Cancer Institute to change the
hospital’s smoking policy. Beginning last
month, smoking by employees, patients,
visitors, students, trainees, volunteers and
vendors is prohibited anywhere on the
campus, including the parking lots, parking
ramp, personal vehicles parked in those
areas and in Roswell-owned vehicles driven
off-premises.

Several CSEA members working at the
cancer hospital have decided to kick their
smoking habits. The hospital is helping
with smoking cessation classes, nicotine
replacement products and counseling from
the New York State Smokers Quit Line (1-
866-NY-QUITS), which is located at the
hospital.

The Work Force's Lynn Miller recently
spoke with Jeanne George and Vicki
Kowalewski, two CSEA members and
Roswell Park Cancer Institute employees
featured in the hospital’s new smoking
policy kick-off campaign.

WF: Tell me how long you've worked at Roswell and
what you do here.

JG: I've been at Roswell for about 14 years. lama
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technician in the
radiology department. We help perform imaging tests
on patients to gather information for the doctors. When
| saw my first MRI image, | was fascinated; the detail
is incredible.

VK: I've worked at Roswell for 12 1/2 years. | am a
pharmacy technician. | prepare IVs and deliver meds. |
triage phone calls to the pharmacy. | love the work |
do in the pharmacy.

WF: How long have you smoked and how did you
start?

JG: | started smoking when | was 14. | was ina
sorority and | was one of the few who didn’t smoke.
Over time, the peer pressure got to me and | started.

WF: Have you ever tried to quit before?

JG: I've tried to quit too many times to count. I've quit
for as long as two years, but every time | quit | came

Page 18 THE WORK FORCE

August 2006

back to cigarettes. | still struggle every day; there are
days that | wish for cigarettes. When | have a craving,
| try to delay it. | try to remember the harm cigarettes
do to my body. | see the results every day at work. |
know | will be sorry if | have even a single cigarette. If
| have one, | will want a second immediately — 1'll light
it off the first. Then, | will go buy a pack. | would be
hooked that easily. | take it one day at a time.

VK: I've smoked off and on since | was 18 or 19. This
past time, | smoked only for a few months. In
February, | called the quit line (1-866-NY-QUITS) and
got support. | know now that one puff leads to another,
which leads to a whole cigarette, which then leads to a
pack. | don’t crave smoking at all; | am completely off
cigarettes.

WF: How has the hospital and the new smoking policy
helped you?

JG: Right around the time | was thinking of quitting, |
got a letter from Roswell about the new smoking
policy. | thought this is just the impetus | needed to
help me. This was the final push. | work in a cancer
hospital, so | get to see what this does to people. It is
ridiculous to have people standing outside a cancer
hospital smoking, so in March, | quit. The quit line is
great (1-866-NY-QUITS). People here have been very
encouraging. When you know someone is trying to
quit, ask how he or she is doing and encourage him or

Jeanne George, an MRI technologist at Roswell Park
Cancer Institute, said the hospital's new smoke free
policy gave her the final push she needed to kick her
40-year smoking habit.

Health care workers
to lead healthier lives

Vicki Kowalewski, a pharmacy technician at Roswell
Park Cancer Institute, has smoked “on and off” since
she was a teenager. She quit in February and says
she no longer craves cigarettes.

her.

VK: | figured if | went public with my effort to quit, |
couldn't fail. All eyes are on me; | can’t go back to
smoking now. With the smoke free policy, | am not
around smoking at all anymore. There are no more
cigarette breaks for me. There are no smokers by the
door for me to walk through. No one around me
smokes and that helps. | know | can’t take a single
puff; that's how | started up again last time.

WF: Have you noticed changes to your health since
you have quit?

VK: My little guy - he’s 5 - was always stuffed up and
congested. Since I've quit, he’s been great. | can
breathe easier now and I've stopped coughing all the
time and clearing my throat.

WF: What would you say to a friend or

co-worker who is considering quitting?

JG: | don’t know if there is anything anyone could
have said to me to get me to quit; the smoker has to
be ready. | would try to encourage my friends to
remember all the things smoking does that you can’t
see; remember what smoking does to the inside of the
body. | would just be there for them and provide
support any way | could.

Have fun and save money this summer!

Ke GEORGE*NEW yo

THEGREAT ESCAPE.

TIEGREA KINGDOM

A Six Flags® Theme Park

From Aug. 14 to Sept. 4, CSEA members and their families can save on
admission to The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom when you buy

your tickets online!

+ General admission is $20.99, plus tax, per ticket — a $19
savings! (Regular ticket price is $39.99.)

+ Junior admission (48 inches tall and (| pono
under) is $20.99, plus tax, per ticket — Cusix
a $4 savings! (Regular ticket price is ty
$24.99.)

+ Children 2 years old and under are free.

Simply visit sixflags.com/greatescape and look for the promo code box in
in the upper right-hand corner. Enter “csea1000” as your code and follow

the menu!

CSEA Legal Services Program
CSEA Offers Personal Injury Plan

If you or a family member have
been injured, whether or not it
happened at work, CSEA CAN HELP
YOU!

If you or a family member are
injured in an accident as a result of
someone else’s carelessness when
you are not at work, you may have
the right to seek monetary damages
for injuries resulting from that
accident by pursuing a Personal
Injury lawsuit. Some examples of
accidents that occur off the job
include:

© You are injured in an auto accident
that was not your fault.

¢ You slip on a broken stair at the
apartment building in which you rent
an apartment and you break your
ankle.

* The foot pedal on your exercise
equipment snaps and you fall to the
floor, injuring your knee.

* Your neighbor's dog is running
loose and bites you, scarring your face.

Why should you file a Personal
Injury lawsuit if you have been
injured?

If you have been the victim of an
accident and have suffered serious
injury, there is no way to predict how
that injury will affect your future.
What if you become unable to work?

What if your medical needs exceed
what your personal health insurance
will pay? What if you need long term
care or special equipment? If
someone else is responsible for your
injuries, you have the right to a
monetary recovery. The amount of
your recovery will either be
negotiated with the insurance
company or ultimately determined by
a jury at a trial. This money will help
defray unanticipated costs in the
future, and help you continue with
your life.

When an injury happens on the
job, you are probably entitled to
Workers’ Compensation benefits.
When that injury is caused by
someone other than yourself, a co-
worker or your employer, you are
possibly entitled to more than Workers
Compensation. You may have a
Personal Injury lawsuit, as well.

A few examples of actual cases
where you may have a possible right
to both a Workers’ Compensation
claim and a Personal Injury lawsuit
include:

° You are a passenger in your
employer's vehicle that is involved in a
collision.

* You fall because of a hole in the

PEOPLE PERSON —
The PEOPLE
recruiter of the
month of June is
Jayne Clancy of the
Rockland County
Local in the Southern
Region. She recruited
37 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 ... IMPASSE IN
IMPACT NEGOTIATIONS — CSEA.
recently declared impasse in
impact negotiations with the
Saranac Central School District
because district officials have
failed to bargain in good faith.
About 10 CSEA members were laid
off after the district closed two of
its elementary schools in June.
Twenty CSEA-represented workers
had been targeted for layoffs, but
the union successfully restored
about 10 clerical and custodial
positions. The union requested to
negotiate items such as severance
packages, retirement incentives
and redistribution of work, but
district officials have been
unreceptive to the impact
bargaining. CSEA is also
concerned about the district’s
consideration of contracting out
its cafeteria services, a job now
held by CSEA members. The

aT
TEADING ia

265,000 Members Strong
CSE
TODAY

union is considering
grievances or legal
action against the
district ... SIXTEEN
NEW NURSES —
Sixteen students
sponsored through a
Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families
grant co-administered
by the CSEA Work
Institute graduated the Licensed
Practical Nursing program at
Orange-Ulster BOCES on June 28.
The TANF grant allowed the
students to train at no cost. Two
students, Sherry Lee and
Jacqueline Daniels, were the
recipients of scholarships
presented by TANF administrator
Jorge Martinez, to go on to
Orange County Community
College’s training to become
registered nurses ... HELP WITH
WORK, HOME AND LIFE — CSEA
state employees can get help with
child care and elder care
expenses through the Dependent
Care Advantage Account
(DCAAccount), a negotiated state
employee benefit that allows you
to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax
salary to pay for child, elder, or
disabled dependent care
expenses. Call 1-800-358-7202
(press 2) or visit the new web site
at www.worklife.state.ny.us. The
new site contains information
about the Employee Assistance
Program, LifeWorks, flex spending
accounts, pre-retirement seminars
and guidance on which programs
are right for you.

employer's parking lot, and the parking
lot is maintained by someone other
than the employer.

* You are working on an employer—
owned machine that is defectively
designed or poorly maintained by
another party and you are injured.

* You are using your own vehicle to
travel between work sites and are
involved in a motor vehicle accident.

If you were “in the course of your
employment” at the time of your
accident or injury, you should apply
for Workers’ Compensation benefits
by calling CSEA at 1-800-342-4146 and
following the prompts for Legal
Services Program, followed by
“Injury-Related Matters.” You will be
connected with a Case Appraisal
Manager from Fine, Olin and
Anderman LLP, our Plan
administrator, who will take some

August 2006

basic information. Your case will be
reviewed for both Workers’
Compensation and a potential
Personal Injury lawsuit, and will be
referred to the appropriate attorney
under the CSEA Legal Services
Program, depending upon your region
and the circumstances of your
accident or injury. It is important to
contact CSEA immediately to obtain
representation for the Workers’
Compensation claim and determine if
claims for benefits beyond Workers’
Compensation are available, since
there are strict time limits and filing
requirements. So remember, your
Union is there for you and your
family on and off the job; all you
have to do is Call CSEA at 1-800-342-
4146, follow the prompts for LEGAL
SERVICES PROGRAM, followed by
“Injury-Related Matters.”

THE WORK FORCE Page 19
CSEA members save $4.00 off admission on Sept. 2 and 3, 2006 during CSEA Weekend.

(\ SAVE SAVESAVE SAVE'SAVE SAVESAVESAVE/)
v7 CSEA member admission $6.00* AY
WY CSEA members and family members each get SAVE

‘one admission for $6.00 when purchased at (] $ 4.00

any gate with coupon. One coupon per person.
ou, *Adult admission.
BN | Children 12 and under admitted free.
NAME

Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO
Danny Donehve, President Mnoness

Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only ~ PHONE
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3, 2006.

CSEA LOCAL

(NSAVE-SAVESAVE SAVESAVE SAVE-SAVESAVE/)
)j CSEA member admission $6.00* AY SAVE
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any gate with coupon. One coupon per person. "

Qs *Adult admission.
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NAME ay
Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO | apppess ' N

Danny Donohue, President |

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Clip one coupon at right
for each CSEA member and family member
and bring coupon(s) to any fair gate to get

$4 off the price of admission on
Saturday and Sunday,
Sept. 2 and 3, 2006, only.

Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only ~ PHONE
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3, 2006,

CSEA LOCAL

LISINESIVEO SAVE $4.00 O53

Reproduced

coupons will
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accepted, (N\ SAVE-SAVE-SAVESAVESAVE SAVESAVESAVE %) '
Additional v7 CSEA member admission $6.00* \ save Wi
coupons will be ~ cresdnanssarssovaerpaccss '
available at any gate with coupon. One coupon per person. $4.00 H
your CSEA RS Ghltdren'T2 and under admitted fre. H
region office. {> —_ H

Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO ADDRESS:
Danny Donohue, President

Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only ~ PHONE
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3, 2006.

Saturday, Sept. 2 and Sunday, Sept. 3, 2006, is CSEA WEEKEND

at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. CSEA members and their

family members will receive $4.00 off admission that weekend,
compliments of CSEA and the New York State Fair.

CSEA will maintain a booth in the Verizon Center of Progress
Building on the fairgrounds throughout the entire fair, so stop
by and visit the CSEA booth at any time.

The coupons for $4.00 off admission however, are only good
during CSEA Weekend, Saturday and Sunday,

Sept. 2 and 3, 2006.

CSEA members pay only $6.00 per admission.

‘one admission for $6.00 when purchased at 00
any gate with coupon. One coupon per person.

Qs, *Adult admission.
ws Children 12 and under admitted free.

NAME A .
Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO ADDRESS: ne | 9)

d)
Danny Donohue, President we

YX)
CSEA members and family members each get (]
M4

(\ SAVE SAVESAVE SAVE'SAVE SAVESAVESAVE//) id
v7 CSEA member admission $6.00* AY
~ $4.

Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only ~ PHONE
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3, 2006,

CSEA LOCAL

CSE: Island Region o

Qus?

Aan F= = ple 2006

6ng Island Reporter

Above, member Maria Olmeda, who works in the operating room at

University Hospital, waves to her friends as she and the family go to get
‘some lunch.

Below, there were salads as well as hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the
cob, cold drinks and ice cream at the picnic.

bout 150 people turned
out for the annual
SUNY Stony Brook
picnic, which was
held at Heckscher
Park. There was plenty of food on
the grill, and plenty for the
members’ families to enjoy,
including a swimming pool and the
Moon Bounce for the kids.

Michelle Pitterson, who works on the campus side in
Roosevelt Quad, said she just had to go. “I had to get
the kids out for the day!” she said. The weather was
also picture perfect, after all the rain over the last few
weeks.

Please see Summer continued on Page 3

Summer picnics Pont from Pege.t . Clockwise from top right, keeping the party rocking were
Pat Cosban, who works in procurement, said, Head Shop Steward Kenneth Russell (second from left)

“My family looks forward to these things. The food and his crew Flashback and Kevin Russell. Local

is great, the prizes are wonderful and everybody Secretary Jimmie McPherson (on left) just had to get into

has fun.” the act; members and their families crowd President Carlos
Maria Olmeda brought her entire family for the Speight for a chance at the raffle; Michelle Pitterson (on

day. “I've come before and it's always wonderful. _ left) brought her friend Darryl Moore, her niece Sherray

It brings everybody together,” she said. and her daughter Carmen Delaney — who was all giggles

Local Treasurer Louise Melious watched the and a bit camera shy; CSEA member Pat Cosban (far
Moon Bounce as it was being set up. “You can fit __ right) had fun with her family at the Stony Brook picnic;
about 10 kids in there at a time. There's a guy Local Treasurer Louise Melious checked out the moon
who is sent from the company to watch the kids bounce as it was being set up for the kids.
and make sure no one gets hurt,” said Melious.
“Sometimes even the grownups get in it, too. It's
fun!” she said.

And fun was the order of the
day!

SUNY Farmingdale

One hundred and fifty members of the Farmingdale State University Local,
retirees and guests enjoyed the local's annual picnic and barbecue June 16.

Ahealth fair and information day were part of the picnic, held on the campus.

The picnic was planned by the Hospitality Committee, which includes Fran
Barton, chair, local officers Tom Dowdney, president, Glen Havjar, executive vice
president, and Amanda Gist, secretary, and Denise Botiglione, Chris Dose, Sue
Peterson, Barbara Sarringer, Nina VonDeesten, Patty Wagner and Christine
Walker.

Top right, beautiful weather and the spacious campus are the backdrop for the
Farmingdale local’s 2006 picnic and barbecue.

Right center, Ligia Holmes, right, signs up for the local’s 50/50 raffle. Standing
behind the table are Hospitality Committee Chair Fran Barton, left, Barbara
Sarringer, center, and Denise Botiglione. Behind
Holmes is Bern Brady. Half the raffle proceeds went to
‘support the Farmingdale campus’ child care center.

Bottom right, Local President Tom Dowdney and
members toss a Frisbee around.

3

Long Island Reporter
The late Ray Delfyette looks over a
ballot cast in a ratification vote at the
Long Beach Unit of Local 882 in 2003.
Colleen Silvia, president of the unit, paid
tribute to him, saying “Ray always went
above and beyond for the Long Beach
members. When we were experiencing
the layoffs, Ray would come to all the
demonstrations and City Council
meetings. He stayed, sometimes after
11 p.m. With sore eyes and aching feet
Ray continued to fight for workers’
tights. The Long Beach unit lost a great,
dedicated union advocate who will truly
be missed.”

(See below.)

B rothers and Sisters,

What do you stand for?

If you are a CSEA activist, you have probably answered
the call when we asked for people to lobby their legislators
or rally with other CSEA members for a fair contract. If you
are a CSEA officer, you have probably fought to defend or
advance the rights or benefits of your members.

You probably stood up for your fellow members and
sought to do the right thing. | have on occasion heard
people say, “What's the point?” or “What's the use?” I'll be
the first to admit that sometimes this union work can be a
very taxing, difficult and even a thankless job.

But, as anyone who has ever needed union
representation will tell you, the work we do as a union is
absolutely crucial. It is so basic, and so important that
sometimes we take it for granted.

Another thing we often take for granted is that at CSEA,
the officers and activists are fortunate to have full-time staff
members who are often just as important as any elected
official in advancing the mission of this union. We have
professionals dedicated to assisting and advising us in
political action, occupational safety and health,
communications and labor relations.

Labor relations specialists are those union staff
members who assist and guide members and officers
through the complex and challenging tasks of negotiating
fair contracts, conducting contract campaigns and making

sure the rights and benefits that have been won at the
table are actually honored by management. They work with
Officers to defend your rights every day. They make sure
your contracts are enforced. Their jobs can be just as
tough and just as thankless as any officers’ jobs.

| bring this up, because we recently lost one of our
LRSs, Ray Delfyette. For seven years, Ray stood up for
the rights of CSEA members in many places on Long

2

Long Island Reporter

Message from Long Island Region President

Nick LaMorte

Island. He negotiated many fair contracts and defended
the jobs of so many members. Before he came to us, he
spent many years as an elected officer in another union.
We were fortunate to have the benefit of his experience,
political savvy, writing skills and insight into the collective
bargaining process.

He never recovered from a car wreck after leaving a
meeting in the field. It seemed like we turned around and
he was gone.

It was very sad. It made me think about the words of
labor leader Cesar Chavez; “Talk is cheap. It is the way we
organize and use our lives every day that tells what we
believe in.”

Ray dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of others.
He stood up to many managers and public officials to
make them do the right thing. | can’t think of a better way
to use the time we are given.

In solidarity,

Nick LaMorte, president
Long Island Region

Wie alps

Marian Hester, 40-year employee,

retires

Long Island Developmental Center Local member Marian
Hester recently retired after four decades of service to the
people of New York state. She was lauded by many
family members, friends and colleagues who just couldn't
stop singing her praises.

“Marian is a truly giving person, a nice person, and a
very classy lady,” said LIDC Local President Daryl Wilson.
“She's the kind of person who gets things done,” said
Wilson.

Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte
congratulated Hester as well, and thanked her for her
dedication to the developmentally disabled, as well as her
service to CSEA.

“Marian is truly a fine example of the kind of giving
spirit that CSEA members demonstrate every day,” said
LaMorte. “It takes a special kind of person to extend
themselves to others with kindness and compassion for
so long. We will miss her, but we wish her health and
happiness in her retirement,” said LaMorte.

Hester began her career at Suffolk State School in
Melville as an attendant for the developmentally disabled
in 1966.

In 1972 she became a ward supervisor. In 1987,
Hester became the assistant director of an intermediate
care facility.

In 1994 she was appointed assistant to the affirmative
action administrator, where she advocated for equal rights
and opportunities, and taught classes to staff members
on cultural diversity and sexual harassment. In 1995,
Hester was appointed coordinator of the LIDDSO Senior
Companion Program. She was named employee of the
year at least three times during her long career.

Congratulations, Marian!

CSEA LIDC
Local President
Daryl Wilson
presents a
certificate of
achievement to
member Marian
Hester, who
recently retired
after 40 years
of state service.

—$—we

= Inside Reporter

Open letter to Village of Hempstead residents

Some recent comments by Hempstead Mayor Wayne Hall
may be interpreted as blaming the village's fiscal situation on the
people who work for the village. As the elected representative for
275 of those village workers, | take great exception to the
mayor's unfounded claims.

It is the CSEA members | represent who pave, clean, plow
your roads and keep them illuminated for the safe passage of
you and your families. It is CSEA members who pick up your
trash and recyclable materials. It is CSEA members who trim,
plant and remove dead trees before they become safety hazards.
It is CSEA members who trim, clean, beautify and keep your
children’s playgrounds, pools and parks safe and in good repair.
It is CSEA members who take your phone calls, issue permits
and handle all manner of complaints and inquiries.

It is the CSEA members who do the cleaning, electrical repairs
and plumbing repairs on all village buildings. It is the CSEA
members who maintain our village water system to make sure
that every resident has the best available water for their everyday
needs at one of the lowest costs on Long Island. It is the CSEA
members who make sure that our waste water is safely removed
from our village.

It is the CSEA members who run what is unquestionably one
of the best libraries in the state of New York. It is the CSEA
members who handle emergency calls and dispatch for the
Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department as well as the Village
Police Department.

Some of the work that my members do actually helps plump
up the village's bottom line. It is CSEA members who issue
parking violations where necessary, and collect the fees and the
proceeds from the parking meters. These actions alone add more
than $15,000 a week in fees to the treasury.

In short, the employees of the Village of Hempstead work hard
every day to provide the essential services that keep this village
operating. Most of us are also residents. More than 1,600 CSEA
members who work around Long Island live in the Village of
Hempstead.

Itis because of our union-negotiated fair pay and decent
benefits that village employees are able to provide stability for
our families. Stable workers can buy homes, contribute to the tax
base, and are able to support village businesses by purchasing
goods and services. CSEA members are the bedrock of this
community.

4 Long Island Reporter

So, for the mayor to blame the employees for the village's
fiscal difficultie, is absurd. Any financial problems that the village
has are due to poor management. After all, when he was a
trustee, Wayne Hall didn’t have a problem with the CSEA
contract. Hall was one of those who voted to approve it.

The workers did not create the village's problems, and CSEA
will not stand idly by while he makes us the scapegoat for the
failures of management. Balancing the budget on the backs of
people who keep your village clean, safe and in good repair is
not only short-sighted but destructive as well.

Mayor Hall is a good man. However, he is off base when he
blames the village's financial problems on its workers.

No matter what Mayor Hall says, the civil servants who work
for the Village of Hempstead will never get rich. But CSEA will
never apologize for providing our members and their families with
a decent quality of life. The wages and benefits we win for our
people make for strong families and even stronger communities.
Isn't that the kind of community you want?

And we are prepared, if necessary, to utilize the strength of
the 50,000 members in the Long Island Region, as well as the
265,000 members of CSEA around the state, to ensure that
Hempstead Village workers continue to receive the respect and
dignity at work they earn every day.

John C. Shepherd,
President of the CSEA Village of Hempstead Unit
and the CSEA Nassau Municipal Local

Note: Shepherd also serves as Chair of the CSEA Long Island
Region Political Action Committee.

>
The first voice
you hear when
you call the
village’s main
number belongs
to Switchboard
Operator
Paulette Webb.

Plumbing Inspector Bravo Marshall makes sure =p}
new and old buildings are up to code.

(Front to back) Stacey Hogan, 98
assistant to the assessor, Demetria
Moore, clerk, and Delphine
Chambliss, clerk, handle important
business worth about $45 million
dollars per year at the assessor's
office.

AP (front to back) Tax and Water Department cashiers Deborah Williams, Syreeta
Hinton-Taylor and Senior Account Clerk Damie Grace make sure residents

receive proper credit on their property tax and water district bills.

A Senior Typist Clerk Camille Simone has 25 years of service in the town and

keeps things running smoothly in the Building Department.

Village Mailman Tony Avila really delivers.

Village of Hempstead Police Communication
Operators (left to right) Sharon Herrera,
Mary Foxx and Jean Blaney have one of the
highest workloads of any police
communications operation in the state.

They answer all 911 calls, dispatch police
officers and request fire, rescue and
ambulance services to keep residents safe.

Long Island Reporter 5
Long Island Region 2006 Flaumenbaum Scholarship Winners

COMMACK — The winners of the Long Island Region's Irving
Flaumenbaum Scholarship Awards for 2006 are Seanna Burke,
Jonathan Solarte and Andrew Vigliotta.

Burke is the daughter of Thomas Burke, a zoning inspector for
the Town of Oyster Bay and member of Oyster Bay Local 881.
She will major in music education at Ithaca College this fall.

Solarte is the son of Hernando Boyaca, an environmental
services aide at SUNY Stony Brook and a member of SUNY
Stony Brook Local 614. Solarte, one of the top 10 students in his
graduating class at Comsewogue High School, will study Chinese
at Princeton University this fall.

Vigliotta is the son of Jane Vigliotta, an attendance aide in the
William Floyd School District and a member of Suffolk
Educational Local 870.

The winners and their families were honored at ceremonies at
the Long Island Region on July 18. Region President Nick
LaMorte presented the scholarships, worth $1,000 each.

“In CSEA we empower our members with education and
training, among other things. So to us, education is a very
important component in unionism, and in life,” LaMorte said. “It is
very fitting that we honor the children of our members, who have
achieved so much, and show so much promise to do great things
in the future.”

CSEA annually awards three Irving Flaumenbaum
scholarships in each region.

The scholarships honor the memory of Irving Flaumenbaum,
who served as Long Island Region president and as an AFSCME
International Vice President.

“We also feel very fortunate to have one of our own honored,”
said Oyster Bay Local Executive Vice President Bobby Rauff.
“This has encouraged us at the local level to form one of our own
scholarships, and we are looking forward to the day when we can
help our members’ families in that way as well.”

“At Stony Brook, we see very clearly the value of a good
education, “ said SUNY Stony Brook Local Executive Vice
President Debbie Nappi-Gonzalez. “After all,
we're surrounded by it all the time. By
helping these young people the union is
benefiting our community, and the
leaders of the future.”

— Rachel Langert and
Charlie Michaelson

Long Island Reporter

i Ba — :

Above, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte presents Jonathan Solarte and his family with a
Flaumenbaum Scholarship. From left areCSEA Long Island Region Treasurer Christine Urbanowiecz,
father Hernando Boyaca, mother Blanca Espinosa-Boyaca, LaMorte, Jonathan Solarte, CSEA SUNY
Stony Brook Local Executive Vice President Debbie Nappi-Gonzalez.

Below, Irving Flaumenbaum Scholarship winner Seanna Burke is presented with her certificate and
scholarship check. From left are Oyster Bay Local Executive Vice President Bobby Rauff, Long Island
Region President Nick LaMorte, dad Tom Burke, Seanna and her mom, Lisa.

Left, Seanna Burke
reviews her
certificate of
(/ achievement.

Right, Jonathan Solarte
shares a light moment
with his parents and Long
Island Region President Nick
LaMorte.

WEOUnG=tne=hke gion

24 - Special Plaque Committee Meeting — 6 p.m.

Calendar of Upcoming Events:
August 2006

3- Local 430 General Membership Meeting —
3-Tp.m.

8 - PEOPLE Committee Meeting — 5 p.m
40 - Staff Meeting — 10 a.m.

26 - Defensive Driving 9 am. - 3 p.m.
29 - Political Action Committee Meeting —

46 - Defensive Driving — 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m
47 - Defensive Driving — 5:30 - 8:30 p.m, 30 - MAT Committee Meeting — 5:30 p.m.
49 Women’s Committee Meeting — 5:30 p.m. 34 - Local 430 Shop Steward Training — 4-7 p.m.

23 - Veteran's Committee Meeting —6 p.m.

It's twins!
LONG BEACH —
Colleen Silvia,
president of the City |
of Long Beach Unit |.
of Nassau Municipal
Local 882, and Z “a =
Michael, her husband, welcomed the birth of twins, Sienna Catherine and Michael
Joseph, on June 1.
Sienna Catherine weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces at birth while Michael Joseph

weighed in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces.

a Their mom, a longtime CSEA activist, is expected to be back at her job with the

city's Recreation Department in September.

Suffolk Municipal Local Executive Board Meeting

At a recent meeting of the Suffolk Municipal Local Executive Board, CSEA Southampton
Town Unit President Pete Collins, below center, was appointed 7th vice president of the
local; Walter Dunn and Brian Toehill of Brookhaven, were appointed to the local’s Health
and Safety Committee; and Mike Giglio, below right, also of Brookhaven, was appointed to
the Local's Sergeant-at-Arms post. During the meeting, below, the executive board also
heard presentations regarding workers’ compensation and Pearl Carroll insurance. Local
President Bill Walsh is seated in the center.

Smithtown preps for the table

It's getting to be contract time in the Town of Smithtown.

Unit President Kelly Brown said the negotiations process is now in the
preliminary stages.

The negotiation committee recently met to review the proposals
submitted by unit members. “It took us about four meetings to get through
all the proposals,” said Brown. “We're starting to formulate the proposals
we will put forward, weed out the ones that we don't think are negotiable
and get the list together of what we are actually going to pursue.”

The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 31, 2006,
but the committee wants to be ready to get down to business when the
town gets around to negotiations, which will probably be in the fall.

“The supervisor is extremely frugal, and the town board has always
been able to fill the positions, so they feel why should they give the
employees anything but the basics?” said Brown. “Now they're finding that
these salaries are not acceptable anymore, and they've had to do some
upgrades in planning and other departments. So it’s getting harder to
attract clerical and professional staff to the town.”

The understaffing that results makes it harder for the employees who
remain.

So, among other things, the committee will be looking to upgrade a
number of positions, and maintain the current health insurance plan intact
under a successor agreement.

CSEA represents about 430 members, who provide just about every
type of essential public service in Smithtown.

The Smithtown team reviews members’ contract proposals. From left to right:
Secretary Lenore Gordon, Tommy Hester, Angelo Geraci, 1st Vice President
Joe Cannone, 4th Vice President Steve Frank, Joe Boslet, 2nd Vice President
Joanie Peterson, Labor Relations Specialist Jimmy Wall and President Kelly

|e ee 4 ee

Brown.

7

Long Island Reporter

CSEA response to recent comments made by th

Editor’s note: The ongoing contract fight in the
Baldwin Library Unit recently took a more contentious
turn when management, annoyed at the end of
mediation, issued a statement bashing CSEA. The
board then included the statement in employees’
paychecks for added measure. This is CSEA’s

Much of the statement from the Baldwin Library
Board is misleading. CSEA did not break off mediation.
In fact, we gave mediation two more tries than the
usual three sessions.

Even after most other parties would have given up,
CSEA continued to attempt to break the logjam.
However, it became increasingly clear to us that
continuing mediation was an exercise in futility. It was
getting us nowhere and the board was unyielding in its
| unreasonable demands.

In moving to fact-finding we are merely exercising

| our rights under the Taylor Law. It is management that
} has been intransigent in these negotiations.
Management at the Baldwin Library apparently has
difficulty with the concept that we have any rights
at all.

Management wants the CSEA membership to pay
even more for our health insurance when we are
already underpaid. Even with the proposed
adjustments, we still make less than staff at other

response.

At left, CSEA Baldwin Libary Unit President Kathy
Whiteway in the lead during their recent protest. She and
the members remain united in their fight for a decent
contract.

Stony Brook member lauded for recruitment efforts

CSEA member Carol Low was recently named voices and their union by speaking in a language that

e library board

libraries. Even though the library pays 100 percent of
our individual health insurance, we ALREADY PAY 50
percent of the FAMILY PREMIUM, which is a
substantial amount. It is also unheard of in other
municipalities and other public sector jobs.

Would they have us work for the sheer glory of being
in their employ? We have families, mortgages and fuel
bills to pay just like anyone else!

Management cited our vacation and sick leave as
examples of generous benefits, but they are already
part of our contract and they are not exactly generous.
Isn't giving people some sick time and vacation time the
humane thing to do?

Baldwin Library's unreasonable health insurance
demands, when coupled with their measly proposed
wage increases, would guarantee that most of the
workers would not gain any ground.

We are not asking for the moon. We just want to be
able to eat, pay our bills and be able to afford to go to
the doctor when we're sick.

Baldwin Library workers are simply fighting for the
respect we deserve.

PEOPLE recruiter of the month, for signing up the most every politician understands — money,” CSEA Long Island
new contributors out of all the CSEA PEOPLE recruiters. Region President Nick LaMorte said.

PEOPLE, which stands for Public Employees Through PEOPLE, CSEA members have lobbied and
Organized to Promote Legislative Equality, is CSEA’s and —_ motivated lawmakers to achieve positive change, fought to
AFSCME's political action program to protect and improve _ protect Social Security, Medicare and maintain funding for
our jobs, benefits and pensions in Washington, Albany and public health care facilities like University Hospital at Stony
in your community. Low volunteered her time, and signed Brook and the Long Island State Veterans Home.
up 19 new contributors in February, more than any other
recruiter in the state. Low works as a nurse at the Long
Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, where she is
also a CSEA shop steward.

“By joining PEOPLE, CSEA members strengthen their

Oyster Bay Women’s Committee meeting Sept. 13

OYSTER BAY — The Oyster Bay Local Women's Committee will hold its next meeting on Sept. 13 at Town Hall
South, 977 Hicksville Rd., in Massapequa.

Bette James, 3rd vice president of the local and chair of the committee, said members will be getting ready for the
annual Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach in October. This will be the first year the committee,
formed earlier this year, will be participating as a group.

“We're going gung ho,” said James.

Another feature of the meeting will be two computer classes for beginners. Iris Williams will teach a basic class and
Diana Wright will teach a class on Excel, a widely used software program.

At the March meeting, Laurie McAleer, a Pilates instructor, demonstrated exercises that members can do at their
desk to keep healthy.

The club meets every three months at different locations in the town.

“We had 17 members at our first meeting, 23 at the next,” said James. “Hopefully, it will go up and up.”

i= Ah ey ”
SUNY Stony Brook Local Shop Steward Carol
Low (center) was recently named CSEA's
PEOPLE recruiter of the month. Congratulating
her are CSEA Political Action Coordinator
Gretchen Penn (left) and CSEA Long Island
Region President Nick LaMorte (right).

Sut,

Long Island Reporter 8

YOUR UNION
NEWSLETTER

KX)

August 2006 + Vol. 11, No. 8

| hope all of my members and their families are
enjoying a good summer. Typically, summertime
usually equates to a quieter time for county workers.
Many of us take our family vacations during the
months of June, July and August, as | recently did.
Vacation is a time for us to get away from the grind,
remove our thoughts from the day-to-day issues our
jobs impose on us. As a union leader, | do not have
the same opportunity as | fielded many calls from my
staff during my week away. Cell phones are great,
huh? Actually | didn’t mind at all, as | expected that
when | took this job | would make myself available at
all times. Besides, my teen age girls were driving me
crazy, including my oldest daughter who decided to
wash her own clothes. The problem was that she did
her wash in the dryer ... detergent and all! What a
mess!

Recently Newsday ran an article about private
vendors that have contributed to the Friends of Tom
Suozzi. That is nothing new in politics; private
companies have been contributing to politicians’
campaign funds since the beginning of politics. What
is disturbing, however, is that some of these
companies have been doing business in Nassau
County, and more specifically, doing some of our
bargaining unit work! In one instance, the Triad
Group, which actually took over our entire Workers’
Compensation Bureau, was listed as a major
contributor. | have always maintained that this county
executive favors the private sector over the public
sector. | am hoping that politics is not a player in that
philosophy.

It is time for this county to begin looking more
closely at keeping the work in-house. Enough of the
Garrison Securities, Aramark’s, Triad’s and many
other private vendors who perform work that our
great union work force can accomplish. | have been
on record many times in the Nassau County
Legislature making this same statement. Now, the
burden will be placed on the legislators’ doorstep. |

am urging the legislators to take a hard and serious
look at the vast number of contracts being doled out
to private firms before giving our county work force
the opportunity to examine the job and decide if it
can be done in-house.

Above and beyond
Congratulations to our great Parks and DPW

workers who did an unbelievable job preparing the
Red Course at Eisenhower Park for the Commerce
Bank Championship of the PGA’s Champions Tour.
The reviews from professional senior golfers from
around the country were all positive. | am so proud
of our members who each and every day prove to
the county resident and the administration that they
are invaluable professionals who perform their duties
above and beyond the call of duty. Way to go, guys
and gals of Parks and Public Works!

NHCC situation

Currently, at the Nassau Health Care Corporation
| have been in steady meetings with the new CEO,
Art Gianelli. So far, Mr. Gianelli has been attentive
and sincere with my staff and me. We will continue
to have our issues with the health care corporation
for sure, but at least our differences will be settled in
a professional manner. The union has a voice at the
table now, unlike under previous administrations.

| do have a growing concern, however, regarding
the senior vice president who runs the A. Holly
Patterson Elder Care Facility. We have more than
500 members working at that facility and | feel that
Mr. Larry Slatky does not have the right attitude
when dealing with them. Mr. Slatky has shown that
he is not someone who respects unions, and | intend
to bring that issue to him. Our members do not
deserve to be spoken down to, to be harassed and
treated poorly. Disciplinary write-ups are at an all
time high over at A. Holly, and we believe that is
because Mr. Slatky is pushing for them to go up. The

Message from CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta
Time for a Closer Look at Contracting out

time may come soon when this local will be reaching
out to all of our members to join us at a loud
demonstration (30-foot rat and all) to show Larry
Slatky's administration that when you push CSEA
around, we push back.

So, have a safe and fun summer (what's left of it)
and remember that if any of you need to speak to
your union, we are right here for you.

Yours in unionism,

Jerry Lanriechiuta

WHAT’S INSIDE
August 2006 Express
r= Page 3

* Local 830 Welcomes Great Radio
Guests

te Pages 4 and 5
« Eisenhower Park Course in
Superb Condition
« EMT Worker Goes Above and
Beyond
r= Page 6

+ 240 Old Country Rd. Disability
Accessibility Update

2 EXPRESS

aoa jassau County Local 830

LAFYESS

August 2006 + Vol. 1 No. 8

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

Ryan Mulholland, Editor
(616) 571-2919 Ext. #13,

www. csealocal830.0rg

CSEA Long Island Region Communications Associate Rachel
Langert (631) 482-0030

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, 8th 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 Ill, Treasurer's Office

ROB ARCIELLO, Deputy Sherif

STANLEY BERGMAN, Comptroller’ Ofice

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 Cierk

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

ROBERT CONTI, Police Communications Operators
LES EASON, A. Holly Patterson

ROBERT GILIBERT, Senior Citizens Affairs
ROSE SACCHETTI, CountyiDistrict Attorney
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

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

CSE 7 ec |
—

Bi "

wk

= A S\ =]
This members-only benefit program
provides attorney representation for
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION; SOCIAL
SECURITY DISABILITY; PERSONAL
INJURY and PERSONAL LEGAL MATTERS
for members AND their dependents.

Quality legal representation at litle or no

outof pucket cost for injuryilless related matters,

Also, representation is avalable at preneyoxiaed,
re-published fees for ether personal maters,

cat 1-800-342-4146

and Follow Prompts for
CSEA Legal Services Program

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS.

CSEA Local 830 Website to Relaunch with
New Look and New Ideas

Nassau Local 830 has been working hard with
Visionarygraphics.com to assemble a clear,
comprehensive website for our members.

The website will consist of a members’ and non-
members’ section. The members’ section will be
separated between the PBC and Nassau County Local
830 members. It will include information on the salary
plan, contracts, benefits, Local 830 events and much
more.

The media center will be extensive and will include
archives of recent episodes of the radio show “Talkin
Labor with Local 830” that members can access
anytime.

The Nassau Express will also be updated monthly
on the web, as well as media coverage of Local 830
from the Long Island Press and Newsday.

The website's public area will consist of the Local

830 profile, mission and
information on benefits.
There also will be a
Frequently Asked Questions
page to go along with links
and important contacts.

“Lam excited about the
new website,” Local 830
President Jerry
Laricchiuta said.
“Communication has
been a big part of our success and our new, innovative
website will be just another way to communicate with
our members.”

The website will be at www.csea830.org and should
be launched by the beginning of August.

www.csea830.org_

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 - Orcor in quantitos as small as 1 item
Spocial-Order tems -Imorint with local information - Minimum quantities apply

CSE-135 — S875IMxL) CSE126 — s12251v-x1) powered by
Tshirt 205M) embroidered Sp)
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achieve our goals.”

Don’t miss
CSEA Weekend ,
atthe 2006
New York State
Fair!
Sept. 2 - 3, 2006,
Syracuse

etree adm

CSEA members save $4 off the $10
admission on Sept. 2 - 3, 2006!

See the August edition of The
Work Force for your coupon!

“It is my intent to restore fiscal stability and
high quality care. | remain confident that based
on a skilled staff dedicated to fulfill our mission
and our role as a teaching hospital, we can

— New Acting President of Nassau Health Care Corporation Art Gianelli,
who with CSEA has been working very closely to restore stability of

Nassau University Medical Center.

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS EXPRESS 3

This month from

“Talkin’ Labor With Local 830”

CSEA Local 830’s radio show “Talkin’ Labor with Local 830” has been rolling
on from the Local 830 studios at 400 County Seat Drive in Mineola. Our guests
this past month have included Presiding Officer of the Nassau County
Legislature Judy Jacobs, and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Please join CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta Wednesday nights
at 6:30 p.m. on WGBB AM 1240 to find out the latest in CSEA news.

Jerry Laricchiuta with Kathleen Rice.

Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. on WGBB AM 1240

Jerry Laricchiuta with Judy Jacobs
in the Local 830 Studios following
a taping of “Talkin’ Labor with
Local 830.”

Congratulations to CSEA Local 830 Women’s Committee Scholarship Winners!

Above, the Women’s Committee Scholarship winners with members of the CSEA Nassau
Local 830 Women’s Committee in front of the American flag in the local office’s
conference room.

Left, Jessica Stein, Matthew LeMar and Lauren Thompson were each awarded a $500
scholarship at a June 21 ceremony at the Nassau Local 830 Offices. Elizabeth DeLouise
also was a scholarship winner.
4 Express

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS:

Parks Workers are up to Par

EAST MEADOW — CSEA Local 830 members from the Parks, Recreations and
Museums Department at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow have been hard at work
again.

the 2006 Commerce Bank Championship that took place from June 19 to June 25.

The Commerce Bank Championship is part of the PGA (Professional Golf
Association) Champions Tour, which is made up of professional golf stars over the age |’
of 50. With high-profile golfers competing, it was essential for the course to be in top
condition.

The media coverage of the event was abundant as
News 12, WLNY and WHLI radio were all on hand, as
well as TV coverage on the golf channel.

Director of Golf Maintenance at Eisenhower Park
Gene Contino is very proud of the union workers who
keep the course so well maintained. There are about 20
‘staff members who work tirelessly during the summer
season. “This is our passion,” Contino said.

During the tournament week, staff worked up to a 90-
hour week. During the three weeks before the
tournament, employees worked about 60-70 hours each
week. CSEA members worked with PGA architects to
make sure all the facets of the course were exactly as
projected.

All that work was worth it as the professionals who
played on the course during the event raved about the
conditions that have vastly improved over the past 10 years.

Longtime PGA Champions Tour Pro Tom Jenkins said, "The greens are
beautiful. In my opinion, they are some of the best we've ever putted.
They've done a magnificent job. It's probably the finest-conditioned course
we've played in a long time." Former Champion of the Commerce
Championship Jim Thorpe added, "It's absolutely perfect. It couldn't be any
better."

The course has made such strides that they are anticipating a regular
PGA event to be hosted on the Red Course in coming years. Even the
White Course will host an American Junior Golf Association tournament
coming August 15-17.

“The main thing is that these are union workers maintaining a golf course at a
professional level without any contracting out,” Contino said. “I estimate it would have
cost the county at least $2.5 million to make the improvements we have over the past
10 years.”

CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was thrilled with the condition of the
course and said, “We would like to thank our members at Eisenhower Park for their
great work as it is a big contributor to the success of our July 24 golf outing.”

58) Top photo, flowers in front of
clubhouse planted by CSEA
members; above left, 18th hole
during Commerce Championship;
above right, leaderboard and
scoreboard during Commerce
Championship; left, fairway and

=| green maintained by CSEA
members; below, new bunker
installed by CSEA members on the
9th hole of the Red Course.

We will have photos and recap of the CSEA Local 830 Scholarship Classic (ata professional level without any contracting
at the Eisenhower Park Red Course, in next month's Express.

out. | estimate it would have cost the county at
The main thing is that these are union workers maintaining a golf course

least $2.5 million to make the improvements
we have over the past 10 years.

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS.

Treasurer’s Office
EMT Goes Above
and Beyond

reasurer’s Department Purchasing
Agent and Emergency Medical
Technician Patricia Brown with her
bag of gloves, bandages and other
medical supplies that she has in the
office each day.

express 5

Appreciation |

MINEOLA — Patricia Brown of the Nassau County Treasurer's Office at 240 Old Country
Road in Mineola is not your average CSEA member. Not only does she deal with her
everyday responsibilities as purchasing agent of the treasurer's office, but she also
doubles as an emergency medical technician (EMT).

Brown has been with the treasurer's office for 9 years, but just four years ago she
decided to start a program where she would get medical forms from all employees, and
put them in a sealed envelope in case any situation arose where they were needed. Since
that time, she has responded to approximately 45 different situations. She has received
clearance to leave her Purchasing Agent responsibilities to serve to any emergencies.

She has responded to a variety of problems. They include a Code Red in the men’s
bathroom (a serious medical emergency), a broken femur bone by a fellow co-worker, a
woman with a diabetic emergency and attending to a pedestrian struck by a car on Old
Country Road.

She is fearless when it comes to responding to these situations. “People ask me do |
worry that | might get sued if | don’t perform the right treatment,” Brown said. “Absolutely
not. | am just doing what's right.” She is classified as an EMT B, and stresses that she
won't go beyond the scope of her ability.

She is supplied with all her oxygen, gloves, bandages, and other medical equipment by
the East Meadow Fire District where she has been a member for 13 years, including five
years as commissioner. In early July she went with her Rescue 5 team upstate to
Binghamton to help in the relief efforts from the flood.

Her colleagues in the Treasurer's Department are all thrilled with the job she does, and
the warm, caring person that she is. “When | broke my femur bone back in March, she
kept me calm the whole time,” co-worker Josephine Capriola said. “Even when we got to
the hospital, they thought it was a broken hip, and Pat said it was the femur. Well, Pat was
right.”

“She would help anyone,” Fran Aberle said of Brown. “It wouldn't matter who was hurt
or where they were.”

In addition to all this, she has been a member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary for 35 years, as
well as responding to the staging area during the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001. So, her
accolades stem much further than just her building at 240 Old Country Road.

Itis obvious how much Patricia Brown
really cares, especially when she said, “My
biggest worry is of what might happen
when I'm not around. | guess you just
always hope that everything's going to be

ok."

6 Express

Enjoy Your Summer ... but be Safe!

Excerpts from:
Skin Cancer: How to Protect Yourself
From the Desk of Nassau County Clerk Maureen O'Connell

Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer. Every
year, U.S. health care providers diagnose more than
1 million cases of the disease. Most of the time,
skin cancer is caused by too much exposure to the
sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Artificial sources, like tanning
booths and sunlamps, also can increase your risk.

You can protect yourself by:

+ Limiting sun exposure (Especially between 10 a.m.
and 4 p.m.);

+ Cover up with long-sleeved shirts, pants and long skirts, especially those in
darker colors;

« Wear a hat with a 2-3 inch brim;

+ Sunscreen with a 15 or greater Sun Protection Factor (SPF);

+ Wear UV-blocking sunglasses that block 99-100 percent of UVA and UVB
radiation, as opposed to cosmetic lenses that block only 70 percent.

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

Join PEOPLE and Fight Back

CSEA’s PEOPLE program protects and improves our jobs, benefits
and pensions in Washington, Albany and 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.

PEOPLE funds pay for the toll free
lines. PEOPLE funds help us to
//7] pass legislation that is beneficial to

i) A our members and stops legislation
y that is harmful to our members.

PEOPLE money works for us!

UPDATE!

Accessibility Situation at 240 Old Country Road for People with Disabilities

MINEOLA — In the April edition of the Express, we broke
the news of CSEA Local 830 working closely with the

Nassau County Office of the Physically Challenged to -
improve accessibility for people with disabilities at 240 Old
Country Road in Mineola, which houses the County
Comptroller's, Assessor's and Clerk’s offices.

Changes are still imminent to the structure in and
around the building, according to Don Dreyer, director of
the Nassau County Office of the Physically Challenged. “If
all goes well, by the end of the fall we should have very
nice progress,” he said.

That progress includes the reconfiguration of the parking
lot with the next steps of putting in ramps, and electrical
doors coming in early 2007. “The delay until 2007 has to
do with the resources available in the ADA project,” Dreyer
said. “This building is very important to me and | feel good
about imminent major changes.”

Left, Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta with
Assessor's Department employee Darin Pitkanen, who
received a new reserved spot due to CSEA’s initiative
to improve handicapped accessibility at 240 Old
Country Road in Mineola, below, which houses
departments such as the County Comptroller’s,
Assessor’s and Clerk’s offices.

CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

ExPRESS 1

Veteran’s Corner

By Debbie O’Connell

Firstgov.gov, the U.S. government's web portal
steports that in May the Department of Veterans
Affairs learned that an employee, a data analyst,
took home electronic data from VA that was stored
in his home on a laptop computer and external hard
drive. He was not authorized to take this data home
and this behavior was in violation of VA policies.

The stolen computer equipment contained
information on 26.5 million veterans. Letters were
sent to any possibly affected individuals between
June 3 and June 15. If you believe you have been
affected but did not receive a letter you can log
onto
http://www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo_letter.shtml or
call 1-800-FED-INFO.

In addition, VA officials said the department

Nassau University Medical Center Employee of the Month

At a reception hosted for the employees of Nassau
University Medical Center, Laura Luzi, a certified
social worker employed in the medical unit of the
Nassau County Correctional Center, was honored
as the June Employee of the Month. She is
assigned as a psychiatric social worker in the
Nassau Health Care Forensic Mental Health
Division. Luzi, a resident of Massapequa, has an
excellent relationship with her co-workers and goes

Left, Debbion
Andrade, certified
nursing assistant, A.
Holly Patterson
Extended Care
Facility.

would provide free credit monitoring (normally a
$50-$150 fee) to anyone who might have been
affected.

More fraud was apparent in another case when
the VA put out a warning regarding involvement
with an organization calling itself “Veterans Affairs
Services” (VAS). This organization is gathering
personal information on veterans under a VA
services look-alike website called
www.vaservices.org. This organization is NOT
affiliated with the VA in any way.

In local news, County Executive Thomas Suozzi
will present the “Distinguished Service to Veterans
Medal” to five Nassau residents on Aug. 5 at 6:45
p.m. at the Harry Chapin Theatre in Eisenhower
Park. CSEA Local 830 Veterans Committee Chair
Debbie O'Connell was on the board to help select
those five special Nassau residents.

above and beyond to assure her patients receive
the quality of care to which they are entitled. She
conducts groups designed specifically on anger
management and is constantly seeking out new
treatment initiatives for the patient population she
encounters. Her positive disposition,
professionalism and work ethic are admired by the
entire division.

We are also
urging our veterans
to “buy back” their
service time. In
most cases, buying
additional service
credit will increase
your pension
allowance.
However, there are
certain situations in which additional service credit
may not increase your pension at retirement. For
more detailed information log onto
www.osc.state.ny.us/retire.

Right, Laura
Luzi,
Psychiatric
Social Worker
at Nassau
Health Care
Corporation.

A. Holly Patterson Employee of the Month

At a reception hosted for the employees of A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility,
Debbion Andrade of Elmont, a certified nursing assistant, was honored as the June
Employee of the Month at the nursing home. Andrade is a dedicated employee who is
committed to serving the needs of the nursing home residents. She always extends herself

beyond the necessary duties.
8 ExPRESS

(CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS

What do you Stand for?

Brothers and Sisters,
What do you stand for?

If you are a CSEA activist,
you have probably answered
the call when we asked for
people to lobby their legislators
4 or rally with other CSEA
members for a fair contract. If you are a CSEA
officer, you have probably fought to defend or
advance the rights or benefits of your members.

You probably stood up for your fellow members
and sought to do the right thing. | have on occasion
heard people say, “What's the point?” or “What's the
use?” I'll be the first to admit that sometimes this
union work can be a very taxing, difficult and even a
thankless job.

But as anyone who has ever needed union
representation will tell you, the work we do as a
union is absolutely crucial. It is so basic, and so
important that sometimes we take it for granted.

Another thing we often take for granted is that at
CSEA, the officers and activists are fortunate to have
full-time staff members who are often just as
important as any elected official in advancing the

SAVE THE DATE!

It’s never too early to plan
your holiday season!
CSEA Local 830

Annual Holiday Party

Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006
I - 6 p.m.
Crest Hollow Country
Club, Woodbury

mission of this union. We have professionals
dedicated to assisting and advising us in political
action, occupational health and safety,
communications, and in labor relations.

Labor relations specialists are those union staff
members who assist and guide members and
officers through the complex and challenging tasks of
negotiating fair contracts, conducting contract
campaigns, and making sure that the rights and
benefits that have been won at the table, are actually
honored by management. They work with officers to
defend your rights every day. They make sure your
contracts are enforced. And their jobs can be just as
tough, and just as thankless as any officers’ jobs.

| bring this up, because we recently lost one of
our LRSs, Ray Delfyette. For seven years, Ray stood
up for the rights of CSEA members in many places
on Long Island. He negotiated many fair contracts,
and defended the jobs of many members. Before he
came to us, he spent many years as an elected
Officer in another union. And we were fortunate to
have the benefit of his experience, his political savvy,
his writing skills, and his insight into the collective
bargaining process.

But he never recovered from a car wreck after
leaving a meeting in the field. It seemed like we
turned around and he was gone.

It was very sad. And it made me think about the
words of labor leader Cesar Chavez; “Talk is cheap.

( As anyone who has ever needed union

representation will tell you, the work we
do as a union is absolutely crucial. 5

It is the way we organize and use our lives every day
that tells what we believe in.”

Ray dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of
others. He stood up to many managers and public
Officials to make them do the right thing. | can’t think
of a better way to use the time we are given.

None of us knows how much time he has been
given. Shouldn't we make the most of that time to
work together, and help make the world better than
we found it?

The next time that a CSEA officer, or activist, or
staff member does something to help you and
advance the mission of this union, | would ask you to
take the time to say, “Thank you.”

In combining all of our talents and efforts, we do
great work together. It doesn’t have to be thankless
as well.

In solidarity,

Nick LaMorte, president

“Waa

Member Benefits Meetings at Civil Service and Assessor’s

The Nassau County Civil Service Commission at 40
Main St. in Hempstead and Assessor's Office at 240
Old Country Road in Mineola held luncheons this
month. The Civil Service Commission meeting was
attended by 44 CSEA members, which makes up 80
percent of the Civil Service Unit. Representatives
from CSEA Member Benefits, Legal Services
Program and from Pearl Carroll & Associates were
on hand.

The Assessor's Luncheon was divided into two
sessions due to the large number of members in
that department. Some of the main topics
addressed by Assessment's Unit President Pilar

Miller were the upcoming Assessment Picnic and the

lack of air conditioning in the office that is currently
being addressed.

Also, CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta
addressed his members at both meetings.

, Local 8
Laricchiuta, Unit President Pilar Miller, and
Assessment’s Administrative Assistant John
Aloisio