The weighty job
of government
Page 7
Vol. 4 / No. 3
Hate winter
driving?
Page 8
Women’s History Month:
CSEA’s leading women
Pages 10–11
A donation of life
Page 13
MARCH 2001
Taking on
the state’s
irresponsible
mental health
proposal
See Pages 3, 4
Photo of the Month
Contract benefit for state employees:
NYS can pay camp,
child care costs
CSEA Department of Motor Vehicles member Gerald Morby shows the
new New York license plates while CSEA member Bob Sutton
prepares to move a pallet of plates in the DMV’s Menands warehouse.
Next month’s Work Force will follow the plates — and CSEA
members’ involvement — from start to finish.
Retirement planning
workshops slated
CSEA’s Membership Benefits Department is scheduling retirement
planning workshops and needs to gauge the interest among members.
Topics to be discussed during a four-hour workshop include
self-assessment, financial profile, pension counseling and sources of
retirement information.
Workshops would each be limited to 200 members.
To help plan these workshops across the state, complete and return
this form to the address below or log onto the CSEA Web site at
www.csealocal1000.net and complete the form.
Name
Address
Years of service
Job location
Would you prefer a weeknight (5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.) or Saturday
(8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) workshop?
(Mail this form to Bonnie Loyche, senior member benefits specialist,
Member Benefits Department, CSEA, 143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY
12210. You may also e-mail Loyche the information at csea55@capital.net)
CSEA President Donohue to visit
Western Region in April
CSEA President Danny Donohue will visit the CSEA Western Region
to meet with members in April.
The meetings will be held at the Holiday Inn Select, 300 Third St.,
Niagara Falls.
On April 10, Donohue will meet with union members from 1 to 7
p.m. Please call the Western Region office at 1-866-568-7734 or
1-716-886-0391 to sign up for a visit and for directions.
Page
2
THE WORK FORCE
March 2001
CSEA-represented state
employees who are planning to
enroll their children in summer
camp or day care so they can work
may be eligible for up to $400 from
the state.
The Dependent
Care Advantage
Account (DCAA), a
contract benefit for
state employees,
provides $200 to
$400 for summer
camp or child care
expenses to eligible
members.
CSEA members
may sign up for only the amount
the state will contribute, so
nothing is deducted from their
paychecks. If both parents are
eligible state employees, they may
both be eligible for the state’s
contribution.
Although the 2001 open
enrollment period for DCAA has
expired, members
who have a change
in family status —
such as enrolling a
child in summer
camp or day care
— may still be able
to join the
program this year.
For more
information, call
the DCAA program at
1-800-358-7202 (press 2).
CSEA President Donohue
praises Angello appointment
CSEA President Danny Donohue issued the following statement on the
appointment of Linda Angello as state labor commissioner.
“CSEA has a long and solid working relationship with Linda Angello.
“She has won our respect as director of the Governor’s Office of
Employee Relations despite protracted contract talks. She always tried to
be responsive to the needs of the CSEA work force.
“Her appointment means working men and women will have a
fair-minded professional in the department of Labor.”
MAY 15 is deadline for submitting
proposed resolutions, changes to
CSEA’s Constitution and Bylaws
Proposed resolutions and proposed amendments to the CSEA
Constitution & By-Laws for consideration by CSEA delegates to the union’s
2001 Annual Delegates Meeting must be submitted by May 15, 2001.
Proposed resolutions may be submitted only by a delegate and must be
submitted on the proper forms. Forms for submitting resolutions are
available from CSEA headquarters and region offices.
Proposed resolutions and proposed amendments to the Constitution
and By-Laws must be submitted no later than May 15 to Statewide
Secretary Barbara Reeves, CSEA Headquarters, 143 Washington Ave.,
Albany, N.Y. 12210-2303.
The 2001 CSEA Annual Delegates Meeting will be held Oct. 29 to Nov. 2
in Buffalo.
Employee Benefit Fund hours
CSEA’s Employee Benefit Fund (EBF) has expanded its office hours.
The office is now open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is
1-800-323-2732.
CSEA battles to save psych centers
in Middletown, Syracuse
The battle to save two large state-run
psychiatric centers from the budget ax is in high
gear, as thousands of CSEA members lobby
lawmakers, make phone calls and rally to save
vital mental health services.
Members working at Hutchings Psychiatric
Center in Syracuse and Middletown Psychiatric
Center are fighting to save in-patient services.
Gov. George Pataki plans to close the facilities
and merge services with other centers.
“We’re going to fight like hell!” said Sharon
Connor, president of the CSEA Local at
Hutchings Psychiatric Center.
Members fight back
CSEA has bombarded the public and state
lawmakers with information about the
ill-conceived plan, union leaders said.
Middletown workers staged a “day of rage” on
Valentine’s Day and sent Pataki a huge red
valentine signed by members of the staff. The
message: “Have a heart. Keep Middletown
Psychiatric Center open.”
Members phoned the governor’s office in
“I think these patients will
regress because they’ll be
lost.”
— Ruth Ann Hasbrouck,
mental hygiene therapy
aide, Middletown
Psychiatric Center
Albany and their state lawmakers, lobbying to
keep both facilities open.
Radio and television ads highlighting the
short-sighted closure plan and the important
services CSEA members provide the mentally ill
also ran across the state.
“Governor Pataki wants to reinvest the money
that it takes to run this place into communitybased care,” said Diane Hewitt, CSEA Local
President at Middletown Psychiatric Center.
“This type of money was promised in
previous budgets, but that money has
never come down. Governor Pataki
obviously doesn’t care about the mentally
ill. Actions are much stronger than words,”
Hewitt added.
Families, staff affected
Anger and resentment tinged the
comments of workers and family members
in Syracuse and Middletown.
“We’re family here,” Ruth Ann
Hasbrouck, a mental hygiene therapy aide
and 28-year CSEA member at Middletown,
said.
“We’ve all worked here for a long time
and we really care about each other and
the patients,” she said.
CSEA members are not the only ones
concerned about the proposal.
Many patients and their families have
also said they’re concerned about the
center’s fate.
Every two weeks, Nerlene and Nestor
Matthie travel an hour each way to visit
their son, a patient at Middletown the last
three years.
“We wouldn’t be able to visit our son as
often if he’s moved to Rockland,” Nerlene
Matthie said.
“He would be absolutely devastated.
Visits are important to his recovery,” she
said.
“This is the only place that
many (clients) know as
home. It seems like we’re
having medical decisions
made by politicians. I think
it’s terrible.”
— Mike Daley, maintenance
assistant, Hutchings
Psychiatric Center
“They’re (state officials)
trying to focus on saving
money — they’re not
focused on helping the
patients. It’s a money issue,
it’s not a ‘help the clients’
issue.”
— Lynn Williams,
calculations clerk,
Hutchings Psychiatric
Center
Greater social costs
For those who work daily with the
mentally ill, these proposed cuts would
create deeper problems.
“I think you’re going to have a lot more
people end up homeless and not get the
treatment that they desperately need,” said
Joan Wilding, a 13-year mental hygiene
therapy aide at Hutchings.
— Mark Kotzin and Janice Marra
They’re not the crumbling, outdated
facilities state claims they are
The two state-run psychiatric
centers the state wants to close
have received rave reviews for
their client programs and building
maintenance.
Despite Gov. George Pataki’s
claims, the Hutchings Psychiatric
Center in Syracuse is not falling
apart.
Instead, the facility has a
CSEA members at Middletown Psychiatric
Center sign a valentine to Gov. George Pataki
urging him to “have a heart” and keep the
center open.
preventative maintenance
program that is touted as a model
for other facilities. It has also won
several state awards for energy
efficiency.
• From 1992 to 1999, Hutchings
has won energy savings awards for
beating its energy savings goals;
• In 1992, Hutchings won an
award from the U.S. Army Power
Reliability Enhancement Program
for superior maintenance
practices;
• Last year, Hutchings won an
award for environmental
enhancement, given at a
conference for physical plant
superintendents.
The Middletown Psychiatric
Center, which Pataki also wants to
close, has been recognized for its
innovative mental health
programming.
Clinical Psychiatry News, a trade
March 2001
journal for psychiatrists, recently
highlighted a unique treatment
started seven years ago at the
Middletown facility.
CSEA members at Middletown
helped created the “shopping
mall” style of delivering programs.
Vacant space was used to create
a shopping center format to
deliver art, business and life skills
training. Clients moved from one
“store” to another to receive the
different skills.
THE WORK FORCE
Page
3
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
RONALD S. KERMANI, Executive Editor
LOU HMIELESKI, Assistant Editor
CATHLEEN HORTON
Graphic Design & Support Services
RALPH DISTIN, Graphic Artist
JANICE M. KUCSKAR
Communications Production Coordinator
BETH McINTYRE
Communications Secretary
The Work Force (USPS 0445-010) is
published monthly by The CSEA Publication Office:
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
Periodical Mail Postage paid at Post Office,
Albany, New York 12288.
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
CSEA, Attn: Membership Department,
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
CSEA on-line: The CSEA web site
can be accessed at www.csealocal1000.net
Readers:
Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to:
Publisher, The Work Force, 143 Washington Avenue,
Albany, NY 12210-2303.
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S A S S O C I AT E S
SHERYL C. JENKS
VACANT
JANICE MARRA
DAN CAMPBELL
MARK M. KOTZIN
RON WOFFORD
ED MOLITOR
Long Island Region
(631) 462-0030
Metropolitan Region
(212) 406-2156
Southern Region
(845) 831-1000
Capital Region
(518) 785-4400
Central Region
(315) 433-0050
Western Region
(716) 886-0391
Headquarters
(518) 257-1272
The Publications Committee
LONG ISLAND REGION John C. Shepherd
METROPOLITAN REGION Lamont “Dutch” Wade
SOUTHERN REGION Diane Hewitt
CAPITAL REGION Helen Fischedick
CENTRAL REGION Bruce Damalt, Chair
WESTERN REGION James V. Kurtz
Page
4
THE WORK FORCE
t’s budget season and once again CSEA is in the
midst of a major battle over Gov. George E. Pataki’s
proposed mental health budget.
I
What we’re fighting about is the governor’s outrageous
proposal to eliminate 725 more inpatient psychiatric
beds, in part by closing Middletown and Hutchings
Psychiatric Centers.
But we’re not just fighting about saving buildings or
jobs. We’re fighting for sane mental health policy in
New York state and for everyone who cares about that.
The original 1993 Community Reinvestment Act that both
CSEA and then state Sen. Pataki supported required the state to
use savings from closing state facilities to enhance services in the
community. But the latest proposal bears little resemblance to the
original community reinvestment concept. The state does not even
pretend anymore that it will use the money from the dismantling of
the state system to provide new or enhanced community services.
Instead, the state proposes using savings from closing the
two facilities to pay for a cost-of-living allowance for not-for-profit
mental health providers, and is attempting to split the mental
health community over this issue.
Using funding as a tool to divide groups that provide
services for the mentally ill is cowardly at best. While we don’t
always agree, the mental health community has been united in
recent years about the total inadequacy of funding for mental
health services. We will not take the bait and fight with each other.
For the record, CSEA strongly supports the COLA and we
will use whatever resources are necessary to get those workers a
COLA. This COLA should not be dependent on the decline in other
services and workers should not have to beg for it each year.
CSEA’s objective is a better mental health system. It’s a
shame the administration insists on resorting to divide-andconquer strategies when the only way to achieve sane mental
health policy in New York is to work together.
March 2001
Meeting their goals earns praise from peers, managers
Broome DDSO workers lauded for excellence
BINGHAMTON — CSEA members are the
backbone of state and local facilities, and those
working at the Broome Developmental Disabilities
Services Office (DDSO) received a hefty pat on the
back recently.
Workers were lauded for meeting three major
goals: coming in under budget, meeting their
targets for client care, and getting an excellent
evaluation in their annual survey.
Their unique celebration included an
informative training workshop which melded the
talents of the Local and CSEA’s Education and
Training Department, said Local President Debbie
Davenport.
Working with management
Davenport said it was good to work
cooperatively with management on the program,
which drew more than 300 workers.
“I’m extremely grateful. It’s in recognition for
the efforts that we make, and we’re lucky enough
to have management that recognizes that.
Broome’s excellence is directly attributable to the
CSEA work force and our efforts,” Davenport said.
“It’s a
partnership and
our goals are
more often the
same than
different,” she
added.
Broome
DDSO Director
Richard Thamasett stressed the event was in
appreciation of staff excellence, saying, “this
expresses our appreciation for the work you do
each and every day, your caring and your
commitment to enhance and ensure the quality of
care we provide. It’s a record that is really
something to be proud of, but it does not happen
automatically. It happens because of yourselves.”
Pride all around
CSEA Central Region President Jim Moore told
the Broome DDSO workers that despite
decentralization and other changes in the state
developmental disabilities system over the years,
one thing hasn’t changed.
“What hasn’t changed over the years is the
kind of treatment, care and love that you give. In
CSEA we’re very, very proud of what you do on a
• The Broome Developmental
Disabilities Services Office
provides services in Broome,
Delaware, Chenango,
Otsego, Tompkins, Tioga
Counties
• OMRDD operates 13
developmental
disabilities services offices
responsible for providing
programs in one or more
counties.
day-to-day basis,” Moore
said.
CSEA Payroll Clerk
Kathy Roma said she was
impressed with the
workshop and the
appreciation by others.
“You don’t realize that
people take notice most
of the time,” she said.
Roma said that the
excellence at Broome
comes from the high
Davenport
expectations that are set
by management.
“The director is really supportive of the staff
and he expects us to be number one, and we live
up to that expectation,” Roma said.
Developmental Aide Steven Brown echoed
Roma’s thoughts on the recognition.
“It makes me feel really good, because we
work really hard
on the units.
“Sometimes we feel like we’re not
appreciated, and things like this show us that
we are,” Brown said.
The event also highlighted a new
labor-management grant that is providing
two computers and locations for
employees to take advantage of distance
learning opportunities for career
enhancement.
— Mark M. Kotzin
Turning negatives into positives at work
UNIONDALE — A client’s death, subsequent
media coverage and a rap from the state have
rallied union members and management to
improve working conditions and reaffirm pride in
their jobs.
When a resident at the A. Holly Patterson
Extended Care Facility choked to death on a hot
dog a few months ago, the state cited the center
for substandard care.
More staff was hired and members retrained,
and the state recently said the center complies
“I
am a people person. I like
listening to and helping
people. I’ve been a CSEA
member for 34 years. I love my
job as a supervisor on the day
program with the
developmentally disabled.
”
— Shirley Baker,
developmental assistant, Long
Island Developmental Center
with state and federal rules.
“We are very pleased to be in compliance,” said
CSEA A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility
Unit President Les Eason.
“We’ve retrained a good portion of our work
force and has hired additional staff and this is
good for the members, the residents and the
community,” Eason added.
After the accident, CSEA members who work at
the nursing home said they felt demoralized and
depressed because they had lost a loved member
of their “family.”
To help express their feelings, CSEA member
Cecilia Cheng wrote a letter — signed by staff
members — to the local newspaper.
“I felt like I needed to put into writing what
everyone was feeling and saying,” said Cheng, a 10year employee.
The facility “has residents who are both young
and old and we frequently accept residents who
have been rejected by other facilities as being too
difficult to manage or take care of. We work very
hard to give our residents good care thereby
enhancing their dignity and quality of life.
“There are many instances of nurses and other
staff who go above and beyond their call of duty to
A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility Unit
President Les Eason talks with CSEA members
Essie Toney, left, and Jennifer Brown about the
staff letter.
help our residents and to bring them some
measure of joy and happiness,” Cheng wrote in the
letter.
Union members said they felt energized and
restored by the letter.
CSEA member Jennifer Brown, a 16-year
employee, said, “I think that letter was very well
put. It really describes how the employees feel
about the work and the residents.”
March 2001
— Sheryl C. Jenks
THE WORK FORCE
Page
5
Big win for union members
Florida firm booted, union members now give
medical care at county jail
VALHALLA — Business prospects
became cloudier for a Sunshine State firm
that provided medical care to county jail
inmates once CSEA activists got fired up.
In a major victory against contracting
out, union members at Westchester Medical
Center hospital will again provide medical,
dental and mental health services to
inmates at the adjacent Westchester
County Jail.
A Florida firm had done the work.
About 80 workers, mostly CSEA
members, will be assigned to health care
jobs at the jail.
The one-year contract began in January
and it is a major victory for the hospital
and the jail, union leaders said.
The Westchester win is among many
examples of CSEA members across the
state proving they can do the jobs better
and less expensive than private
contractors.
Good for union, county
“If this contract can be renewed and stay
in effect for a while, it’s a very good thing
for the union,” CSEA Westchester Medical
Center Unit President Jack Tatarsky said.
“This will mean more jobs for our
members,” he said.
Westchester Medical Center had
provided health care services to inmates
before 1996, when the hospital became a
public benefit corporation.
Under the public benefit corporation
status, the hospital and its employees
remain in the public sector.
In recent years, inmates had been
receiving medical services from
privately-operated firms, the most recent
one from Florida.
At the end of last year, Westchester
County gave the jail’s medical services
“I
like the challenging
nature of the job. It’s
educational, too.
”
— Diana Coddington, a
seven-year calculations
clerk and Local vice
president, Lakeview Shock
Facility
Page
6
THE WORK FORCE
Workers at the Westchester Medical
Center, which is adjacent the jail, will be
assigned to health care jobs at the jail.
back to
Westchester
Medical
Center, a
decision
applauded by
many CSEA
officials.
“CSEA
members who will be working at the jail
have been in health care for a long time,”
CSEA Westchester Local President Gary
Conley said.
“There will be a high quality of care
delivered to the inmates there,” he added.
Keeping up the pressure
Echoing the high quality and efficiency
of public employees was CSEA Southern
Region President Carmine DiBattista.
“This brings to a close another sad
privatization initiative erroneously
undertaken by an administration that
cared nothing about its employees or
the public,” DiBattista said.
“Clearly, the return of services
to a public agency shows the
present administration of the
county and hospital recognizes
health care services can be better
performed by public employees,”
the region president said.
“We edge closer to the end of
a shameful period of Westchester
County government run by the
administration of former County
Executive Andrew O’Rourke,”
DiBattista added.
— Janice Marra
March 2001
Volunteers needed to help
host meetings to study
NY’s justice system
The League of Women Voters of New York
State is continuing its Balancing Justice in New
York State project and needs volunteers to
organize meetings.
A free organizer training program will be
offered to volunteers, and grants will be
available to underwrite some of the costs of
organizing.
Last year, CSEA members were among more
than 2,200 New Yorkers in 70 communities
across the state who took part in the project,
designed to stimulate community-based
participation in developing criminal justice
policy and other justice-related activities.
The second phase of the project will, once
again, use study circles across the state to
continue to increase knowledge and
participation in the decision-making process
surrounding criminal justice policy.
Members interested in participating in the
project should contact Rob Marchiony, project
coordinator, League of Women Voters of New
York State, 35 Maiden Lane, Albany, NY 12207,
(518) 465-4162. E-mail: justice@lwvny.org.
Some preliminary results of
the Balancing Justice project:
•Of the 140 groups that
submitted reports, 111
made reference to the
Rockefeller Drug Laws or
New York’s mandatory sentencing
laws. Of those, 109 groups (98
percent) called for review, reform
or repeal of such laws;
•136 out of 140 groups (97
percent) submitting reports
favored rehabilitation as one of
the most important goals for the
criminal justice system;
•83 out of 84 groups (99 percent)
that mentioned parole were in
favor of keeping it, with most
suggesting more money be
provided to lower caseloads and
provide more services for
ex-offenders;
•89 of the groups (64 percent)
favored prevention as a goal of
the criminal justice system.
By the pound, inch or second, it had better be accurate
Joe Marcello has a real feel for his job.
Like a surgeon who may operate by feel, Marcello’s work as an
inspector with the Schenectady County Department of Weights and
Measures relies on his knack for knowing when a pound of sugar
really isn’t a pound of sugar.
“If I catch a product that’s short weighting Schenectady County
residents, the whole lot — whether it’s 100 or 1,000 units — is
removed from all of the stores in that chain,” Marcello said, hefting a
bag of sugar that he thinks is “light.”
For Marcello and his other CSEA colleagues in the bureau, it’s a
day of protecting consumers from too-short automatic car washes,
rigged gasoline pumps, short-weighted bags of flour and guys who
deliver less than the cord of wood they promised was on the truck.
“I’m looking out for the welfare of everybody who buys a product
anywhere in the state. That feels good. That makes the effort
worthwhile,” said Marcello, an 11-year veteran of the scales.
CSEA member Joe Marcello, a
Schenectady County Bureau of
Weights and Measures
inspector, loads a shopping
cart with his binders of rules
and regulations before
checking on food weights in an
Albany-area grocery store.
•Read labels. If a package says it
weighs 2 pounds, but feels light, ask
to have it weighed on a meat scale.
Most markets have one scale just for
this use.
• Eggs are not sold by size but by
weight. Check the shells for breakage
and read what the eggs and the
container should weigh.
• Flour packaged in paper bags can be
light by up to 3 percent of weight
because of humidity. Look for plastic
bags of flour.
How much a pound?
Marcello and co-workers Angelo
Melillo and William Meyer are
almost worth their honest weight
in gold.
The trio generated more than
$250,000 in fines and fees for the
county last year.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a
grocery, drug store, a gas station, a
jewelry shop or a car wash,”
Marcello said.
“If the merchant sells anything
by weight, by measure, by the foot
or by the second, it falls under our
jurisdiction,” he added proudly.
“When you pay 50 cents for one
minute of air to inflate your car tire
or two bucks for a
five-minute car wash, we make sure
you are really getting 60 seconds of
air or 300 seconds of hot water and
soap,” Marcello said, pointing to a
bright yellow department
inspection sticker on the side of a
vacuum at a car wash.
Hold the sugar
Pushing a shopping cart holding pounds
of his rule books, Marcello checks in with
the manager of a busy supermarket chain
store.
Hot dogs here, cold cuts there, Marcello
spot checks the weight.
The state Agriculture and Market laws
that cover Marcello’s work allow for a certain margin of error.
There’s a problem in Aisle 4.
Twelve of 13 bags of confectionery sugar on the shelf are each
short by roughly one half ounce.
Marcello takes the bags to a table in the store bakery and checks
the weight of each package again.
Using a complex calculus
formula, Marcello’s numbers
confirm each bag in the lot is
short.
“I’ve never been brought into
court about my findings,” he
said.
Pull the product
Marcello tells the store
manager and gives him copies of
the notice to remove all of the
items in this lot from this store
and all other stores in the chain.
“That short weight could cost
the chain up to $600 a bag as per
New York State Agriculture and
Markets law,” Marcello said
about the fines.
“But the stores want to know
when a provider isn’t sending
them what they’re paying for,”
Marcello said.
“And the stores don’t want to
shortchange the customers,” he
added. “So my job helps the
stores
do a better job, the producers do
a better job and that means the
consumer gets a better
product.”
With several 2-pound bags of sugar
short-weighted by almost half an
ounce each, Marcello takes detailed
calculations and notes his findings
on a report. The short weight can
cost a grocery story up to $600 per
package in fines.
— Daniel X. Campbell
“M
Marcello checks the
weights of packages
of hot dogs and
cold cuts to make
sure consumers are
getting the proper
amounts advertised
on the package.
March 2001
y daughter,
Melissa, received a
CSEA Irving Flaumenbaum
Scholarship and I think it’s
great that our union
provides scholarships to
the children of its
members. Another benefit
of being part of CSEA!
”
— John Rocco, code
enforcement officer,
Town of Hempstead
T H E W O R K F O R C E Page 7
Winter in the northeast puts snowplow crews
KNOX — Twenty inches of “partly cloudy”
squeaks underfoot. The mercury barely kisses
zero. The wind chill is stuck in the thermometer’s
basement.
This escarpment overlooking Albany and the
Hudson Valley funnels weather — sometimes a
daily, malevolent brew of sleet, snow and hail —
onto the roads and it makes a tired Dick Zink even
wearier.
For Zink, the CSEA Albany County Highway Unit
president and hundreds of other union members
across New York who drive snowplows, winter is a
worthy adversary.
Their toughest battles are on the small roads
that are so windy they appear as only squiggles
on a map or on the wide highways that need four
plows abreast to clear.
Danger on the road
Whatever the road, whatever the hour, CSEA
members dodge the dangers, wind chill and
exhaustion to keep the roads open.
“It’s always windy on the hill,” Zink said, trying
to catch his breath in the howling morning wind
which whipped snow into a white 40 mph veil.
“In the summer the wind is cool, but in the
winter it’s brutal, just brutal,” he yelled over the
noise.
While Albany County residents thank the
highway crews daily for passable roads, even the
boss extols Zink and his CSEA members’ talents.
“They are a tremendous crew of workers,”
Albany County Highway Commissioner George
Nealon said.
Hair-raising downstate drivers
The highways that bisect Westchester County —
the bedroom of New York City — become
nightmares to snowplow drivers and motorists
when it snows.
“People have four-wheel drive and think they
can get through anything,” said CSEA state
Transportation Department Local President
Michael Kearney.
Westchester County sees the most traffic in the
Hudson Valley, and some of the fastest.
“We have drivers try to pass us in any way they
can, and they need to stay back” of the plows,
Kearney added.
While most parkways in Westchester County
were designed for today’s volume and speed, the
rural Taconic Parkway wasn’t. In the winter, it may
become as treacherous as a bobsled run.
“The Putnam County portion is hard to clear
because we have a lot of sharp curves and the
road is at its highest elevation there,” Kearney
said about the Taconic.
Page
8
THE WORK FORCE
Big county, big snow
In Chautauqua County snow is measured by the
yard.
Snow, lake effect snow, and more snow bury
this western county in six yards of snow each
winter.
Tackling this herculean task of keeping county
roads clear and safe are 75 plow drivers, 23
mechanics, and 10 support workers, backed up by
75 administrative, supervisory and civil engineer
employees who comprise the county’s
Department of Public Works.
CSEA members Steve Torrey and Gary Taylor,
motor equipment operators and plow drivers,
recently finished 42 consecutive days of plowing
and enjoyed their first weekend off since
Thanksgiving.
“Besides our location at the up-wind side of
Lake Erie, which accounts for the lake effect
snowfall, our county has elevations ranging from
Top photo, in Albany County a highway crew
clears blowing snow in the rural hilltowns.
Bottom photo, a stretch of road in Chautauqua
County tests the driving and mechanical skills
of CSEA members. Above left, John Sheroka,
Albany County snowplow driver, talks with
Highway Unit president Dick Zink before
heading out to clear the roads.
300 feet to 1,800 feet above sea level,” said Torrey.
“Of course, the higher levels get the brunt of
ice and snow cover. We have many hills and
curves, so we have to be always alert and on the
lookout for cars and other potential hazards while
plowing during snowfall,” he added.
How can motorists help snowplow drivers do
their jobs?
“Stay home,” Kearney of Westchester County
said. “You’re only causing us more of a problem
when we’re trying to clear the roads.”
— Daniel X. Campbell, Janice Marra,
Mark M. Kotzin and Ron Wofford
Dept. of Public Works road maintenance:
• In Albany County has about 101 snowplow drivers who
maintain all county and some state highways totaling
525 miles.
• Westchester County is responsible for 179 miles of
roadway and 186 bridges.
• Erie County crews clear 1,169 miles of road.
• In Chautauqua County, drivers plow 1,100 miles of
county roads, a distance from Buffalo to Orlando, Fla.
• In an average year, Chautauqua County uses four
million gallons of salt brine, 15,000 tons of rock salt and
45,000 tons of sand.
March 2001
“I
like the fact that my job
allows me to meet
people from all over the
world as they pass through,
to or from Canada, to see
Niagara Falls.
— Mark Pasler, toll
collector, Niagara Falls
Bridge Commission
”
CSEA gets “A” for effort in
“LEAP”ing into learning
defeat of charter school plan at Niagara Falls schools
MOUNT VERNON — CSEA scored another victory in its battle with charter
schools by helping derail a plan that would have drained $4 million a year
from public schools.
After hearing from CSEA and other concerned groups, the State University
of New York’s Board of Trustees shot down a proposal to open a charter
school that would have housed up to 425 secondary students.
“I am relieved the SUNY Board of Trustees has made the right choice,”
CSEA Westchester Local President Gary Conley said.
The charter school proposal
drew strong objections from CSEA
and other groups because of the
financial and educational
implications the schools have had
across the state.
Charter schools are privately
operated schools that use public
money to operate.
Would siphon $4 million
Under the charter school plan,
Mount Vernon taxpayers would
have paid the charter school
$8,720 per student — or about $4
million of the public school
district’s $108 million annual
budget.
The financial losses would hurt
the Mount Vernon district, which
recently operated on an austerity
budget, union leaders said.
CSEA vehemently opposed the
plan because it could hurt Mount
Vernon’s ability to provide quality
The plan to open this charter school in
Mount Vernon was derailed with help
education and could lead to job
from CSEA.
losses for CSEA members and other
district employees.
CSEA also strongly opposes charter schools in the state because some
existing schools, including one in Albany, have major problems with school
management, low educational test scores, student discipline and poor facility
conditions.
“The district would have put its money into an experimental school that is
being run by private citizens,” CSEA Southern Region President Carmine
DiBattista said.
“These people are opening schools that will siphon off money to the public
schools, which could lead to a loss of jobs for our members. This proposal
would certainly have hurt the children of Mount Vernon,” he added.
— Janice Marra
If the Renaissance Academy
proposal had been successful, it
would have been the first charter
school in Westchester County.
“W
e need more help
here. We do a great
job and we are committed
to the children.
NIAGARA FALLS — CSEA’s
Labor Education Action
Program (LEAP) is helping
union members in the Niagara
Falls school system improve
their personal skills and
career outlook.
One of the first LEAP
placements at a school
district work site, the Niagara Marking the expansion of LEAP into
Falls program will sponsor
Niagara Falls schools are, from left,
several workshops this month Dave Street; Bob Anderson, Local
for CSEA members.
president; Dave Spacone, Unit
“LEAP will make for more
president and Greg Reilly, from
skilled workers for the
LEAP.
district, while helping each
enrolled member help themselves, their families and their careers,”
said Bob Anderson, president of the Niagara Education Local.
“We’ll provide workshops on coping with stress, dealing with
workplace changes, and possibly a diversity session,” said Dave
Street of LEAP.
“This will be the first district-wide conference day for
non-instructional staff, mainly our members, to have their own
programs for self-improvement,” said Dave Spacone, Unit president.
Help on the career ladder
Improving members’ skills and career opportunities brought the
LEAP program to Niagara Falls schools, union leaders said.
“Because of our excellent labor-management relations in the
Niagara Falls school district, we knew a presentation by LEAP staff
would result in a plan that would bring the program here for our
members to take part in LEAP’s excellent resources,” Anderson said.
CSEA/LEAP staffers Street and Greg Reilly have told members
about the many career and education advisement services, like
financial aid, academic advising, and skills for success options LEAP
provides.
“We offer workshops in building effective relationships in a diverse
workplace, effective communication, handling conflict, coping with
job stress, and others listed in our program brochures,” Reilly said.
Good labor-management relations
Reilly and Street emphasized the need for good labor-management
relations to help the LEAP program succeed.
The union-management partnership will quickly show its worth,
union leaders said.
“CSEA/LEAP will provide assistance identifying members’
interests, guidance in program administration and implementation,
expert instructors on the topics at a fair cost, and a program
evaluation,” Street said.
After employer release time is provided so members can attend,
the CSEA Locals and Units, with the school district, provide training
room space and equipment.
The groups also handle registrations, site support to the
instructor on training days, and pay the instructor.
Brochures and other CSEA/LEAP information are available by
calling 1-800-253-4332.
— Ron Wofford
”
— Hope Menna, a 40-year
employee of the Bethpage
School District cafeteria
For more information on LEAP:
www.csealocal1000.net/memberbenefits2.html
March 2001
THE WORK FORCE
Page
9
“…leadership development is
vital for a dynamic union.”
Women leaders put indelible
mark on CSEA’s past, future
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are not there
yet. Neither are most companies listed on the Fortune 500.
Even other labor unions have fallen short of the mark.
CSEA reached a threshold last year that various other
institutions have long been trying to break — 50 percent of the
union’s highest-ranking elected officials are women.
F rom shop stewards to Local and Unit presidents, to
regional officers and CSEA’s executive vice president, women
a re in key leadership positions.
For Women’s History Month, the top five women elected
officers discussed the implications and the lessons they’ve
learned, how far women have come in the labor movement
and how much farther they have to go.
Why CSEA?
W
hile other institutions, both progressive and
conservative, are struggling to achieve equal
representation, CSEA is ahead of the corporate and
union pack.
“It has to do with our
openness and democracy,”
said Maureen Malone, CSEA’s
treasurer.
“Men tend to appoint
men. We have democratic
elections where anyone can
seek office and anyone can
rise through the ranks. We
Maureen Malone
Barbara Reeves
are several steps ahead of
other unions, even the
internationals,” she
added.
Open elections are
key, said Barbara Reeves,
CSEA’s secretary.
“A male-dominated
organization is definitely
going to perpetuate
itself,” Reeves said.
While fair and open
elections are essential to
equal access for women,
Page
10
THE WORK FORCE
March 2001
Reeves said they also
ensure a candidate will
never be elected on one
issue alone because he or
she must have
widespread appeal.
“If I ran only as the
voice of women, I
wouldn’t have been
elected.
You must
have
clear issues,” Reeves continued.
“Behind the scenes in every union, the
people doing the work were female. Women
have been responsible for things that have
happened, but never took credit,” said Flo Tripi,
CSEA’s Western Region president.
“Now they are more apt to run and take
credit for their accomplishments. They feel
Flo Tripi
comfortable in taking those
offices. Our organization encourages people to
run,” Tripi said.
Leadership reflects membership
All those interviewed stressed that in a
union, the face of the leadership should reflect
the membership.
“People like to see leaders that look like
them, whether female, black, gay, Jewish,” said
Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan.
“They bond
more with
organizations that
are like them. It
has more
credibility in a
labor union,
because of what
we’re supposed to
represent,” she
said.
“We shouldn’t
exclude anyone.
Mary Sullivan
A union is what it is: an
organization that brings
everyone together,”
Sullivan added.
However, the value of
women in leadership
roles goes beyond
reflecting the union’s
membership, which is more than half female. It
helps turn women’s issues into union issues and
helps change the nature of our institutions.
“Once you say women’s issues, you are
eliminating a certain part of the membership,”
said Kathy Garrison, CSEA’s Capital Region
president.
“These are people issues, family issues,
worker issues. I could be a single mother, but
Kathy Garrison
the guy working next to me might be a single
father. We are so intertwined,” Garrison said.
“Women bring different ideas and perspectives to the table
that complement men’s,” noted Sullivan.
Overcoming Hurdle
Since 1974, women have been
on the offensive, not the
defensive, Malone said.
While there has been
tremendous improvement
eliminating hurdles to success, a
few still exist.
“There are still things that are
more difficult just because I am a
woman,” said Garrison.
“Sometimes it is very overt
and sometimes covert. A lot of it,
even subtly, is part of the way we were all raised, we’re not even
aware of it,” she said.
Even today, a woman has to build the credibility that a man is
automatically given, Garrison said.
“An organization alone can’t tear down the really ingrained
beliefs. We each have to make a commitment to want to try to
change things to make it more inclusive. That takes time and
commitment and the support of the people out there.” Garrison
said.
Without that, she said,
the union will not succeed
no matter how hard it tries.
Acceptance
increasing
“I have seen much more
acceptance of women in
leadership roles than 15–20
years ago,” Reeves said.
CSEA’s assertiveness training
for women, consciousness
training for men, and education
programs have taught people
what is appropriate, Reeves
noted.
“We have moved away from
traditional gender roles. Women
have become heads of
households. Once they do that,
they empower themselves to do
things they would not have gotten
involved in. Women are stepping forward and saying ‘why
shouldn’t I?’” Tripi said.
Traditionally, when organizations have been male dominated,
there has been the implication that women who reached
positions of prominence have used their sexuality to get there.
“That has really changed,” said Reeves.
“I do not hear that now. There is the recognition that women
achieve based on talent. That reflects societal change and
changes in the organization like the formation of the Women’s
Committee to promote issues and give women that voice,”
Reeves said.
Malone concurred. “Statewide, we
have come a long way, as evidenced
by the attendance at and response to
the women’s conference,” Malone
said.
Challenges in the Future
Each of CSEA’s top elected leaders
initially became involved as vocal
advocates at the Local level.
“Once I got a taste of it, I was
hooked,” Sullivan said.
“This union is absolutely responsible for the person I have
become,” added Tripi. “I am very proud of that.”
Like many leaders, their skills and talents were recognized
and encouraged by other activists and leaders.
All agreed leadership development is vital for a dynamic
union.
“We must encourage all leaders,” Garrison said.
“Even when we disagree, we must work together for the good
of the union. There is a time to run against a leader if you
disagree with them. There is not a time to tear people down,”
she said.
“We as an organization, and everyone who holds a position of
leadership, have to reach out to others and bring them in,” said
Sullivan.
“Our new structure promotes this, because by reaching out
and encouraging participation, this will happen,” Sullivan said.
— Ann Carroll
March 2001
THE WORK FORCE
Page
11
SUNY Oswego’s action had a snowball’s chance in …
Battle lines drawn in the snow over newspaper box relocation
OSWEGO — State university officials broke
state labor law when they disciplined a CSEA
activist who moved a newspaper delivery box to
keep his members out of traffic.
The state Public Employment Relations Board
(PERB) ruled State University of New York at
Oswego officials broke the Taylor Law when they
reprimanded activist Dan Hoefer.
Hoefer called a newspaper to move its
circulation box so CSEA members wouldn’t be
forced to walk dangerous winter roads.
Even with snow drifts reaching as high as a
basketball hoop and visibility at times nil with
winds gusting off Lake Ontario, library workers
visit the newspaper box daily to retrieve papers
for the library.
“Either they had to climb over snow banks or
go out into the road” during the winter to reach
the newspaper box, shop steward Connie Fowler
said.
“They were afraid of falling and cars coming at
them. Visibility can be really bad,” she added
about the brutal winters there.
Fowler and other union activists told managers
about the potential danger. One year and several
snowstorms later, nothing was done.
One call over the line
Fed up, local Safety and Health Committee
Chair Hoefer called the newspaper, asking the box
be moved to a safer location.
The newspaper quickly complied, but several
months later Hoefer said he was counseled by the
college’s personnel director for “overstepping his
boundaries.”
Hoefer said he couldn’t believe what he was
hearing.
Unions asked to fight back:
“This is a
joke. I can’t
believe I’m
being
counseled for
doing
something for
the safety of
the folks here,”
Hoefer said he told the personnel director.
“Basically, I got written up for doing
something right,” he said.
Won’t stand for it
CSEA filed an Improper Practice charge
against the college.
“They chose to drag their feet and bury it
in red tape, when all Dan had to do was
make a phone call and it was taken care of,”
From left to right, Connie Fowler, shop steward; Joe
Local President Joe Miceli said.
“They showed a total lack of concern for Miceli, local president and Dan Hoefer, safety and
health chair. Hoefer was counseled for having the
the employees here. It was a simple
newspaper box moved to a safer location.
problem, with a simple answer, and they
chose to complicate it,” Miceli said.
“The administration isn’t going to bully us into
ignoring an issue on campus for fear of reprisal.
We’re going to do our jobs and they’re not going
to intimidate us. Our main concern is the safety of
our members,” Miceli said after he read the PERB
A 25-minute evacuation of an old
ruling.
high-rise state office building in downtown
“This decision says very clearly we have the
Albany went smoothly recently, unlike
right to fight for safe workplaces for our members
previous evacuations of state workers in
and that management can’t stand in our way from
nearby office towers the last year, union
exercising that right,” said CSEA Central Region
officials reported.
President Jim Moore.
CSEA leaders said local police agencies
and state agency officials are learning from
— Mark M. Kotzin
past mistakes associated with the faulty
evacuations of workers during similar
emergencies.
A motor on a ventilation unit seized on
an upper floor of the Alfred E. Smith State
standard, CSEA health and safety leaders said.
Office Building in January, sending smoke
Write your congressional representatives and
into several floors.
senators and urge them to oppose any legislation
Thousands of state workers were
to overturn the new OSHA ergonomics standard.
evacuated without incident.
Members can also write letters to the editor of
The next day, union leaders met with
their local paper to let the public know big
firemen, police, building managers and
business groups are trying to kill these important
representatives of state agencies housed in
worker protections.
the 70-year-old building to review the
Meanwhile, the Bush Administration has not
evacuation plan and iron out small glitches.
yet taken an official position on the ergonomics
“The evacuation had a few minor
standard.
problems,” said CSEA occupational health
Responding to questions at her confirmation
and safety specialist Gary China.
hearing, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao said the
“But in general the evacuation went well
and in a timely manner. The building was
issue was very complicated and she would study
reopened shortly after,” he said.
it carefully.
The Smith building evacuation
Additional materials and information are
contrasted the botched evacuation of a
available on the AFL-CIO Web site at
newer office tower at the Empire State
www.aflcio.org/safety or from the AFL-CIO Safety
Plaza last year, where several handicapped
and Health Department, 815 16th Street N.W.,
workers were stranded on floors for almost
Washington, D.C. 20006. Phone: (202) 637-5366 or
an hour.
fax: (202) 508-6978.
Washington’s assault on new ergonomic standard
Unions including CSEA are gearing up for an
assault on the new federal ergonomic standards
which protect workers from injuries.
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) has vowed to have the
rule rescinded because he claims it will paralyze
business and increase the prices of goods and
services.
Enzi chairs the Senate subcommittee that
oversees the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA).
If successful, OSHA would be barred from
issuing safeguards to protect workers from the
nation’s biggest job safety problem.
Hundreds of thousands of workers would be
needlessly injured and crippled each year, union
activists said.
What members can do
Union members must tell elected officials how
important these new protections are to them and
give them the facts about the ergonomics
Page
12
THE WORK FORCE
March 2001
This time, everyone
got out quickly, safely
Member shared kidney with co-worker
Heart-to-heart talk about sharing organs, giving life
GENEVA — Some friends have heart-to-heart
talks at work.
Friends and school bus drivers Judy Ralston
and Dmytro “Jim” Malyj have kidney-to-kidney
talks.
These CSEA members were joined for life
when they shared an out-of-body experience —
Ralston’s kidney was put into Malyj’s body two
years ago.
Now they are encouraging co-workers to
donate their organs so others may live.
Ralston’s generous offer couldn’t be
accepted until a long series of tests showed it
would be a good match.
“I don’t have any regrets and no side effects.
If I didn’t touch the surgery scar on my back, I
wouldn’t even remember that I had done it. I
keep the same pace I always did, with the same
diet. I love my job, and love the kids,” Ralston
said.
Malyj, 70, began working for Geneva Schools
in 1968, and had retired in 1992, before
returning to work in 1994.
He takes daily anti-rejection medication since
the transplant, which he is “ever so thankful”
for, and he has slowly seen his color return
with his old energy.
An unbreakable bond
The two bus drivers were already friends, but
Ralston’s heroic donation of a kidney to Malyj,
who was suffering from hereditary kidney
failure, has brought them and their families
closer.
Donation ambassadors
“I sometimes kid him that he’s actually my
Malyj and Ralston have become
father, and that’s why my kidney was such a
ambassadors for transplant donation.
good match for him. I always tell him he got the
“What she did for me ..,” he stammered.
best kidney he could get,” Ralston said.
Tears welled in his eyes.
Not only was her kidney a good match, but
“He was surprised when I volunteered,” said
incredibly, doctors said, it was a better match
Ralston quietly.
than any of Malyj’s children or relatives who
“We both just wish more people would look
volunteered.
into organ donation, even if it means after they
“At work, we all had known
have passed on, by making your wishes
about Jim’s kidney problems
known to your loved ones, and a
well before we knew of his
notation on your driver’s license,”
transplant need,” said
Ralston explained.
Ralston, a mother of four.
“In fact, I had been helping
— Ron Wofford
him by giving him his shots
three times a week. I had a
handicapped daughter,
One humorous aspect
who passed away in ‘91,
of Ralston and
and I had learned a lot of
Malyj’s kidney
medical procedures from
transplant
taking care of her. So giving
experience was
him his shots was no
revealed during
problem for me.
a recent coffee
“So when Jim traveled to
break.
Florida, where he has
“He used to
family, over the Christmas
drink his
holiday to see his doctors,
coffee black,
I went with him primarily
while I always
to continue with giving him
take mine with
his shots,” Ralston said.
cream and
sugar,” said
The gift of life
Ralston.
When Dmytro’s doctors
“Now, he
told him he needed a
likes his the
kidney transplant and
same way I
asked if he had any donors,
do,” Ralston said.
Ralston immediately
“I guess the
volunteered.
transplant really worked.”
“My family thought I was
nuts,” Ralston quipped.
March 2001
Dmytro Malyj is thankful for the kidney
transplant given by friend and
co-worker Judy Ralston. Both are bus
drivers for the Geneva School District.
• Judy Ralston’s kidney donation to
co-worker Dmytro “Jim” Malyj
spared Malyj the usually long
wait for a potential donor and the
ordeal of weekly dialysis, a stopgap measure that mechanically
flushes the kidneys;
• Information on organ donation
and transplants can be found
online at www.unos.org, the Web
site of UNOS, the United Network
for Organ Sharing, a national
transplantation resource;
• As of Sept. 30, 2000, more than
46,000 people in the U.S. were
waiting for kidney transplants. In
1999, more than 6,000 patients
died while waiting for an organ
transplant, according to the
United Network for Organ
Sharing;
• A free transplant information kit
may be obtained by calling
toll-free 1-888-656-3327.
• If you’d like to be an organ
donor, sign the back of your
driver’s license in the presence
of a witness.
THE WORK FORCE
Page
13
First woman president
1934
Also in 1934:
omen have achieved
prominent and important roles
in CSEA the last
90 years.
W
A civil service worker in the state
Department of Taxation and Finance,
Thull served as CSEA’s vice
president from 1929 to 1934.
Beulah Bailey Thull,
the first woman president
of CSEA, served as the
11th president of the
union from 1934 to 1935.
She is the only woman to
have led the union to
date.
During her presidency,
the first chapter of the
union was formed in New
York City. She was also a
major force in the
development of the Group
Accident and Sickness
Insurance Plan.
Beulah Bailey Thull
Page
14
THE WORK FORCE
March 2001
❖ Auto maker Henry Ford restores the
$5-a-day wage;
❖ Bank robber John Dillinger is caught,
escapes;
❖ TWA begins commercial airline service;
❖ The U.S. steel industry raises wages 10
percent;
❖ 50 people are shot as police open fire
on striking truckers;
❖ The U.S. becomes a member of the
International Labor Organization;
❖ Hitler assumes the German presidency.
From apathy to union activist:
After hearing “you’re fired,” another worker makes the leap
BALDWINSVILLE — A few years ago,
CSEA member Guy Lyons wasn’t very
involved in her union.
She said she didn’t know how the union
worked, and didn’t think she needed it until
her working world turned upside down.
Lyons, a bus driver for the Baldwinsville
School District outside Syracuse, probably
would have remained uninvolved if she
hadn’t been fired
by the district and
later had her job
saved by CSEA.
“Prior to
everything I went
through, I wasn’t
active,” Lyons
said about her
union apathy.
Lyons
Getting the ax
Her turnaround
started when
Lyons hurt her
knee on the job.
After a year off
work, the district
fired her.
Within that time, Lyons’ doctor said she
could return to work, but the district
wouldn’t rehire her, claiming there were job
“requirements” that she wouldn’t be able to
perform — “requirements” she never had to
perform when she drove the bus.
CSEA entered the fray, asking the district
to accommodate Lyons’s physical
problems.
The district wouldn’t budge.
With CSEA’s help,
Lyons fought for her
job through the
Americans With
Disabilities Act
(ADA) and filed a
claim with the
federal Equal
Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
After a nine-month investigation, the
EEOC ruled the district violated the ADA
and must rehire Lyons with full back pay
and benefits.
“I was very happy to know CSEA was
there from the beginning to the end, and I
know that they’ll be there down the road if I
need them again,” Lyons said.
Giving back to the union
Lyons has since become the secretary of
her CSEA Unit and has served on its
contract negotiating team for the latest
contract talks.
She said she wants to give back to the
union and its members who stood up for
her.
“I will be there by their side as the union
was there by mine,” Lyons said.
— Mark M. Kotzin
Labor-religion fast to focus on
abuses faced by workers
CSEA is participating in the New York
State Labor-Religion Coalition’s sixth
annual “40 Hour Fast” this month on
behalf of New York’s working poor who
suffer in times of abundance.
This year’s “Invisible Workers, Hidden
Abuses” fast focuses on the abuses faced
by health aides, farm workers and day
laborers.
The fast, which begins Tuesday, March
27 at 8 p.m. and concludes Thursday,
March 29 at noon, provides an
opportunity to hunger for, reflect on and
act for fairness and justice.
For more information, contact Susan
Zucker at 518-459-5400 ext. 6294, or visit
CSEA’s Web site at:
www.csealocal1000.net/activist2.html
Honoring Harriet Tubman, others
Push to create state holiday honoring women
CSEA activists have gathered more than
10,000 signatures on petitions asking
lawmakers to put a holiday
honoring a woman on the
calendar.
With no state or national
holiday honoring a woman,
the CSEA Women’s
Committee and other groups
have collected the
signatures to designate
March 10 as an official state
holiday honoring
Underground Railroad
conductor Harriet Tubman.
A bill establishing that
holiday was introduced to
the state Legislature this year.
Lawmakers are also expected to consider
another bill that would name the four state
agency buildings in downtown Albany in
honor of Susan B. Anthony, Mother Frances
Xavier Cabrini, Harriet Tubman, and
Eleanor Roosevelt.
“CSEA supports giving these female
pioneers their rightful place in New York
State’s glorious history,” said CSEA’s
Executive Vice President Mary
Sullivan. “This union has always
supported legislation designed to
benefit working women,” she
added.
CSEA Secretary Barbara
Reeves recently told state
lawmakers Tubman should be
honored for her bravery and
courage. (See photo on pages
10-11.)
Tubman (1820-1913) is the
best known conductor of the
Underground Railroad, a network
of abolitionists who worked to
undermine slavery by helping slaves find
safe passage to the North and Canada.
A fugitive, Tubman risked some 19 return
trips to rescue about 300 slaves and never
lost a passenger.
Her courage and shrewdness during the
time she served in the Union army are well
known. During the Civil War, Tubman
served as a cook, a nurse, a scout for
raiding parties, and a spy behind
Confederate lines.
She is described as the first woman to
serve in active duty in the armed services
and the only woman in American history to
lead an armed attack during a state of war.
Tubman spent the rest of her life near
Auburn, where she used the military
pension awarded her by Congress to
establish a home for indigent aged blacks.
She is buried in Auburn.
— Ann Carroll
‘
March 2001
This union has always
supported legislation
designed to benefit working
women.
THE WORK FORCE
Page
15
Benefits provided by The Empire Plan
The Empire Plan is a comprehensive health insurance program for employees of New York State and their families. The plan has five main parts:
Benefits Management Program 1-800-992-1213
Intracorp administers the Empire Plan Benefits Management Program. If the Empire Plan is primary for you and/or your dependents, you must
call to receive precertification for scheduled hospital admissions or admission/transfer to a skilled nursing facility.
You must also call within 48 hours of an emergency or urgent hospital admission and to receive precertification prior to receiving a MRI.
Intracorp also provides discharge planning, voluntary medical case management and the high-risk pregnancy program.
Failure to contact Intracorp can result in a penalty being charged, or benefits being rejected as not being medically necessary.
Empire plan claims deadlines
for calendar year 2000
Empire Plan enrollees have until
March 31 (90 days after the end of the
calendar year) to submit medical
expenses that were incurred for the
2000 plan year to:
United Health Care Service Corp.
(Administrator for MetLife)
PO Box 1600
Kingston, NY 12402-1600
1-800-942-4640 (for claim forms or questions)
For the Empire Plan Basic Medical Program, the Home Care
Advocacy Program (HCAP) and for non-network physical
medicine services (MPN).
Empire HealthChoice, Inc. (formerly referred to as Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield) 518-367-0009 or 1-800-342-9815
Empire HealthChoice, Inc. pays for covered services provided in an inpatient or outpatient hospital setting as well as in a skilled nursing facility,
Center of Excellence for Transplants and hospice care.
Empire HealthChoice (Hospital)
Must call for pre-admission certification 1-800-992-1213. No copay or deductible for 365 days
per spell of illness, for medical/surgical care while inpatient in hospital.
Hospital Inpatient - semi private room
Hospital Outpatient - surgery, diagnostic laboratory and
radiology including services for mammograms, X-ray, lab,
pathology, EKG/EEG, etc.
$25 per visit - waived if admitted as an inpatient directly from the outpatient department
Physical Therapy
MPN 1-800-942-4640
$8 for medically necessary physical therapy following a related hospitalization or related
inpatient or outpatient surgery.
Emergency Room
$30 visit - waived if admitted.
Pre-admission certification required 1-800-992-1213. Covered in an approved facility when
medically necessary.
Skilled Nursing Facility - semi-private room
Centers of Excellence Transplant (bone marrow, peripheral,
stem cell, cord blood stem cell, heart, liver, lung, kidney,
heart/lung and pancreas/kidney) 1-800-342-9815
Hospice Care
Preauthorization requiredCenter of Excellence - No cost and travel, lodging, meal allowance available; Non-Center of
Excellence - accordance with hospital coverage or medical/surgical coverage under UHC.
Paid in full when provided by an approved hospice program.
United HealthCare 1-800-942-4640
United HealthCare is the insurer for medical expense benefits such as office visits, surgery and the Managed Physical Medicine Program.
UHC provides benefits for certain medical and surgical care in a hospital when not covered by Blue Cross. UHC benefits under medical/surgical are paid
under either the participating provider program or the basic medical program.
Call United HealthCare’s Home Care Advocacy Program (HCAP) at 1-800-638-9918 for home care services and durable medical equipment/supplies. Call
United HealthCare at 1-800-638-9918 for infertility benefits.
Provider/specialty office visits, office surgery
Laboratory and radiology diagnostic services including
mammograms, X-ray, lab, pathology, EKG/EEG
ValueOptions
PO Box 778
Troy, NY 12181-0778
1-800-446-3995 (for claim forms or questions)
For non-network mental health and substance abuse
services received in 2000.
Copay waived for preadmission testing prior to inpatient admission, chemotherapy, radiation
therapy or dialysis.
United HealthCare (E.P. Participating Provider)
PAR PROVIDER:
You pay $8 copay for each covered service per visit to a
participating provider. Max of two copayments per provider/visit
No copay for prenatal visits or well child exams
Routine Health Exams
$8 copay per visit to participating provider
Physical Therapy/Chiropractic Visits
$8 copay for office visit to MPN provider (additional $8 copay for
additional related radiology and diagnostic lab services billed by
MPN provider) **Guaranteed access to network benefits - call
MPN for approval
Home Care Advocacy Program (home care services,
skilled nursing services and durable medical
equipment/supplies)
1-800-638-9918
CIGNA/Express Scripts
Member Reimbursement/Claims Review Unit
PO Box 1180
Troy, NY 12181-1180
1-800-964-1888 (for claim forms or questions)
For prescriptions filled in 2000 at non-participating
pharmacies or without using your New York Government
Employee Benefit Card.
Participating providers/pharmacies will submit claims
directly to the appropriate insurance carrier on your behalf.
Members who have non-network claim submissions
should complete the requested subscriber information on the
claim forms, include the original billing or receipt (if
requested), and sign the claim form.
United HealthCare (E.P. Non-participating Provider)
*BASIC MEDICAL
Annual Deductible - $175 enrollee; $175 enrolled spouse/domestic partner, $175 all dependent children.
Coinsurance - Empire Plan pays 80 percent of reasonable and customary charges for covered services
after you meet deductible.
Coinsurance Maximum - $776 per employee and covered dependents combined. After max reached,
benefits are paid 100 percent of R&C for covered services.
For non-participating providers, up to $250 per year for active employees age 50 or older, and up to
$250 per year for an active employee’s covered spouse/domestic partner age 50 or older. This benefit
is not subject to deductible or coinsurance.
Non-Participating MPN Provider
Annual deductible - $250; Coinsurance - 50% of network allowance after deductible; Annual Maximum
Benefit - $1,500 annual maximum benefit.
Paid-in-full network benefits - Precertification required. Call and
arrange covered home care services for durable medical
equipment and supplies, including oxygen, nebulizers, insulin
pumps medijectors, etc.
Diabetic Supplies - call 1-888-306-7337
Ostomy Supplies - call 1-800-354-4054
Infertility - Center of Excellence 1-800-638-9918
Center of Excellence - paid in full subject to benefit max.
All authorized procedures subject to $25,000 lifetime max Non-Center/Participating Provider - authorized procedures paid
per individual
according to copay and benefit max.
Non-network - the first 48 hours of home nursing care are not covered
Ambulatory Surgical Center
*Basic Medical for non-participating centers
Hearing Aids
Ambulance
$15 copay covers facility, same-day on-site testing and
anesthesiology charges for covered services at participating
surgical center.
Up to $1,000 every 4 years (every 2 years for children)
See non-par benefit
*Basic Medical Annual Deductible - $175; Coinsurance - 50% of network allowance
Non-Center/Non-Participating Provider - authorized care according to *Basic Medical and benefit max.
Up to $1,000 every 4 years (every 2 years for children)
$35 copay for local professional ambulance charges. Voluntary ambulance services up to $50 donation
for under 50 miles and up to $75 donation for 50 miles and over.
ValueOptions (administrator for GHI) 1-800-446-3995
ValueOptions administers mental health and substance abuse benefits.
Inpatient Mental Health/Substance Abuse
(All benefits based on determination of medical
necessity by ValueOptions)
Outpatient Mental Health/Substance Abuse
(All benefits based on determination of medical
necessity by ValueOptions)
ValueOptions Network
No cost;
Mental Health - unlimited when medically necessary
Substance Abuse - 3 stays per lifetime.
Mental Health - $15/visit
Substance Abuse - $8 visit
Unlimited when medically necessary
Non--Network
Annual deductible - $2,000; Coinsurance - 50% of network allowance; Mental Health - 30 days/calendar
year; Substance Abuse - 1 stay per year, 3 stays per lifetime; Annual Limit - Substance Abuse $50,000
Lifetime Limit - Substance Abuse $100,000
Annual Deductible - $500; Coinsurance - 50 percent of network allowance; Mental Health - 30
visits/calendar year; Substance Abuse - 30 visits/calendar year; Annual Limit - Substance Abuse
$50,000; Lifetime Limit - Substance Abuse $100,000
CIGNA/Express Scripts 1-800-964-1888
CIGNA insures prescription drugs and the mail service pharmacy.
Express Scripts
Prescription Drugs 1-800-964-1888
At a participating pharmacy, you pay $3 for generic drugs and $13 for brand name drugs that have no generic equivalent. If you fill a prescription for a brand name drug
that has a generic equivalent, you pay your brand name copayment plus the difference in cost between the brand-name drug and its generic equivalent. One copayment
covers up to a 90-day supply at either a participating pharmacy or through mail service. Prior authorization is required for certain drugs.
At a non-participating pharmacy, you pay the full cost and then submit a claim for partial reimbursement.
Page
16
THE WORK FORCE
March 2001
The Work Force
January 2001
2001 CSEA ELECTIONS Info
Local, Unit elections scheduled for 2001
Elections will be conducted for all
Local officers, for delegates and
for all Unit officers
The term of office for all current
Local officers, delegates and Unit
officers expires June 30, 2001.
Public sector officers and delegates
will be elected to four-year terms.
Private sector officers and delegates
will be elected to three-year terms.
Each Local and Unit executive
board must select its own Election
Committee and committee
chairperson. The Local and/or Unit
Election Committee is primarily
responsible for conducting the
election.
Slate petitioning and slate voting
will be an option for candidates for
Local and Unit office (see adjacent
information).
Members may run as individual
candidates if they wish.
Attention: Local, Unit presidents
Did you send Election Committee
Data Form to CSEA
headquarters?
During early February,
members of registered Election
Committees received an election
package to help them carry out
their election duties. As long as
Election Committee forms
continue to be received, packages
will be mailed.
CSEA headquarters cannot
send material and information to
any appointed Election
Committee without receiving the
completed committee form from
the Local or Unit president.
Inquiries concerning election
materials may be directed to the
CSEA Records Maintenance
Department at 1-800-342-4146,
ext. 1214.
Nominating procedure for
small CSEA Locals and Units:
special election rules apply
The union’s election rules require a minimum of
10 signatures on nominating petitions for office in
all Locals and Units. However, this requirement
causes problems for potential candidates for office
in Locals and Units with 10 or fewer members.
Special election rules apply for CSEA Locals and
Units of 10 or fewer members.
In these smaller Locals and Units, completion of
the Application for Election to Office replaces the
requirement to obtain signatures on a nominating
petition.
In Locals or Units with 10 or fewer members,
any member who submits the application and
meets election requirements under the appropriate
Local or Unit Constitution will be placed on the
ballot.
Important Information about
slate petitioning and slate voting
Local Elections
In Local elections, a slate must contain a candidate running for the
offices of president, one or more vice presidents as set forth in the Local’s
By-Laws, secretary and treasurer.
The slate may also include candidates for other offices which have
been created according to the Local Constitution and By-Laws. In Locals
which have created the combined position of secretary-treasurer in their
By-Laws, the slate must include a candidate for that office.
Unit Elections
In Unit elections, a slate must contain a candidate running for the
offices of president, one or more vice presidents as set forth in the Unit’s
By-Laws, secretary and treasurer.
The slate may also include candidates for other offices which have
been created according to the Unit Constitution and By-Laws. In Units
which have created the combined position of secretary-treasurer in their
By-Laws, the slate must include a candidate for that office.
Candidates should know the following:
✓ A member cannot be a candidate for officer and for delegate on the
same slate. An officer candidate must circulate a separate nominating
petition in order to appear on the ballot also as a candidate for delegate.
The member will appear on the ballot as a candidate for office as part of
the slate and as an individual for the position of delegate.
✓ Candidates who run as a slate must complete a Slate Consent Form
and a Slate Petition Request Form. By petitioning as a slate, candidates
who appear as part of a slate need to submit only one set of the required
number of signatures to qualify as a candidate. Individual petitions are not
necessary for slate candidates.
✓ Candidates who withdraw from a slate must complete a Slate
Withdrawal Form.
More detailed information about election slates will be available from
Local and Unit election committees.
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.
Note, however, you must continue to pay dues to
run for office. Dues-free or gratuitous membership
allows members to continue their insurance coverage
while out of work. It does not protect your right to run
for or hold office.
You must notify the CSEA Membership Records
Department at 1-800-342-4146, Ext. 1327, of any change
in your status and what arrangements you are making
to continue your membership in CSEA.
March 2001
T H E W O R K F O R C E Page 17
New program launches this spring:
Training and coaching new leaders are key to CSEA’s growth
Leadership that empowers is the theme and goal of an ambitious
leadership development program CSEA is launching this spring.
The program will give CSEA leaders the next generation of skills they
need to confront the critical challenges as CSEA evolves as a union, said
CSEA President Danny Donohue.
“We have an education agenda in this organization in keeping with our
priority areas of organizing, representation and political action,”
Donohue said.
“And we’re going to ensure that we can pursue those priority areas by
having the best trained group of union activists you can find,” the
president added.
Take ownership
Perhaps the most critical challenge
the union faces is getting rank-and-file
members to take ownership in their
union, union leaders said.
A key component of the program
will give leaders strategies to overcome
some of the barriers that prevent them
from empowering members in their
Local or Unit to become active in the
union.
“If we want to change how our
members view, feel, think and care
about the union then first we as leaders
have to change,” Donohue said. “We no
longer can lead the way we did for the
past 15 or 20 years.”
Entering a new millennium in union building
“CSEA needs to develop leaders for this new millennium — people
who are thinking differently than they did in 1920 about what the union
means to the working person they represent,” added CSEA Executive
Vice President Mary Sullivan.
To Sullivan, who serves as officer advisor to CSEA’s Education
Committee, the program is about union building.
“We have to get into a person’s life and make ourselves relevant to
their life,” Sullivan explained.
Get to know the members better
“And the only way to do that is to get to know them better, to
communicate better with them,” she said.
“You have to hook into something, and part of this leadership training
will help leaders identify various strategies they can use,” Sullivan
added.
One of those strategies,
program organizers said, is
getting rank-and-file members to
see the union as more than just
some outside entity that files
grievances and negotiates
contracts.
To do this, leaders will learn
how to identify workplace and
Page
18
THE WORK FORCE
March 2001
community issues members are concerned about and empower them to
get involved, develop solutions and take control of their situation.
Give the membership power
“If we can teach
When you explain to the
our leadership to
listen and to take
members: ‘look, you’re not
advantage of the
going to get something
suggestions that
unless you go out there and
the membership
gives them, to
fight for it,’ that will get
teach them how to
them to think.
involve and
— JOE ARAVENA
delegate, it will
make us a better
union,” Sullivan said.
“It will give the
membership some power,
which is what we want,” she
added.
To CSEA Education
Committee Chair Joe
Aravena, empowering
members is a matter of
survival.
“We have to get the
rank-and-file involved
because the current leaders
are moving on. We’re not going to last forever,” Aravena said.
“So the new membership — we have to educate them and train them
because somebody’s got to stay and take over.
“When you explain to the members: ‘look, you’re not going to get
something unless you go out there and fight for it,’ that will get them to
think. And you have to send that message to them,” Aravena said.
‘
A more exciting union
The real benefit of the program will be a more exciting union for our
members, said CSEA
Director of Education and
Training Maureen Rizzi.
“Getting our leaders
excited about involving
others creates an
excitement for the rest of
the members,” Rizzi said.
“The members will see
that ‘this is something that
is relevant to me, that
means something to me,
that I’m invested in.’ And then, in turn, they’re going to take a step
forward and say ‘I want to be a part of this.’ That’s the point,” Rizzi said.
— Ed Molitor
Members fight for workplace and community issues, such as working the
phone banks during an election, demonstrating against union-busting tactics
in Long Beach, protesting layoffs in Nassau County and rallying for a fair
contract at the “We’ve Got The Power” rally in Albany last year.
CSEA offering $23,000 in scholarships
Graduating high school seniors who are
sons or daughters of CSEA-represented
employees are eligible to apply for a total of
$23,000 in scholarships offered by or through
CSEA. A single application covers three
scholarship programs.
Application deadline is April 15
Applications for the scholarships are
available from CSEA Local and Unit presidents
and at CSEA headquarters, region and satellite
offices. Applications must be filed by April 15.
Winners will be notified in June and winners
announced in The Work Force. The CSEA
scholarship program is administered by the
CSEA Memorial Scholarship Committee.
Irving Flaumenbaum Memorial Scholarships
Eighteen Irving Flaumenbaum Memorial
Scholarships will be awarded to graduating
high school seniors who are sons or daughters
of CSEA members. Three $1,000
scholarships will be awarded
in each of CSEA’s six regions.
The awards are presented
in memory of the late Irving
Flaumenbaum, who was a
spirited CSEA activist for
more than three decades. He was president of
CSEA Long Island Region and an AFSCME
International vice president at the time of his
death.
Go to CSEA’s Web site for this
month’s CSEA Today column:
http://www.csealocal1000.net
JLT Award
One $2,500 JLT Award scholarship will be
awarded to a graduating high school senior
entering higher education in the SUNY system.
The top 2 percent of scholastic achievers,
based on high school average, class rank and
SAT scores will be selected to create the
eligibility pool for this scholarship.
This award is provided by JLT and is given
in memory of Charles Foster, a long-time CSEA
activist beginning in the 1930s who became the
first business officer of the SUNY system.
The column will return to this
page next month.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
CSEA EMPLOYEE BENEFIT FUND VISION
PLAN IMPROVEMENT
The CSEA Employee Benefit Fund
announces an administrative
improvement in the Vision Care Benefit
provided for state and local
government participating units.
MetLife Award
One $2,500 MetLife Award will be presented
to a graduating high school senior and is not
limited to a student entering the
SUNY system. The top 2 percent
of scholastic achievers, based on
high school average, class rank
and SAT scores will be selected to
create the eligibility pool for this
scholarship.
The new system improvement will make obtaining your benefit
simple and quick by eliminating the need to obtain a vision
plan voucher prior to receiving services.
In addition, you will have access to an automated Interactive
Voice Response (IVR) unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
making it much more convenient to use the vision care benefit
when the need arises.
Effective March 5, you may call the CSEA Employee Benefit
Fund at 1-800-323-2732 to verify your eligibility for vision
services, listen to the providers in your area and make an
appointment with the participating provider of your choice.
Procedure protects rights
AFSCME’s Constitution includes a rebate
procedure to protect the rights of members who
disagree with how the union spends money for
partisan political or ideological purposes.
Article IX, Section 11 of the International
Constitution, which establishes the procedure for
dues rebates for members who object to AFSCME’s
partisan political or ideological expenditures, was
amended at AFSCME’s 33rd International
Convention.
The amended language requires those persons
who object to the expenditure of dues for political
or ideological purposes submit their objection in
writing to both the International Union and CSEA
Local 1000 by certified mail between April 1 and
April 16 (dates inclusive) each year for the prior
year ending Dec. 31.
The timing of the steps in the procedure is tied
to the International’s fiscal year. The procedure,
including the requirements for submitting a proper
rebate request, were modified by a constitutional
amendment adopted by the 1998 International
Convention. As modified, those procedures and
requirements are spelled out in Article IX, Section
11 of the International Constitution. THESE
REQUIREMENTS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.
Here’s how it works. Members who object to the
expenditure of a portion of their dues for partisan
political or ideological purposes and want to
request a rebate must do so individually in writing
between April 1 and April 16, 2001. That request
must be timely filed by registered or certified
mail with: the International Secretary-Treasurer
and the CSEA Statewide Treasurer. The requests
must contain the following information: name,
Social Security number, home address and the
AFSCME local to which dues were paid during the
preceding year. This information must be typed or
legibly printed. The individual request must be
signed by the member and sent by the individual
member to: International Secretary-Treasurer at
AFSCME Headquarters, 1625 L St., N.W.,
The participating provider will obtain an authorization number.
No paperwork or voucher will be necessary.
Washington, D.C. 20036-5687; and CSEA Statewide
Treasurer, Empire State Plaza Station, P. O. Box
2611, Albany, N.Y. 12214-0218. Requests for more
than one person may not be sent in the same
envelope. Each request must be sent individually.
Requests must be renewed in writing every year
the member wishes a rebate.
Upon receipt by the International of a valid
rebate request, an application for partisan political
or ideological rebate will be sent to the objecting
member. The objecting member will be required to
complete and return the application in a timely
manner. In accordance with the constitutional
amendment adopted at the 1998 International
Convention, the application will require the
objecting member to identify those partisan or
political or ideological activities to which objection
is being made, and no rebate will be made to any
member who fails to complete that portion of the
application. In determining the amount of the rebate
to be paid to any member, the International Union
and each subordinate body shall have the option of
limiting the rebate to the member’s pro-rata share
of the expenses for those activities specifically
identified in the application.
Upon receipt by CSEA of the valid, certified
request, the constitutional maximum of 3 percent
rebate will be processed. No phone calls or e-mail
correspondence will be accepted.
Any member who is dissatisfied with the amount
of the rebate paid by the International Union may
object by filing a written appeal with the AFSCME
Judicial Panel within 15 days after the rebate check
has been received. Appeals should be sent to the
Judicial Panel Chairperson at the AFSCME
International Headquarters at the address listed
above. The Judicial Panel will conduct a hearing
and issue a written decision on such appeals,
subject to an appeal to the full Judicial Panel. If
dissatisfied with the Judicial Panel’s ruling, a
member can appeal to the next International
Convention.
Vouchers will continue to be issued through March 2 and they
will be honored for services through their expiration date.
To receive services from a non-participating provider, you must
call the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund at 1-800-323-2732 to verify
eligibility for services and request a claim form.
After services have been provided, send the completed form to
the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund for reimbursement.
“We are pleased to be able to provide this positive change in
the vision care benefit that our members now enjoy,” said
CSEA President and Employee Benefit Fund Chairman Danny
Donohue.
“As always, CSEA Employee Benefit Fund staff welcomes your
suggestions and input and we will continue to provide you and
your family members with the high quality service you expect
and deserve,” Donohue added.
Scheduled AFSCME
dues adjustment
The scheduled adjustment in membership dues and agency
shop fees was effective Jan. 1, 2001 to reflect AFSCME’s minimum
dues structure approved by delegates at the 1998 AFSCME
convention and reported to the membership in 1999.
The change applies to annualized salaries, not including
overtime or location pay, based on salary at Jan. 1, 2001. No
adjustments will be made during the year for raises or
increments.
New hourly and per diem employees have dues deducted at
the “Under $5,000” category of $3.98 bi-weekly.
CSEA’s membership dues and agency shop fee structure
effective Jan. 1, 2001:
Annual earnings Bi-weekly rate
Annual earnings
Bi-weekly rate
Under $5,000
$5,000-$9,999
10,000-12,999
13,000-15,999
16,000-21,999
22,000-27,999
28,000-29,000
30,000-31,000
32,000-33,999
34,000-35,999
36,000-37,999
38,000-39,999
40,000+
13.30
14.18
14.96
15.25
16.08
16.92
17.35
March 2001
$3.98
5.98
8.22
10.25
11.61
13.03
THE WORK FORCE
Page
19
informative.
interactive.
convenient.
➤
➤
➤
There are now
more reasons
than ever to visit
CSEA online…
One new feature is a
collection of
informative booklets
on a variety of safety
and health topics you
can download.
w w w. c s e a l o c a l 1 0 0 0 . n e t
Just the start of
exciting changes online for
CSEA members!
CSEA state
contracts (ASU,
ISU, OSU and
DMNA) are
now available
on CSEA’s
Web site.