putt SECTOR
Official Publication of The Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., Local 1000, < tc Vol. 11,No.2 |
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO ISSN a 9949) Monday, January 25, 1988
Peet
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ONS
NEW YORK STATE
OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OFFICE OF MENTAL RETARDATION
AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT CCl
Sée pages 3, 10 and AL
Co-workers chip into .
help Michael’s family
FISHKILL — Michael Best is a two-and- Were deciding whether to remove his
bladder.
one-half year-old youngster who has spent i
more than a third of his life in and out of Little Michael, you see, has cancer. And
the illness is taking a heavy toll on Michael »
hospitals. and his parents.
Even as this edition of The Public Sector Michael’s father, William Best Jr., is a
went to press Michael was undergoing tests ‘ kK D
at Westchester Medical Center and doctors maintenance worker at Downstate
Correctional Facility. William Best has run
out of sick leave time and the hospital and
medical bills are piling up, according to
Downstate CSEA Local 155 President Bob
Anderson. So co-workers at Downstate are
trying to help the family by conducting fund-
raising projects.
Michael’s uncle, Tim Laffin, who also
works at Downstate, says co-workers, led by
Bill Feldman, have started a 50-50 club
which will have a drawing in March to
benefit the family. Co-workers are also
organizing a second fund raising program to
be held in February.
Last March doctors discovered a tumor
the size of an orange deeply inbedded in
Michael’s prostate. Doctors decided against @
removing the tumor and Michael began
receiving chemotherapy treatments.
Those treatments have serious physical
side effects on Michael, according to his
mother, Kimberly Best, 19.
“I’m sitting here seeing this kid go
through so much,” she says. In addition to
Michael, she and her husband have an
j1-month-old daughter, Melanie.
William Best’s co-workers say they could @
use some assistance in trying to help the
family. They ask that anyone who wishes to
help to send their contribution to:
Michael Best
c/o William Best Sr.
40 Teller Avenue
MICHAEL BEST Beacon, New York 12508
HINSUIDIE
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Page 16 “
AFSCME delegates election process to begin
CSEA will soon begin the process of electing delegates to the 1988 AFSCME
Convention to be held in Los Angeles June 19-24.
Delegates will be elected on a regional basis. Each CSEA region will elect the
number of delegates it is entitled to on the basis of membership strength in accordance
with the AFSCME and CSEA constitutions.
Expenses for the delegates for transportation and room and board at the AFSCME
convention will be paid by CSEA.
Details regarding nominating procedures will appear in the next edition of The
Ne Public Sector.
The Public Sector (445010) is published every other Monday by The Civil Service
Publi Employees Association, 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210. Publication Of-
ie fice: 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210. Second Class Postage paid at Post
Office, Albany, New York.
Address changes should be sent to: Civil Service Employees Association, Attn:
Membership Department, 143 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12210.
COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATES
Official publication of The Civil Service
Employees Association, Inc., Local 1000, SHERYL CARLIN . Region I RON WOFFORD . Region VI
AFSCME, AFL-CIO, 143 Washington (516) 273-2280 (716) 886-0391
Avenue, Albany, New York, 12210 TILLY CIOL eae STEVE MADARASZ Headauarters
ANITA MANLEY Region III pele
AARON SHEPARD. (914) 896-8180
ROGER A. COLE. DAN CAMPBELL ..... Region IV
(518) 489-5424
KATHLEEN DALY. CHUCK McGEARY ....... Region V
(315) 451-6330
2 THE PUBLIC SECTOR January 25, 1988 ®
~C SEA: OMH/OMRDD injuries...
Out of
Control
e ALBANY — Public employees put their lives and well-being on
the line every time they go to work; that’s no surprise.
What is shocking is just how threatening conditions are,
especially for mental hygiene workers. A CSEA review of employee
injuries in the state’s mental health (OMH) and mental retardation
(OMRDD) facilities shows them to be among the most dangerous
worksites anywhere.
TOTAL LOST WORKDAY CASES PER 100 WORKERS
N.Y.S. Health Service Workers
vs. Nationwide Hospital Workers
N.Y.S. NATIONWIDE
HEALTH SERVICE HOSPITAL
WORKERS WORKERS
1985" 1983 - 1985**
> SOURCE Nation! Stey Counc!
+ SOURCE Department of Labor
“We knew the situation was bad, but these facts are shocking,”
comments CSEA President William L. McGowan.
Conservative estimates peg the cost of lost services in OMH and
®@ OMRDD alone in the tens of millions of dollars each year.
“The cost in human terms can’t even be calculated,”” McGowan
adds.
CSEA undertook the review following the brutal murder of
therapy aide Clara Taylor at Rockland Psychiatric Center last
summer.
CSEA’s review of the statistics of (shown in complete form on
page 10) presents a devastating picture:
*OMRDD employees lost nearly 100,000 days due to on-the-job injury
in 1986
e *OMH employees lost about 56,000 days in the same year
*Total number of lost days are on the rise for OMH and OMRDD
Comparison with other figures also showed:
*State-employed health service workers — a group which includes
OMH/OMRDD employees — account for 61% of all lost worktime
due to on-the-job injuries suffered by state employees in 1985, even
though they only account for 28% of the state workforce
*For health care workers nationwide there were 3.65 lost time
injuries per 100 workers between 1983-85, according to the National
“It would be easy to simply blame this situation on
understaffing,” says CSEA Director of Occupational Safety and
Health James Corcoran. “That’s a big part of the problem in many
facilities, but doesn’t tell the whole story system-wide.”
The magnitude of the injuries suggest that workers are being
placed in dangerous situations without adequate training.
CSEA is urging OMH and OMRDD to immediately place greater
priority on workplace safety and health. Neither office has a
specific safety and health director nor a comprehensive program,
yet they have the worst on-the-job injury figures of any state
agency or department.
“Tf you don’t know where the problems are, there’s no way
you're going to correct them,” says McGowan.
“This is not a money issue because they’re already throwing
millions of dollars out the window by ignoring the situation,” he
adds. ‘“‘CSEA is willing to work with them, but the state must face
up to its responsibility — by law they have to provide a safe
workplace.”
How dangerous
is your work?
pages 10-11
e Safety Council; state-employed health care workers had 16.7 lost-
time injuries per 100 workers in 1985 (See graphic above)
KINGS PARK — If you want to know
about the pain and suffering on-the-job
injuries cause, just ask Jeannie Romano.
Romano, a therapy aide at Kings Park
Psychiatrie Center since 1984, was
brutally attacked last January by a
patient who beat her unconscious before
help came.
“A patient came back from honor card
(patients are allowed to leave the building
and wander the grounds) and had been
drinking. She became extremely
demanding,’”’ Romano explains.
Romano and a therapy aide trainee then
brought the patient, along with 35 other
patients into the dining hall.
“The patient became more and more
agitated and I told the trainee to alert the
nurse,” she explains.
As soon as the trainee left the room, the
patient dove on top of Romano.
Romano dropped her keys and clipboard
and was thrown against a water fountain
with the patient on top of her. They fell to
the floor and the patient kept ‘pulling my
hair and beating my head on the floor,”
Romano remembers.
As she lay pinned on the floor Romano
kept thinking ‘‘If I can only get my arms
free! I thought she’s gonna kill me, I
thought of my kids.’’
The patient knocked Romano
unconscious. The trainee ran to her aid
January 25, 1988
Victim of the system
Jeannie
Romano
after the nurse was called. The patient
was put into a straight-jacket and given a
shot but she proceeded to kick another
employee in the shoulder, putting her out
of commission for two months.
“Management counts staff to their
convenience,” Romano says, explaining
that although five therapy aides may be
scheduled, some are at activities, some
may be out on leave and some may be
redeployed to another work location.
Romano has been out of work for a year
with a cervical sprain. She suffers from , \
migraine headaches and back pains
regularly. She can’t stand or sit for long
periods of time.
Worst of all, Romano was terminated *
Jan. 12 because under state civil
service law, employees out of work for
over a year may be let go.
Romano is angry.
“Tt would be one thing if they
determined the incident was caused by my
own negligence. But this is a hazardous
job, especially with the lack of staff and I
think it’s absurd that I can be
terminated.”
Romano says she’s gotten worse and if
she returned to work she’d feel like she
was cheating her co-workers.
“You check your co-workers out, believe
me. You might need them to save your life
and if I went back it would be very hard
‘I thought she was
gonna kill me’
a A Mes A A ie
because I know I couldn’t respond the
same way I could before,” she explains.
“T really liked my job. Had there been
adequate staffing my injuries would have
been minimal if any at all.’’
3
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Help make a difference
Last year a relatively small number of CSEA
members had a major impact on New York state's
government.
They did it through their contributions to PEOPLE
(Public Employees Organized to Promote Legislative
Equality), the federal political action committee of
CSEA and its international labor affiliate, AFSCME.
This year — 1988 — it’s important that many more
SSEA members support PEOPLE because this is a
presidential election year and your contribution will not
only impact on state government, but will influence the
direction of the nation, and, in turn, the world.
PEOPLE funds, directly and indirectly, are used to
help elect candidates favorable to labor, candidates
willing to fight for revenue sharing and other federal
programs that help our state and local communities.
Most of the revenue that enables New York state to
administer programs and fund jobs, at both the local
and state levels, comes from the federal budget.
state Labor Department budget to save the jobs of 1,000
employees facing layoff. Those same PEOPLE
contributions helped keep 500 CSEA members working
on the state barge canal system by obtaining $11
million in federal funding for the canal. PEOPLE funds
helped defeat the nomination of Judge Bork to the U.S.
Supreme Court last year, a candidate who would have
set back the cause of labor 50 years if appointed.
1988 — the crucial year
In 1988 we need a lot more support from a lot more
CSEA members. Your contributions will help elect the
next President of the United States this year. And it
will help support passage or continued operation of
many programs of vital interest to New Yorkers.
PEOPLE funds, for starters, will help defray the
costs incurred by CSEA/AFSCME members in New
York and fellow AFSCME members in every state who
become delegates to the Democratic and Republican
National Conventions. They will help determine the
presidential candidates and PEOPLE funds will help
elect the next President.
Your PEOPLE dollars this year will be used to fight
for an increased minimum wage, unemployment
compensation for non-instructional school district
employees, additional day care programs, expanded
parental leave legislation, programs for the poor and
homeless and many more issues that affect you.
The PEOPLE record last year
In 1987, about 1,500 CSEA members contributed
$41,937.01 in payroll deductions and direct contributions
to PEOPLE. Various fund-raising events added
$8,154.92 more, resulting in CSEA raising more than
$50,000.
Those funds helped restore federal funding to the
Cash awards every time you sign someone up
From now through Sept. 30, 1988, each CS9EA member who signs up another eligible member for a PEOPLE
payroll deduction will receive a cash award equivalent to the amount the new members signs up for as a pay
period deduction. (Example: If a member signs up to check off $3 per pay period, the member who signs that
person up and submits the PEOPLE Deduction Authorization Card is eligible for a $3 cash award. Note: An
eligible member is a CSEA member of a bargaining unit which has payroll deduction for PEOPLE and who is not
already signed for a PEOPLE deduction).
Any member submitting 50 or more cards will be designated a “PEOPLE Star” and the member's picture will
be published in The Public Sector in recognition of the achievement. (Note: All PEOPLE Deduction Authorization
Cards are subject to verification).
The member signing up the most new members and submitting the most cards by Sept. 30, 1988, will be
awarded a cash prize of $100 at the union’s annual delegates meeting in October, and his or her name will be
engraved on a permanent plaque in CSEA headquarters.
In addition, the name of the CSEA local whose members contribute the most money to PEOPLE through
payroll deductions during 1988 will be engraved on the PEOPLE plaque in the appropriate CSEA region office.
And the PEOPLE CUP, a perpetual trophy, will be awarded to the CSEA region attaining the highest average
contribution per member to PEOPLE during 1988, The cup will be engraved with the name of the winning region
and displayed in that region headquarters for one year.
PEOPLE Deduction Authorization Cards are available at the PEOPLE Office, CSEA statewide headquarters,
143 Washington Avenue, Albany, N.Y. 12210. Telephone orders for cards may be made by calling the PEOPLE
Office at 1-800-342-4146 (from outside the Albany area) or (518) 436-8622 Ext. 404 (within the Albany area).
PEOPLE Committee
Paulette Barbera is statewide chairperson of
the PEOPLE Committee and she and her
committee will be guiding the 1988 PEOPLE
deduction; it’s easy
The good your contribution does is its own reward.
But when you sign up to authorize a PEOPLE
payroll deduction, you get more than that sense of
well-being — you get something material in return.
Sign up to have $1.50 deducted from your paycheck
bi-weekly and you are enrolled in the Presidents
Club, You'll receive:
* A Presidents Club membership card entitling you
to attend special events at union meetings,
conventions and conferences.
* A Presidents Ciub lapel pin.
* A subscription to The Activist, AFSCME’s
quarterly political and legislative action newsletter.
* The AFSCME Voter Guide containing
information of the voting records of senators and
congressmen.
Sign up to have $2 deducted from your paycheck
bi-weekly and you are enrolled in the VIP Presidents
Club, You'll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE ITEMS
PLUS THESE VIP PREMIUMS:
* A VIP windbreaker-style jacket and pin with a
small authentic diamond for first year of
membership, or
* A goldtone pen and pencil set for second year of
membership, or
* A VIP sweatshirt for third year of membership.
Sign up to Have $3 deducted from your paycheck
bi-weekly and receive ALL BENEFITS OF THE
PRESIDENTS CLUB, THE APPROPRIATE VIP.
CLUB PREMIUM, PLUS:
* Become a member of the CSEA Local 1000
PEOPLE Club, entitling you to attend special
programs hosted by the president of CSEA at state
and local government workshops and the union’s
annual delegates meeting.
* A PEOPLE key ring.
* A CSEA Local 1000 PEOPLE Club membership
card.
(Local government members whose contracts do not
provide for PEOPLE deduction priviliges may make
cash contributions of $35 to join the Presidents Club,
$50 to join the VIP Presidents Club and $75 to join
the Local 1000 PEOPLE Club and receive the
\ appropriate incentives).
TO JOIN PEOPLE, SIMPLY COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW, CLIP IT OUT
AND MAIL TO: PEOPLE, CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION, 143
WASHINGTON AVENUE, ALBANY, N.Y. 12210.
mn
membership and fundraising campaign.
Barbera has been an employee at the Long | WANT TO BE A MEMBER OF THE PEOPLE CLUB
Island Developmental Center for 18 years and
has served as elected second vice president of Name TPEESS OT
CSEA Local 430 there for the past 10 years.
Members of the PEOPLE Address City ner a ote sea leae Seme rae State ZIP
a Committee in addition to Social Security Number _______ Home Phone Work Phone iF
Barbera are Carol CSEA Local Number ____ __. Region Number Date
Guardiano of Region I, Stan
Goodman of Region II,
STATE DIVISION MEMBERS (And members whose contracts provide for PEOPLE deduction)
Colleen Manning of Region PLEASE CHECK: Deduction per pay period $1.50L] $2.00 $3,000
If, Suzanne Waltz of Region | If $2.00 or more is checked, please indicate jacket size:
IV, Doris Pratz of Region V, 4 X-Small 0 Small Medium 1) Large L X-Large (] XX-Large (1
Marie Prince of Region VI
= and Chery] Sheller, staff ys
a 3 (Signature)
BARBERA coordinator of PEOPLE.
The committee is attempting to activate LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEMBERS:
PEOPLE itt : ry CSEA local duri Enclosed is my personal check, money order or credit card contribution in the amount of $.
FOPLE committees in every CSEA local during | \f $50.00 or more is contributed, please indicate jacket size
this year. . : vi % X-Small 0 Small Medium, Large () X-Large XX-Large CL]
Your regional committee member will assist
VISA [ MASTERCARD Expiration date ___
you in setting up a PEOPLE program in your
local. Start by asking your local officers for
guidance and ask fellow members to help. At
every union meeting hold a fundraiser for
PEOPLE, even if you just pass the hat. Work to
get a PEOPLE deduction clause in your
contract; check off is the easiest way to raise
money for PEOPLE.
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THE PUBLIC SECTOR
(Signature)
(In accordance with federal law, the PEOPLE Committee will accept contributions only from
members of AFSCME and their families)
4
January 25, 1988
It’s big, alright.
e :
But what’s really in it?
| ~~“) Tt contains no clues
G e
a
: about state pay hikes
ALBANY — Just as Gov. Mario Cuomo is spending by 8.3 percent and continues existing facilities
often described as “elusive,” so too is his previous plans for tax cuts while raising * $24.4 million to support alternatives to
proposed $44.2 billion budget. more revenue through new fees and tariffs. incarceration
The 628-page spending plan which he Budget highlights of special interest to * $11.9 million to e::pand Medicare
© proclaims would “build the New York of the CSEA members include: eligibility
21st century” gives no clue to contemplated * $1.4 billion to improve and maintain * $10 million to improve the state’s barge
salary hikes for the 110,000 people that state roads and bridges canal system.
CSEA is currently representing in contract * $325 million extra for school districts * $5 million to expand local tourism
talks. Nor does it specifically set aside funds *$118 million for solid waste management programs
for additional comparable worth pay * $90.3 million extra for State University of The governor is also seeking $129 million
adjustments. New York in additional funds on Decade of the Child
But it does include money for a 34 percent * $63 million to build new medium-security programs.
pay hike that state lawmakers voted prison The state’s fiscal year begins April 1 and
e themselves last year. It also increases state * $26.8 million for new prison spaces in runs to March 31.
>
There'sgoodnews | Workforce and the budget
for the retirees . ss
nae | an up and down situation
and local government retirees. It
allocates money for pension
@ supplementation. Rene The 1988-89 proposed spending plan
Details of a supplementation bill still | enlarges the Naneinece Slightly i by 1.4
need to be worked out, but $23 million percent — and appears to rescue the Labor . 5
for the state share of such an increase Department from its endless cycle of layoffs
is included in the spending plan. due to federal cutbacks. ¢
Gov. Cuomo vetoed similar legislation | ‘The budget includes Office of Mental :
last year saying the bill was Retardation and Developmental Disabilities | y
defective.” But most observers blame | (gMRpD) funds for 598 new state-operated
the veto on Mayor Ed Koch who community residence beds but also projects . ee
complained New York City could not 1,000 fewer Office of Mental Health (OMH)
e afford to boost retirees’ pensions. residents. It also provides for the hiring of _ including Transportation (265 positions),
Cuomo, in turn, came under fire from highly trained caseworkers to look after the Environmental Conservation (241 positions)
CSEA Statewide President William L. homeless mentally ill. and Tax and Finance (50 full-time, 94 six-
McGowan for “careless disregard for “The idea of caseworkers is good in month positions).
thousands of retirees desperately trying | concept but probably doomed to failure Smaller personnel increases are also in
to cope with life’s realities. when you compare the number of homeless _ the works for Board of Elections, Public
Since then, both the governor and versus the availability of services,” says Service Commission, Office of General
legislative leaders have indicated that CSEA statewide President William L. Services, and the departments of Audit and
pension supplementation is one of their McGowan. Control, Civil Service, General Services,
top priorities this year. | “And OMH plans to eliminate 343 jobs _—_-Social Services and State. Meanwhile, it
ED IATES OF AMERICAS yy
January 25, 1988
through attrition are absurd at a time when
federal surveyors are crying staffing
shortages, when Buffalo Psychiatric Center
has lost its federal certification because of
understaffing, and when lawsuits at
Manhattan Psychiatric Center are echoing
| the same chorus.”
Under the budget, several departments
* have significant personnel additions
appears a hike in proposed funding will
stabilize the Labor Department’s work
force.
Finally, proposals to build a new prison
somewhere upstate as well as adding beds
in existing facilities mean the hiring of
1,600 more people — mostly corrections
officers — by the Department of
Correctional Services.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Lasdtiipa NCES anes aorta ehiscriath a San mae
i .
CSEA ur
By Anita Manley
CSEA Communications Associate
NEWBURGH — Cold winter days stir
pleasant memories for Sallie Bauer, her
thoughts drifting back two decades to the
years she spent working in the frozen
Arctic, where winter temperatures of 40 and
50 degrees below zero were not uncommon.
Bauer, a police dispatcher and president
of the City of Newburgh CSEA Unit, spent
three years in the Arctic providing health
care for Eskimoes and native Indians in the
Far North.
It was quite a detour that took Bauer from
graduation from a nursing school in Yonkers
to becoming a police dispatcher in
Newburgh.
Bauer’s adventure began shortly after she
graduated from St. Joseph’s Hospital School
of Nursing in Yonkers. Nursing as a career
was a natural choice, says Bauer, since her
mother and seven aunts all were nurses. “‘I
never thought of anything else but nursing.”
But soon after she began working at St.
Joseph’s Hospital a severe case of
“wanderlust” developed and Bauer went off
to England. It was in England, she says,
SALLIE BAUER at her police dispatching position. After two decades she still fondly remembers her
three-year adventure in the Arctic.
that she found out about the International Weather, of course, was often a bitter men and women were seated separately, the
Grenfell Association, an organization _ experience in the Arctic. Bauer remembers women dressed in exquisite evening gowns.
founded by Sir Wilfred Grenfell to provide many days when the temperature was 50 She learned that wealthy British matrons
medical care to the Indians of the Arctic. degrees below zero “and that was long living in Canada had donated used evening
With the encouragement of a brother in the _ before they figured in the wind chill.” gowns to the Indians and the women wore
military service stationed in Labrador, she Local residents always wore red clothing _ them to church.
was on her way to the Far North. outdoors to avoid getting lost in the wintry The native culture was a study in
Bauer spent her first year working in a landscape. “I was there four days and contrasts. Bauer recalls visiting the tent of
small hospital on a barren island that had —_eyeryone in the village got together and an Indian family one day.
no trees. l if knitted me red gloves, a red hat and a red “They lived in tents and slept on pine tree
“The job paid $50 a month. There was no _sweater,”’ she remembers. bought. The woman offered me a cup of
electricity, no phones and water came from Living conditions for the Indians were tea, scratching with her fingers under her
a well,” she recalls. Travel was by dogsled _asically quite primitive. Bauer says she mattress to dig up this beautiful English
and supplies were brought in by freighter once accompanied a man and a baby to a bone china cup to serve me my tea in.”
four times a year. . hospital in Montreal for surgery and the Eventually Bauer became ill with
She says she missed milk the most, and man, who had never seen an airplane or hepatitis. Not realizing how ill she was, she
remembers asking a freighter captain to traffic lights, was fascinated with the lights mentioned to a friend over a shortwave
bring her some on his next trip. He did and _of the city. She herself had not seen electric radio that she had been feeling sick for
she carefully rationed it to make it last. But lights in such a long time that she spent her some time. Luckily a Canadian Air Force
it went sour before she finished it. first night in Montreal playing with a light doctor overheard her message and found her
Her fondest memories are of the people. switch. just as she became unconscious. She awoke
; “They were simple-living people. It took She remembers attending a Catholic in an Air Force hospital, the only female
little to make them happy. The children church service one Sunday. The service was patient there.
were always singing religious hymns, conducted in the native language, and the Bauer returned home to the Hudson Valley
Bauer recalls.
When her year at the small island hospital
was over Bauer decided to stay on in the
Arctic. She travelled even further north to
work with the native Indians. At that time,
she says, there were only about 50 nurses,
mostly British, working all over the
sprawling Artic.
In addition to her nursing duties, Bauer
also taught school for the children. There
were no textbooks but a Sears catalog filled
the bill nicely as a teaching tool.
“It was perfect for teaching,’ Bauer says.
“It taught the children to read, to write —
when they filled out the order blanks — and
arithmetic, when they added up the cost of
the order.”
area after she recovered from her bout with
hepatitis.
She did some nursing but an ad for police
dispatchers in a Newburgh newspaper
sparked her interest. She inquired and was
told the position was for men. Bauer
persisted, however, and got a committment
that if she could pass the civil service test,
the job was hers. She passed the exam and
she’s been dispatching, with an occasional
private duty nursing case thrown in, for the
past 20 years.
Bauer says she really enjoys her job with
the police department but she says her heart
is in the Arctic. She’s been back there to
visit a couple of times and travels there in
her memories often.
6 THE PUBLIC SECTOR January 25, 1988
Fresh start
( New unit takes shape )
SANBORN — A newly-formed CSEA unit
of about 100 instructional associates for the
Niagara-Orleans Board of Cooperative
Educational Services (BOCES) recently met
to elect officers and prepare for contract
negotiations.
The new union members elected President
Barbara Wendt, Vice President Donna
Pawelczak, Secretary Elsa Lanson,
Treasurer Margaret Giles and Executive
Board member Elouise Gerber.
Before the election, CSEA Organizer Tom
Muilen brought the unit up to date on
adoption of the CSEA constitution and the
fill-in options on unit by-laws.
“We hope you'll be proud to be a CSEA
member,”’ said Mullen as he recounted the
organizing effort that began last year and
culminated with the affiliation without an
election for the BOCES employees.
Penny Bush, CSEA field representative for
the new unit, congratulated the members on
choosing CSEA. She is working with
President Wendt to set up steward training.
Wendt noted that she would begin
selecting stewards for each worksite and
negotiating team members immediately.
Collective Bargaining Specialist Thomas
Pomidoro will be chief negotiator for the
new unit.
“We feel very secure in the knowledge
that CSEA will be helpful in our obtaining a
good contract,” Wendt said. “‘Some of us are
knowledgeable of CSEA’s expertise through
our friends who are members.”
The unit represents workers in Niagara
Falls, Medina, Niagara West, Niagara East
and South Junior, Olcott-Newfane, Gasport
Elementary, Bergholtz, Starpoint Central,
Lew-Port and North Tonawanda schools.
The new officers will serve until June
1989, when unit and local elections will take
place.
UNITED — The new Executive Board of the fledgling Niagara-Orleans BOCES CSEA Unit, from left,
are: Donna Pawelezak, Margaret Giles, Barbara Wendt, Elouise Gerber and Elsa Lanson. Inset,
above, shows CSEA Field Representative Penny Bush addressing the unit.
Editor’s note: This summer, the
CSEA Communications Department,
specifically The Public Sector, tried
something new. Pam Gorton, a college
student and daughter of CEA member
Lorraine Gorton, worked as an intern
on the biweekly publication.
The goals were simple: take
advantage of the fresh ideas and
perspectives of a college student and
offer firsthand experience on a union
newspaper. The Public Sector
Committee presented the proposal and
the statewide Board of Directors
approved it.
Pam Gorton, 21, is a senior at SUNY
Albany studying journalism. Her
energy and enthusiasm made her a
positive addition to the staff.
By Pamela Gorton
CSEA Communications Intern
When I walked into the CSEA
Communications Department on July 6,
1987, I expected that I would spend my
time filing and typing. Instead, I got an
introduction into the production of The
' Intern enjoyed working at CSEA
Public Sector.
My first assignment was an interview
with CSEA Director of Legislative and
Political Action Tom Haley. From the
interview I learned not only reporting
skills, but also how lobbying by a union
affects the passage of important
legislation.
That’s how many of my assignments
were: training not just in union
communications but in labor itself. As I
picked up more reporting and editing
skills, I also understood better the
importance of unions and terms like
“grievance settlement” and ‘‘contract.”
And I got to know the people who make
CSEA work. I met a CSEA member who
had started a fund for Vietnam veterans.
I worked on stories about CSEA locals
whose members pitch in for student
scholarships. I edited a story about a
member who donated her own kidney to
her daughter.
In turn, this internship has been
invaluable to my future. The skills in
interviewing, writing, editing, layout,
.
Pam Gorton
design, even headline writing have helped
me get a job for my last semester. My
experience with deadlines and production
routines has already made me a
candidate for a job in publishing after
graduation.
Without this internship, my education
would have lacked the practical
experience that has already given my
career a head start. I am grateful to have
had this opportunity.
January 25, 1988
7
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Caring
cleaner
cleared
KINGS PARK — A cleaner at Kings Park
Psychiatric Center has been found innocent
of a charge that she hit an elderly patient
with a magazine.
An arbitrator ordered Louella Bates
reinstated to her cleaner job and awarded
her six months back pay for lost time.
Bates, who has worked at the facility since
1969, was also cleared of a charge of
insubordination for having gone to the ward
area the day after the alleged incident.
CSEA represented Bates during
arbitration and told the arbitrator that the
charges against the member of Kings Park
PC CSEA Local 411 were unfounded.
The arbitrator agreed, noting in the
decision that the 75-year-old client was
unmarked, did not cry out and continued to
sit erect in her chair at the time of the
alleged incident, according to witnesses. The
arbitrator said it was difficult to believe the
charges “especially in view of
uncontradicted testimony that Bates
gratuitously treats patients in a caring and
kindly manner.”
“T love those patients and they love me,”
Bates said. “I treat them like human beings
.. | bring them jewelry and cigarettes.”
= a
= let
As for the insubordination charge, the
arbitrator said Bates made ‘‘a good faith
attempt to obey” instructions to stay out of
KINGS PARK Psychiatric Center CSEA Local 411 President Tony Bentivegna congratulates cleaner
Louella Bates on winning back pay and reinstatement to her job at the center.
“T hope management at Kings Park will
cease charging long-term employees with
these spurious abuse allegations which have
the ward following the alleged incident. The no basis,”’ he said.
arbitrator noted that Bates waited in the
hallway and did not actually enter the ward.
“T have concluded that Bates was not
insubordinate, especially since the record
clearly establishes that her sole reason for
going to the door of the ward was to find out
more about the accusations against her,”
the arbitrator wrote.
CSEA Field Representative Larry Borst
praised the arbitrator’s decision.
“T love those
patients and they love
me. I treat them like
human beings ...”’
Va
A contract 3
that gives “a.
‘what we led for’
HYDE PARK — Town employees have received a 6 percent
wage increase that began with the new year, thanks to a recently
signed contract in the Town of Hyde Park.
The town employees are members of Dutchess County CSEA
Local 814.
In addition to the salary increase, the contract provides:
* A wage reopener in 1989
* Increased overtime meal allowance
* Payment of unused personal leave upon separation
* Clarification in language regarding overtime hours
Unit President George Fuller says the 12 highway employees
are pleased with the contract, which included no givebacks.
“We got mostly what we asked for,” he said.
HYDE PARK TOWN Supervisor Alfred Palmatier signs a two-year
contract for 12 highway employees as Unit President George Fuller,
seated right, and Region If Field Representative John Deyo look on.
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
January 25, 1988
oe
pie iiss ase
L 3
THIELLS — What good is a labor/management agreement
when management disregards employees’ rights?
That’s the question workers ask at Letchworth Developmental
Center where labor/management relations have become a constant
battle, said Local 412 President Brian Cox. He charges that facility
officials have seriously jeopardized their own credibility and
damaged the morale of an already overworked staff.
In a recent violation, an employee was on a voluntary roster for
a position that became available. Cox emphasized that the man was
qualified and had seniority, but a ‘pool person’’ was assigned to the
job. The issue was finally resolved when CSEA staff, including
Regional Director Diane Campion and Region III Field
Representative Sheila Tyler-Harrison, met with management.
“Tt should not have had to go this far,”’ Cox said. ‘“‘Even worse,
there have been several attempts by management to make
exceptions to the voluntary roster for their own convenience.”
shworth local demands rights
Other violations include the denial of time-off requests. In one
case, an employee who was refused a vacation was then re-assigned
to another building. Pass days have also been changed in order to
staff units.
A recent unilateral decision to make changes in housekeeping
assignments have been a major concern.
“‘We have people who have worked more than 20 years in the
same location and, all of a sudden, management decides it would be
a good idea to rotate assignments,” said Cox. ‘‘They told us that if
it worked for the clericals, it would work for the housekeepers.”
Cox says grievances and Improper Practice (IP) charges have
been filed and he will keep his members advised of their progress.
Meanwhile, Cox has met with management to try and close the
ever-widening communication gap and has asked his members for
their continued support and confidence.
THIELLS — An arbitrary decision to reassign Letchworth
Developmental Center housekeeping staff has Local 412 President
Brian Cox puzzled.
e “If it’s not broken, why fix it?” asked Cox, following a recent
meeting with facility officials.
e
Brian Cox
@
Workers question arbitrary changes
Management has given no reasonable explanation for
disrupting workers who have been on the job for anywhere from
10 to 29 years.
“They tell us ‘it’s in the best interest of the facility,’ but they
don’t say why,’’ Cox added.
“If some of the units aren’t up to par, why move everyone
around to solve the problem?” asked Local 412 Vice President Joe
Gleason.
Some of the housekeepers also say the changes will only
cause more problems. Two who asked that their names not be
used said that they’ve done their jobs well and feel as though
they are being punished for others’ shortcomings.
“T was hurt,”’ said one housekeeping supervisor. “The areas
I’m in charge of — we’re like family. We know each others
moods. I never had any complaints.”
“At least the supervisor had back-ups in each unit,”’ said
another supervisor. “With the new set-up, we don’t always have a
back-up.”
The new system also divides supervision of housekeepers, so
that if a worker wants to request time off, he may have to
request a half a day off from two supervisors.
The union is also questioning the method of reassignment.
Cox said Letchworth officials first told the housekeepers that they
could bid on new assignments but could not bid on their old
assignments,
“Then they gave us a spinning wheel with our names on one
side and the assignments on the other side,” said the supervisor.
“We were told that if our names came up next to our present
assignments, we’d have to spin again!”
“What we want is reassignment to their former units,’”’ Cox
said. “The joke around here, is that the place is now being run by.
(ice ate ey ti Re Rt MS RON UR NH
January 25, 1988
Pat Sajak and Vanna White!”
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
xtent of occupational injuries
le on the extent c Se
ley uae siene facilities, CSEA hac
:
i the state mentee the information on a facility by
requ \ a
Be etl E G) system-wide ie iteS a
Table. Individual facilities file their
reports direct t of Labor,
which says its does not break them down by state
i fi
ats: information from all
sted info ae
denies the request or could not locate .
se \ =
i yen though f
Cesena made ava’ jJable on reques!
that were compiled pack CSEA’
drastic improvements.
FISHKILL — It came as no surprise to CSEA members
at Letchworth Village and Wassaic Developmental Center
that their facilities rank near the top of the list for on-the-job
injuries,
“The people who come to work here are not prepared,”
states Wassaic CSEA Local 426 President Tom LeJeune.
“They have no idea what the job entails.”
The resulting high turnover rate compounds the problem.
Records show that more employees resigned than were hired
over the past year.
Deborah Adsit and Gayle Rogers are included in the
frightening statistics at Wassaic — two of the hundreds
injured on the job. They agree that lack of appropriate
training is a major problem.
“We had a film on lifting,”’ explains Adsit, ‘but it wasn’t
realistic. It’s based on the ideal situation. You see two or
three people doing the lifting with a cooperative patient. The
reality is that you’re usually alone and the patient is either
struggling or completely dead weight.”
Adsit and a nurse were lifting and positioning a bedridden
client last February when Adsit suddenly couldn’t stand up
straight.
ROGERS
acilities, but
by law it must be kept on file
t :
MEH/OMRDD figures
The sheer magnitude of the ot a erandin call for
No surprise at top of list
OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH
LosT TIME INJURIES eer mae
FACILITY 85 86
31
cowawon.. 9082 |g naat
ROCHESTER... 159 206 ey
WILLARD... 65 : tee Be
ST LAWRENCE 108 : ee 181
a i
ROCKLAND mn ke RB 2.604 a
HUDSON RIVER 90 © 283 tae
MANHATTAN. 206 182 fs BE
SOUTH BEACH 88 i 500 He
ace N
eal es 225 194 Lies Bey
ELMIRA ....- ry 48 ee
HUTCHINGS... N/A 90 as
BINGHAMTON. 121 = 107 ae
KINGS PARK.. 308 594 ye
CREEDMOOR.. NIA 299 wa _
PSYCH. INST. . NA 24 i ae
2,786 1, 819
TOTALS* ...- 1,816 2,786 41,509 55,
* Data incomplete; N/A — Not Available
She stayed out of work for a short while and then came
back. But she hurt herself again and is now out on workers’
compensation.
Since Adsit can’t return to her old job, the 11-year
employee has asked about another position that would not
require lifting. She has been told there are no such openings.
Rogers, a five-year employee is back to work after
dislocating her hip lifting a wheelchair patient. But she is still
in pain and undergoing medical treatment.
“The Workers’ Compensation doctors treat you like
you’re looking for a way out of work .. . but now I see what
it’s really like and it’s no vacation,” she explained.
Further south at Letchworth Village in Rockland County
the situation is statistically worse.
Local 412 President Brian Cox believes short
staffing is the biggest single cause of the injuries. ““.
But even the death of Rockland Psychiatric Center therapy
aide Clara Taylor last summer has not had improved
conditions. Instead of increased staff to provide necessary
back-up, employees see only increases in stress, injuries and
burn-out.
ADSIT
1 0 THE PUBLIC SECTOR
FACILITY
es 2
..© 660 696 10,399 13,07
4. 783.~SsOWNAs«*S'« 23,861 16,024
—R © 85—Ss«*100 1.304 4,652
ANHATN. 9116121 4195 3,144
a250 gong | 73537 96,418
This sp
Associq
Lilly G
e
Janu
CFFRICOF MENTAL RETARDATION
DARN, MISSED AGAIN...
WELL, IT'LL PROBABLY GO
AWAY BY ITSELF
IF I JUST IGNORE IT.
LOST TIME INJURIES LOST DAYS:
85 86 "85 86
NA 18,587
moa | ke
310-128 «| 9.293 2,728
heyy | Bes
"e482 175 4,332 7,049
fa5 235 || 20S ae
130 «60 1,580 nee
oa4 207) 3008) 31878
NA 6B NAS 2 Abe
mee een || ER
420 «=n |: 2,604 «(5,080
Wh SEE NIA 3,204
pry te: N/A — Not Available
Danger by Department
The State Insurance Fund data
presented below backs up CSEA’s findings
on the number of on-the-job injuries
suffered by mental hygiene workers. It
also shows them at far greater risk than
workers in the next most dangerous state
agencies.
Curiously, the State Insurance Fund
informed CSEA that this data is no longer
compiled when the union asked for
updated information.
TOTAL NUMBER OF
ACCIDENTS OCCURRING
DURING YEAR ENDING
MARCH 31, 1984
LABOR
GENERAL FUND &
UNEMPLOYMENT INS ....172
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
DEPARTMENT AGRICULTURE . .34
DIVISION OF ALCOHOLISM AND
ALCOHOL ABUSE
AUDIT AND CONTROL
BANKING
j CIVIL SERVICE...
! DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL
_/ CONSERVATION —
_#/ __ GENERAL FUND
(| @ DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL
r)
CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION FUND
CORRECTIONAL SERVICES .. 6,528
OFFICE OF COURT
ADMINISTRATION
anhattan Psychiatric Center’s EDUCATION (INCLUDING
Immy Martinez is one of the SAUUN GY) pues es graye: 3,329
jousands of public employees
jured on the job each year.
lar@mez says understaffing is a big
oblem: “It’s given me fractured
gers on both my hands from
straining violent patients in the 18
ars I’ve been a therapy aide.”
LOTTERY COMMISSION ..
. OFFICE OF MENTAL HEAL’
os OFFICE OF MENTAL
RETARDATION AND
DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES
DEPARTMENT OF SUBSTANCE
PUBLIC SERVICE
TRANSPORTATION
SOCIAL SERVICES
STATE (DEPARTMENT OF
STATE)
TAXATION AND FINANCE
MOTOR VEHICLES
DEPARTMENT
TOTALS —
ALL DEPARTMENTS
“Includes numerous state entities
such as state police, DMNA,
various boards, commissions,
offices and divisions
| report was compiled by CSEA Communications
Stephen Madarasz, Sheryl Carlin, Anita Manley and
25, 1988
Overtime effort gets OT pay
POUGHKEFPSIE — Persistence and
dogged determination by a CSEA local
president resulted in about a dozen
Dutchess County Department of Social
Services employees finally getting paid,
on Christmas Eve, for overtime work they
performed during 1987.
Dutchess County Local 814 President
Helen Zocco says she was incensed when
she learned the employees were not paid
overtime rates for work they performed
in helping county officials move to a new
building.
Zocco contacted state Department of
Labor officials about the situation, and
state officials in turn ordered the county
to comply with the Fair Labor Standards
Act and pay the overtime rate.
As a result, the employees recently
received checks ranging from $140 to $250.
THESE DUTCHESS COUNTY Department of Social Services employees were all smiles after
receiving long-awaited checks for work they performed earlier in 1987. Standing, from left, are
Sharon Starz, Donna McDade, Local 814 President Helen Zocco, Gail Cashdollar and Robin
Berthiaume. Seated are Susan Prince and Penny Ammon.
Zocco says the employees, who were
grade 11 workers, had agreed to perform
extracurricular duties at grade 7 pay
since the work involved purging files. But
the county paid them straight time, not
time and a half, even though the extra
hours were over and above their regular
work week. At the same time employees
at grade 6 or below were paid at the
overtime rate for the extra work.
Social Services employee Sharon Starz
was among those who benefitted from
Zocco’s persistence. Starz says she is
grateful to Zocco for her efforts and to
Gail Cashdollar, a co-worker who brought
the issue to Zocco’s attention.
“T appreciate Gail’s and Helen’s efforts
in seeing this through,”’ Starz says. “It
was a team effort and it came just at the
right time.”
B-R-R-R-R . . . IT’S COLD! It took eight years to
convince Dutchess County lawmakers to move
Social Services employees into a new building.
But before all the bugs were worked out, it was
almost as cold inside as it was outside. Dutchess
County CSEA Unit Shop Steward Kay Vallone
and Katie Kane are shown working in an office
where the temperature was 45 degrees.
Substantial salary hikes
in new Dover school pact
WINGDALE — CSEA employees in the Dover School District
will receive substantial salary increases under a newly signed
three-year contract.
Unit President Pat Hoag signs the agreement in photo at left
which will provide 7.5 percent per year salary hikes for hourly
workers and 7 percent annually for salaried employees. Looking
on are, seated, school superintendent Bruce McKenna and Unit
Treasurer Pam Rabideau. Standing is Unit Vice President
Joyce Hessler.
The contract also includes:
*A 25-cents-per-hour differential for senior food service
workers.
*An additional paid holiday,
*A uniform allowance for cafeteria workers. yy,
THE PUBLIC SECTOR January 25, 1988
Fee ae ton
CR ee oC
‘Takeover plan
spurs CSEA
to action
By Charles McGeary
CSEA Communications Associate
MADISON — CSEA has given top priority
to its effort to stop the take over of the
Madison County Gerrit Smith Infirmary by
a private-sector firm.
James J. Moore, CSEA Region V
president, says the task force held a special
ress conference and membership meeting
last week in Madison.
“The purpose of the press conference was
to bring the Madison County area media up
to date on our position,”’ Moore said. ‘“The
county, in our opinion, has failed to totally
explore all possible solutions to the problems
at Gerrit Smith Infirmary.
“There are nearly 100 residents at the
infirmary and a dedicated staff of county
Cer who deserve some straight
nswers from responsible county leaders,”
he continued. ‘To turn over the operation of
the infirmary to a private, money-making
iin
concern from outside Madison County is a
tragic admission of management failure.”
CSEA local, regional and statewide
officials attended the meeting, along with
CSEA members from Madison County CSEA
Local 827.
“Every member of Local 827 should
Gerrit Smith Infirmary
EF
i}
HA
ide
L
1,
Photo courtesy of the Utica Observe patel
clearly understand the implication of this
takeover threat,” said Roslie Tallman, local
president. ‘We must stand as one union,
united in our effort to stop any contracting
out. What could happen to our infirmary
employees this year could happen to another
unit next year.”’
Unit pickets for contract
e By Daniel X. Campbell
CSEA Communications Associate
ALBANY — With the temperature near
zero and the windchill factor making it feel
like minus 10 degrees, 50 CSEA Red Cross
Unit members munched on 99-cent
hamburgers and manned an informational
RED CROSS UNIT members picket a fund raiser
to protest lack of progress in contract
ngpotiations.
picket line outside a $99.99 a plate fund
raiser for the Albany Chapter of the
American Red Cross last week.
The blood collection unit members,
organized last March, were protesting the
lack of progress in negotiations for their
first contract with the local Red Cross
management.
“We’ve met 16 times in face-to-face
negotiations and we weren’t making
progress,”’ said Unit President Betty
Taccone. ‘‘We declared impasse in
December to get the NLRB (National Labor
Relations Board) involved and after three
mediated sessions, we’re still not making
enough progress to satisfy the members.”
The members decided to picket the
banquet and a two-day garage sale
sponsored by the Red Cross at the New
Scotland Avenue Armory. Since some
progress was made in a mediated session,
the unit only picketed the banquet and the
Saturday session of what was billed as “‘the
world’s largest garage sale.”
“We distributed nearly 4,000 fliers
explaining our situation,” said Jean McAvoy
at the end of the effort. “‘I feel proud of the
members who stood together in the cold to
help all of the workers achieve a common
goal — a fair contract with our employer.”
The unit will be involved in mediation
sessions now scheduled through early
February and members are planning to
picketed a meeting of the local Red Cross
Board of Trustees if a contract isn’t in place
by that time.
January 25, 1988
THE PUBLIC SECTOR 3
New VDT policy hits the road -
Senior state managers were briefed
recently at the state Capitol on the state’s
new Video Display Terminal (VDT)
Ergonomics Policy and previewed a new
training film that will be shown to the
state’s 10,000 VDT operators in the months
ahead.
New York is the first state to develop a
policy that deals with the safety and health
aspects faced by VDT operators.
“The policy is a milestone in reversing the
process of people having to adjust to
machines,”’ CSEA President William L.
McGowan said. “Instead, it teaches us how
to make the machine adjust to the person.”
The first of five regional conferences to
implement the new VDT policy took place
Jan. 21 at SUNY Buffalo as The Public
Sector went to press. The keynote speaker
for the Buffalo conference was Dr. Inger
Williams, an expert on the subject from
Pittsford, N.Y.
Developed by the Center for Women in
Government, an arm of the State University
of New York at Albany, the conferences are
sponsored by the New York State/CSEA
Safety and Health Maintenance Committee.
GOER Director Elizabeth D. Moore noted
that the state is committed to the health,
safety and comfort of the workforce.
state VDT policy.
with information as well as strategies for
implementing changes within state agencies.
“These conferences are part of a
THE FILM VERSION — CSEA President William L. McGowan and GOER Director Elizabeth D.
Moore take part in the taping of a video to help inform state-employed VDT operators about the new
statewide program of briefings and training
sessions dedicated to the automation of the
office work site,” she said. ‘‘The policy
means that computer terminal operators
will work in a safer, more comfortable
“The policy is a
milestone in reversing the
process of people having
environment.”
to adjust to machines.”
The conferences will provide participants
Get the facts on VDTs
“Employees & VDTs: Finding a Comfortable Fit’ is a handy reference guide for
VDT operators. It is packed with suggestions that can help take the stress out of long
hours at workstations.
For a free copy of the pamphlet, published by the Clerical & Secretarial
Employee Advancement Program (CSEAP), just fill out the application below.
Mail requests to:
Linda Sage
CSEA Headquarters
143 Washington Avenue
Albany, N.Y. 12224
[pe 1
I |
| YES! Please send me a copy of CSEAP’s “Employees & VDTs: Finding a i
1 Comfortable Fit. |
| |
' Name __ eee ae = aber Reel -s ———— |}
I |
| 1
| Address Bae 2) |
| |
! City Sli 7 Pe N.Y. Zip code !
! I
1 Local |
H I
14
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
CONFERENCE
SCHEDULE ‘
ALBANY:
Tuesday, Jan. 26: SUNY Albany
Wednesday, Jan. 27: SUNY Albany
Uptown Campus, Assembly Hall,
Campus Center
Speaker: Dr. Suzanne H. Rodgers of @|
Rochester
NEW YORK CITY:
Wednesday, Feb. 10: Hunter College
School of Health Sciences
440 E. 26th Street
Speaker: Dr. Margareta Nordin,
director of Occupational and
Orthopedic Center, Orthopedic
Institute, Hospital for Joint Diseases
BINGHAMTON: e
Tuesday, Feb. 23: SUNY Binghamton
Campus Center
Speaker: Manny Halperen,
Hospital for Joint Diseases
All conferences are scheduled to begin
at 9 a.m.
January 25, 1988
ANDY PATTIE
Putnam County Local 840
Region III
“T would ask him what he
plans to do about the
homeless and suggest laws
that would mandate that
communities provide
housing for their homeless
‘instead of shipping them to
other counties.”
WENDY REGER
Wyoming Correctional
Facility Local 178
Region VI
“T’d ask him to run for
president. I think he’s
great. He’s done a lot for
the state and for public
employees. He’s one of my
heroes.”
CHARLES CUMMINGS
Creedmore Psychiatric
Center Local 406
Region II
“All our state
maintenance staff are
grossly underpaid
compared to New York City
and federal workers doing
cale. That’s why we
have such a high turn-over
and why many qualified
jpeople don’t want to work
for the state.”
January 25, 1988
ROY ABBOTT
SUNY College at Oswego
Local 611
Region V
“T would invite him to
come out to central and
northern New York to talk
to the average working
person and get the ‘true’
picture of what it’s like to
live on $10,000 to $15,000 per
year.”
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
ROSALIE A. CLEARY
Suffolk County Local 852
Region I
“T would tell him I think
he’s doing a great job,
especially with the
education of the children.
He believes in working with
them young in an effort to
give them the best possible
education,”
15
There’s a major crisis facing New Yorkers
— so major that Gov. Mario Cuomo devoted
a substantial segment of his State of The
State message to the subject earlier this
month.
To the governor and experts working on
the problem, it’s a ‘‘solid waste
management” crisis. To the layperson, we
have too much garbage — we generate
50,000 tons of solid waste garbage every day
in New York state — and need to develop
more effective methods of disposing of it.
CSEA, anticipating a rush by governments
in search of new ways of dealing with waste
disposal problems, has placed itself on a
higher level of alert to prevent its interests
and the best interests of the public from
being trampled, says CSEA Deputy Director
for Local Government Ronald W. King.
Right now nearly 85 percent of this
enormous amount of garbage is carted to
municipal landfills, where public employees,
for the most part, toil to cover over the
mess we all help create. Some communities,
seeking to escape the mounting piles and
problems of garbage disposal, have already
succumbed to the temptation of ‘‘contracting
out” their garbage services to private
contractors. These efforts have proved
costly in terms of municipal budgets and
loss of public employee jobs and ineffective
in resolving the problem itself.
“Clearly, local government waste disposal
practices will change,” says King. ‘‘They
will shift away from landfilling and toward
waste reduction programs, more effective
recycling projects and energy recovery
systems. I believe we will see more private
16
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
sector involvement than ever.”
Which is why, King says, CSEA has
adopted a wary vigilance of the expanded
public/private partnership being proposed to
deal with the waste disposal problem.
“We want to be certain that the public’s
best interests are served as municipalities
shift to different methods of waste
management,” King emphasizes. ‘‘Whatever
form it takes, waste management will still
be a public service responsibility
accountable to the taxpayer and resident.
We're talking long-range public policy here,
and solid input from CSEA is in the public
interest. Experience shows that public
services are best provided by public
employees, and this will be no exception.”
That does not mean, King points out, that
arrangements cannot be negotiated as the
inevitable public/private partnership
expands.
“What’s best for the public and what’s
best for our people — that’s our concern.
We’re willing to cooperate on solutions for
the garbage crisis, but we’ll never allow our
input to be excluded on an issue of such
magnitude,” King says.
He asks that CSEA officials and
members in towns, villages and cities across
New York state monitor their local
governments for activity related to waste
management, particularly signs of change.
“CSEA members are working in hundreds
of waste management sites across the state.
Most of them are landfill operations, but
most of those will be filled and closed within
the next few years. That means changes will
be necessary, and we need to be ready to
deal with them site by site,”’ King says.
sermmnents, the publi
that We must all be
ist the inclination to pursue
EXCERPT from Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State e
message to members of the state Legislature on
Jan. 6.
He warns that while a more cooperative
approach to a public/private partnership is
being called for, some municipalities may
still attempt a fast-fix solution through
straight contracting out despite its costly
short-comings. All the more reason for
CSEA members to be alert, he says. e
“We’re not going to accept management
scapegoating of public services and public
employees as an excuse for municipalities to
contract out their responsibilities for waste
management,” King says. ‘‘Contracting out
in such instances would be mismanagement
on their part, and on our part if we allowed
it to happen.”
January 25, 1988
hips in Region V
Local gives $2,000
WATERTOWN — The members of Black River Valley State Employees CSEA Local
015 have plenty to be proud of as they again present scholarships.
Over the years, the local has helped scores of members children pay for their
education. Scholarship Committee Chairperson Terry Williams recently announced the
Dm two ort recent winners, Laurie Schleher and Cheryl Waligory, who each received $1,000
awards,
“Tt is a pleasure to announce the winners and know our combined effort is helping
two deserving students toward their chosen careers,” Williams said.
_ The committee selections were made after careful evaluation of all candidates and
were based on academic achievements, community activities and financial need.
LAURIE SCHLEHER, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Schleher of Clayton,
graduated from Thousand Islands Central School and participated in school bands, choir
and sports teams. She also provided volunteer art work for community organizations. She
attends Jefferson County Community College.
Her father, an 18-year veteran of state service, is a supervisor for the state
Department of Transportation (DOT) in Watertown.
CHERYL WALIGORY, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Waligory of Lowville,
| graduated with honors from Lowville Academy while studying mathematics, science and
yj art. She was involved in the swim team, yearbook and the school play. She is studying
graphic design at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Her father is a state DOT highway maintenance supervisor in Lowville.
PERB offers new mediation service
ALBANY — CSEA officials say they oan
welcome a new pilot program from the
Public Employment Relations Board
(PERB) designed to as an alternative to
the complicated and expensive mediation
and arbitration process for public
employees.
“Tt looks good,” said Frank Martello,
administrative director of CSEHA’s field
operations. “I hope we can participate in
it.”
The new program, currently offered in
the Albany area, combines the mediation
and arbitration processes using a PERB
staff member instead of independent
mediators. It is designed to achieve
quicker and less costly solutions to labor
disputes.
The PERB staffer would first attempt
to mediate a solution and, if unsuccessful,
render an arbitration decision.
The process would cost labor and
management $50 each, rather than
several hundred dollars for an independent
mediator. In addition, the PERB staffer
would be able to complete the process
much more quickly, according to PERB
Cheryl Waligory Laurie Schleher
feast | ~ FOF
BY — Ad) lAt |
GA e ~ WY \Wee,
Chairman Harold R. Newman. “We have some questions about practical
“The process permits quick, applications, but it looks good.”’
inexpensive resolution of grievances by a The new program will initially be
neutral third party,” he said. available only through PERB’s Albany
CSEA Deputy Director for Local office and those involved will be
Government Ronald W. King also said the encouraged to have their cases heard
program could well benefit the union and there. At the discrection of the director,
its members. staff members may be permitted to travel
“Tt looks like a good program,” he said. within a 60-mile radius of Albany.
AFSCME women’s conference
to be conducted in March
WASHINGTON — The rescheduling of the AFSCME Women’s
Conference from January to March has allowed more people to
attend, according to CSEA statewide Secretary Irene Carr.
“‘A number of people were concerned about traveling during the
Is
Empire suit dismissed
ALBANY — A decision by state Supreme Court Justice
Harold J. Hughes will allow the premium increase for the
participants in the Empire Plan to go into effect.
CSEA and other public employee unions joined with the
state AFL-CIO in challenging the legality of the 60 percent rate
boost.
“We are not happy with the decision,’ said CSEA
President William L. McGowan. He also noted that, in his
decision, Judge Hughes stated ‘‘Public employee unions can
negotiate for better protection against surprise rate increases.”
“We will certainly consider that in current contract
negotiations with the state,”” McGowan said.
Lawyers are currently examining the decision to decide
whether to appeal the ruling.
winter,”’ said Carr, who is also on the National Women’s Advisory
Committee. “‘They are more comfortable with the March date.”
The conference, set for March 11 through 13 at the Hyatt
Regency in Atlanta, will include a variety of speakers and
workshops on issues important to women in the workforce.
Those people who made travel arrangements for the January
conference dates and have had difficulty in obtaining
reimbursments should contact Diana Rock at AFSCME
headquarters for assistance. Her telephone number is (202)429-5097.
@
January 25, 1988
17
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
eee
AFSCME’s Campaign ’88
& supercollider collision
WASHINGTON — AFSCME is taking
the lead to show Democratic and
Republican presidential candidates the
importance of government involvement in
communities.
The 1.1 million-member union, CSEA’s
international affiliate, has kicked off a
yearlong, $1.2 million television
advertising campaign to ensure that the
candidates see government and
government services in a positive light.
The kickoff consists of two 30-second
commercials aired in four of the first
caucus and primary states. The
commercials, costing $250,000, are carried
by nearly two dozen
television stations.
The AFSCME
commercials went on
the air in Iowa on Jan.
18, three weeks before
the state’s
Presidential caucuses.
The corumercials will
also run in New
McEntee Hampshire, Maine
and Minnesota several weeks prior to
primaries and caucuses there.
“We want to see prospective
Presidential candidates talking about
using government as a problem-solver to
improve the quality of life in local
communities,” said AFSCME President
Gerald McEntee. ‘“‘Our own polls show
that the average taxpayer wants an
activist government to protect our
environment, educate our children, care
for the elderly and increase economic
opportunity for all Americans.”
The AFSCME TV spots, with the tagline
“America, It’s Time For New Priorities,”
focus on the lack of government programs
to ensure clean drinking water and and
the lack of adequate government services
to care for the elderly.
“The 1988 Presidential campaign will
address emerging issues in which
government can play a vital, sometimes
pivotal role,’’ McEntee said. ‘“‘The ads are
the antithesis of President Reagan’s 1980
campaign slogan that ‘government is part
of the problem and not part of the
solution.’ AFSCME believes that people
will support government programs which
have a direct, positive impact on their
own local community.”
AFSCMBE’s TV advertising is the largest
“issues”? campaign undertaken so far for
the upcoming Presidential election. In
May and June of last year, AFSCME
placed similar advertising in numerous
primary and caucus states, plus the
hometowns of all the declared Democratic
Presidential candidates.
418
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Slaughter
SUPERCOLLIDER
New York’s withdrawal from
consideration for the federal Department
of Energy’s $4.4 billion supercollider
project is almost as controversial as the
proposal itself.
The project — a huge atom smasher —
is expected to create about 2,500 jobs and
bring enormous scientific prestige to the
community where it is ultimately located.
Originally, New York proposed three
locations — one in the Hudson Valley, one
near Malone in the North Country, and the
third near Rochester. Only the Rochester
site was still in the running when New
York’s withdrawal was requested. The
withdrawal was prompted by fierce local
resistance to the plan. Opponents claim
that there is very little straight talk about
exactly what a supercollider is.
But the way in which New York
withdrew creates some interesting
questions about relations between three of
New York’s top Democrats. New York
Gov. Mario Cuomo requested that the
Rochester site be removed from
consideration after learning that U.S.
Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D)
decided not to support the proposal any
more. Moynihan claims he acted because
of opposition from Rep. Louise Slaughter
(D-Rochester) and Rep. Frank Horton (R-
Rochester).
But it is unclear whether Moynihan
signaled his switch to Cuomo or Lt.
Governor Stan Lundine, who had overseen
the state’s involvement in the site
selection process, before he acted.
The usually easy-going Lundine had
uncharacteristically terse comments when
Moynihan —
Sandbagged the Gov.?
caught by surprise by reporters’ questions
on Moynihan’s about-face.
EDITORIAL INCONSISTENCY
AFSCME’s Legislative Department
recently picked up a curious inconsistency
in two editorials by the New York Times.
One called for a greater use of prison
inmate labor by private business with the
expectation that inmates would be paid at
the standard wages for the area and
industry.
The second, while generally supportive
of welfare reform with AFSCME-backed
provisions such as child-care, education
programs and health insurance, criticized
provisions that would allow recipients to
reject workfare jobs paying less than the
standard wage.
AFSCME would like to know why it is
appropriate for inmates — convicted
criminals — to earn the standard wage but
not welfare recipients.
IRS GIVES BREAK
Believe it or not, there was some good
news to report from the Internal Revenue
Service at year’s end!
Remember last year when they issued
those new ‘‘simpler’’ tax withholding
forms that even accountants couldn’t
figure out? Remember also how they
threatened that failure to fill them out
properly would result in severe penalties?
Then remember how they introduced an
even newer, even “‘simpler’”’ form?
Well, because of all the confusion they
caused, the IRS now says that no one will
be fined over the withholding forms this
year.
But don’t get too excited, you still have
to file your 1987 tax returns by April 15.
January 25, 1988
POOR SE RC UTR RON OEE HA ER SOA
oe
See aj 2) a: ; ; ;
Wok First winner!
ody Maureen Luci, daughter of Patrick and
Louise Luci, a member of the
Montgomery County Office Building
Unit of CSEA Local 829, recently was
named the first recipient of a $500
scholarship award offered by the unit.
Luci, a graduate of Amsterdam High
School, is a sophomore majoring in
accounting at Utica College of Syracuse
University. Her mother is employed by
the county Department of Social
Services.
Pictured during warmer weather
from left, are mother and daughter, If you have an item of interest for This, That &
Unit President Rita Giuffre and Region the ite thing, bring it to the attention of your
IV Vice President Lou Altieri. CSEA regional communications associate. Their
phone numbers are listed on page 2.
Cosby’s competition
Thursday night television viewers in
the Capital District recently had the
option of tuning in to the top-rated Cosby
Show or switching the dial to public TV to
see CSEA Director of Occupational Safety
and Health James Corcoran discuss
indoor air pollution.
We won’t tell you who garnered more viewers, but
during the panel discussion, Corcoran did say that air Smiles at press time are the order of the day for newsletter staff
quality, including asbestos problems, is the most frequent members of SUNY Cortland CSEA Local 605. Proudly exhibiting their
cause of CSEA safety and health complaints. fourth edition of The CSEA Union Express are, front row, left to right,
But more on that in future editions. Sharon Baker, Editor Willis Streeter, Joe Garvey and Jean Brown.
Second row, Ken Smith, Steve Lundberg, Local 605 President Bill
Powers, and Pat Stack. Judging by the positive response from CSEA
members, Streeter says: ‘‘We’re on the right track.”
There’s another victory to report in the
CSEA-backed United Farm Workers’ boycott
of California Table grapes.
The Auxiliary
Services Board of
Directors, which runs
the food service at
SUNY Cortland,
recently agreed to ban
the use of California
grapes in student
cafeterias as well as
meetings and
conferences on the
campus. ... Tainted
CSEA’s Board endorsed the boycott in 1986
and since then many locals have taken up
the cause.
This action at Cortland stems from efforts
by a committee comprised of CSEA and
other union members, students and faculty.
UFW President Cesar Chavez visited the
campus in 1986 to discuss the irresponsible
use of pesticides by California grape
growers and the health risk it creates for
Members of the CSEA SUNY Health Science Center/Downstate Medical Center Local 646
with more than 20 years service, bask in the glow of recognition by the administration for
farmworkers and consumers. their dedicated work.
January 25, 1988 THE PUBLIC SECTOR 1 oh
CSEA protests
orders to train
private worker
By Lilly Gioia
CSEA Communications Associate
BRONX — Furious CSEA Local 401 leaders recently faced off
with Bronx Developmental Center management, condemning orders
that direct therapy aides to train and monitor private agency
employees at St. Christopher’s retarded children center, based on
facility grounds.
Immediately firing a slap shot at the policy, CSEA filed
Improper Practice (IP) charges with the Public Employment
Relations Board (PERB) contending that it is not within the
assigned duties of state workers to supervise and work at a private
agency.
“T don’t think it’s our job to monitor and train the people
coming in from private industry to take our jobs away,” said
Region II President George Boncoraglio, referring to Commissioner
Arthur Webb’s ill-conceived plan to close Bronx Developmental
Center, Manhattan Developmental Center and four other facilities
caring for retarded clients across the state by 1991.
“When you’re finished training and somebody walks up to you
and says, thanks, you’re fired, that’s the ultimate insult,”’
Boncoraglio added.
AT ST. CHRISTOPHER’S CENTER at Bronx Developmental Center,
Region II President George Boncoraglio, right, meets with CS9EA members
asked to tr te employees. With him are, from left, Therapy Aide
Bruce Bais s Local 401 First Vice President Ed Gray and Local 401
President George Austin,
20
THE PUBLIC SECTOR
“T don’t think we should have to work at St. Christopher’s
because they are a private agency,’’ commented Rosalind Petersen,
the first C0EA member ordered to cover the private operation. ‘‘I
was just told that St. Christopher’s was declared an emergency
situation and that we were responsible because they are in our
building.”
Field Representative Bart Brier said CSEA is investigating
allegations that a multitude of safety violations were uncovered at
St. Christopher’s during a recent inspection, and that taxpayers”
money may now be earmarked to pay for even more in-service
training for St. Christopher’s personnel using the Bronx
Developmental Center Education and Training Department staff.
A 24-bed unit for retarded children under age 10, St.
Christopher’s has 60 days in which to correct more than 200 pages
of deficiencies or face possible takeover, CSEA has learned.
Bruce Baisi, a therapy aide for more than eight years and a
CSEA member assigned to “monitor’’ the private agency services,
said, after first-hand involvement, “the state definitely does a
better job in patient care than private agencies.”’
Local 401 President George Austin assailed the management
directive to pull CS9EA members from their regular work locations
into St. Christopher’s because it worsens understaffing problems at
Bronx Developmental Center by placing added strain on the CSEA
members who are left short-handed on state units.
“We are the ones who are really paying the cost of all this,” he
bitterly complained.
President Boncoraglio told rank and file members on a recent
facility visit that the problems at St. Christopher’s demonstrate the
inability of many private agencies to deliver the quality care the
retarded must have.
“This is just a further indictment of the Office of Mental
Retardation’s abandoning the mentally retarded to ill-equipped,
poorly trained private groups who need a lot more than good
intentions to cope with the severe handicaps of the developmentally
disabled,” he said. ‘There is no substitute for the experience and
professionalism within the state mental health work force.”
“When you’re finished training and
somebody walks up to you and says,
thanks, you’re fired, that’s the ultimate
insult.”
January 25, 1988
