Volume 10 No. 7
July/August 2007
Towering
challenges
New York’s
parks at risk
See Pages 3, 4 and 8
Photo of the Month
Photo by Mark Kotzin
CSEA member Mary Kimball, a bus driver for the Phoenix
Central School District, looks out from the ‘rolled over’ back of
the safety training bus she is building. Kimball has spearheaded
the effort to raise the $26,000 needed to build the bus to help
train students, bus drivers and emergency rescue personnel on
how to safely evacuate a bus under various conditions. CSEA is a
sponsor of the safety bus, and you can read more about
Kimball’s efforts in the September edition of the CSEA Work
Force. To learn about how you can help contribute to the safety
bus building, visit: http://sbttoc.blogspot.com.
Wanted: Labor Relations Specialists
CSEA is soliciting resumes for anticipated LRS vacancies in
various locations throughout state. Requires knowledge of labor
relations, ability to negotiate/administer contracts, resolve
employer/employee conflicts. Operate independently & schedule
work load. Excellent benefits/career ladder. Drivers license/car
for business use. High school/GED & 3 years fulltime related
experience or BA in related field or acceptable combination of
work experience and education. Email cseajobs@cseainc.org or
send resume to P.O. Box 7125, Capitol Station, Albany, NY 12224.
CSEA is an equal opportunity employer.
NEW YORK’S
LEADING UNION
ALERT
CSEA President Danny Donohue
to meet Central Region member on Aug. 15
CSEA President Danny Donohue will visit the CSEA Central Region on August 15 to meet with members.
The meetings will be held at the Binghamton Satellite Office, 71 State Street, Bache Building, 1st floor,
Binghamton.
Donohue will meet with union members from 1 to 7 p.m. Please call the Central Region office at (315) 433-0050 or
1-800-559-7975 for an appointment and directions.
Page 2
THE WORK FORCE
July/August 2007
Poll favors Clinton
Straw and telephone polling of
CSEA members show that union
members would be most likely to vote
for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton in next
year’s presidential election.
In a first-time, comprehensive effort
to get the input of both activist and
non-activist CSEA members, President
Danny Donohue asked union leaders
and the Political Action Department to
conduct straw polls at membership
meetings and conferences across the
state.
The straw poll ballot included the
names of every declared candidate for
U.S. president and a section for
“other.” In addition, an ongoing
telephone poll has gathered the
opinions of more than 10,000 CSEA
members.
“Hillary Clinton is clearly the choice
of the membership,” Donohue said,
noting Clinton’s 3-1 edge in poll
results. “We are not going to stop the
straw polls or the telephone poll, but
the results are showing that CSEA
members like Hillary Clinton and want
to see her as the next president of the
United States.”
The New York primary is set for to
Feb. 5, 2008.
State talks raise concerns
TROY — CSEA has growing concerns
over attempts to negotiate new
contracts for the four state Executive
Branch Units. The contracts expired
March 31.
The state’s desired changes on
health insurance would impose
excessive cost shifts to employees,
including premium and co-pay hikes.
“We’re concerned. We’re not sure
the state clearly understands what
they’re laying on the table in terms of
costs to our members,” CSEA
President Danny Donohue said.
“Just saving the state money by
shifting costs to employees is unfair
and shortsighted,” said CSEA Chief
Negotiator Ross Hanna.
Hanna suggested the state work
with other large employers, such as
the state of California, to shake up the
health care industry, force reforms
and provide quality health care
without offensive cost shifting to
employees.
As negotiations continue, regular
updates will be posted at:
www.csealocal1000.org
SUNY Upstate Medical Center saved
Apparent agreement has been
reached on the future of Upstate
University Medical Hospital and
Crouse Hospital in Syracuse with the
help of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Senate
Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The agreement comes as CSEA and
other unions mounted an intense
public campaign to protect the quality
and availability of health care services
in central New York.
“This agreement between Upstate
Medical University Hospital and
Crouse Hospital is welcome news and
an example of responsive government.
It addresses serious issues that CSEA
and others raised as flaws in the
Berger Commission recommendations
that could have undermined the
quality and access to health care in
central New York,” said CSEA
President Danny Donohue.
CSEA, joined with other unions,
mounted an intensive television, radio
and print advertising blitz. The union
represents 1,350 workers at the
hospital.
Fatality at SUNY Farmingdale
Henry Williams, 63, a groundskeeper
at SUNY Farmingdale, was killed when
the tractor he was operating fell off a
70-foot embankment, crushing him
underneath.
CSEA’s Occupational Safety and
Health Department is investigating the
incident.
More details about the investigation
will be reported in the next Work Force.
Guarding state’s
natural treasures
CSEA members keep state parks looking
pristine, depsite lack of funding
T
he state of the Water Tower in
Jones Beach State Park says it
all for Adam Katz.
“The one defining feature is the
Water Tower and it’s in a state of
disrepair,” Katz said during a
recent visit before the start of the
busy summer season.
Katz, an electrician, pointed to
cracks in the interior and exterior
of the historic landmark and
gaping holes where weatherbeaten bricks exposed rusting
steel beams.
“It’s never been the greatest
spot to work in,” said Katz of the
tower, which stores some 340,000
gallons of water in a 147-foot tank
that feeds the entire park,
including swimming pools.
The landmark tower is a
metaphor for many of New York’s
parks in general. A recent report
by Parks and Trails New York, a
non-profit association dedicated to
improving New York's parks, is
urging the state to better fund the
state Department of Parks and
Recreation, which oversees the
state’s parks. Parks Commissioner
Carol Ash even cited the report in
her budget testimony.
While not critical of local or
even regional parks management,
Katz and his co-workers seemed
puzzled by the state’s
unwillingness to generate longterm solutions and not just quick,
cheap fixes.
Leaky pools
Jones Beach pools are also
heavily used and, according to
workers, in dire need of an
overhaul.
Jeff Lecky pointed to white
spots on the deck of the swimming
pool on a recent morning.
“Every white spot, that’s us,”
said Lecky, a mason. Lecky and his
co-workers have been patching up
the pool’s deck ever since a
private contractor came in about
three years ago and used incorrect
materials that have since cracked
and crumbled.
The pool itself, said Lecky, is
also losing about 30,000 gallons of
water a day.
“We were supposed to replace
Devon Sherman, right, and Rod MacDuff, prepare a building area in
Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. Like their union brothers and
sisters at other state parks, they do their best with what they have
to maintain one of New York’s premier parks.
Tom Tesoriero is a filter plant operator at Jones Beach State Park.
Like many CSEA members across the state working in the parks
system, he’s had to do more with less in maintaining park
infrastructure.
the expansion joints in the pool,
begun on a multimillion dollar
but with the rush to open the pool
restaurant and catering hall that
we were never able to put them
will be leased to real estate mogul
in,” said mason Michael June.
Donald Trump. It is scheduled to
While acknowledging that the
open next year.
buildings are old
The project has
Jones Beach facts
and in need of
kept park
constant upkeep,
plumbers like Mike
• 6.5 miles of beaches
June and Lecky
Lee perpetually
• 8 million visitor a year
agreed that in order • Considered one of most busy ripping out
to keep the park
irrigation lines,
beautiful parks in the
running properly
digging holes, and
world
and earning
winterizing every
revenue they needed to keep it
one of the fields while also making
operational. There are also
sure they repair boilers, fix clogs,
obvious safety issues. “We don’t
and stop drips.
want anyone to get hurt,” said
At one point there were five
Lecky.
plumbers in his shop, but now
As Robert Moses’ first major
they have three. With a high
public project in the early 1930s,
turnover rate, Lee said matter-ofJones Beach State Park was always
factly, “sometimes I’m here alone.”
touted as one of the most beautiful
parks in the world, free from
— David Galarza
housing developers and private
clubs, and instead is open for the
See President’s Column, Page 4,
general public.
related stories, Page 8
Yet, the times seem to be
changing. New construction has
July/August 2007
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
LOU HMIELESKI
Executive Editor
JANICE MARRA
Associate Editor
CATHLEEN FEBRAIO
Graphic Production Specialist
JANICE M. KUCSKAR
Graphic Production Specialist
BETH McINTYRE
Communications Assistant
The Work Force (USPS 0445-010) is
published monthly by The CSEA Publication Office:
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
Periodical Mail Postage paid at Post Office,
Albany, New York 12288.
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
CSEA, Attn: Membership Department,
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210.
CSEA on-line: The CSEA website
can be accessed at www.csealocal1000.org
Readers:
Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to:
Publisher, The Work Force, 143 Washington Avenue,
Albany, NY 12210-2303.
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S A S S O C I AT E S
RICHARD IMPAGLIAZZO
DAVID GALARZA
JESSICA LADLEE
THERESE ASSALIAN
MARK M. KOTZIN
LYNN MILLER
ED MOLITOR
JILL ASENCIO
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) 691-6555
Headquarters
(518) 257-1272
(518) 257-1276
New York’s parks are a resource
that must be protected
N
ew York is truly blessed with the finest parks and
recreational facilities that you will find anywhere in
the world. In every part of the state CSEA members are
directly responsible for their upkeep, operations and
administration.
Whether it’s world class destinations such as
Niagara Falls and Jones Beach, regional amusement
attractions like Rye Playland or hugely popular local
parks and beaches, these facilities make a great impact
on our quality of life and add enormously to the state and local
governments’ bottom line. More than 55 million people visited state parks
alone last year.
Last fall, Parks & Trails New York, an advocacy organization for the
state’s park system, detailed the negative consequences of years of underfunding and deferred maintenance. The report pointed out an enormous
backlog of essential infrastructure projects and deteriorating conditions at
numerous parks simply because there isn’t enough help and resources to
keep up with routine maintenance.
CSEA members can tell you the same thing and many of them do on
the pages of this edition.
There are some hopeful signs — the New York state Office of Parks,
Recreation, and Historic Preservation offered 600 long-term seasonal
employees permanent full-time employment at CSEA’s prodding — but more
needs to be done.
The Publications Committee
LONG ISLAND REGION Jane D’Amico
METROPOLITAN REGION Annie Campbell
SOUTHERN REGION Deborah Downey
CAPITAL REGION Vacant
CENTRAL REGION Doreen Gilbert
WESTERN REGION Mary Jo Tubbs
Page
4
THE WORK FORCE
Our parks and recreation resources did not just happen. They are
the result of wise forethought and planning coupled with commitment and
follow through dating back to Teddy Roosevelt’s days in Albany. Today, we
need to see that same wisdom and commitment at all levels of government
if we are to preserve and strengthen this most important resource.
July/August 2007
CSEA members lend hands,
hearts to Special Olympics
ALBANY — CSEA
members from across
the state volunteered for
the recent Special
Olympics Summer
Games held at the
University at Albany and
nearby Capital District
venues.
CSEA served as a
major sponsor of the
games again this year,
and CSEA members
volunteered for tasks
including retrieving
game balls, preparing
box lunches for athletes
and helping register
other volunteers for this
heartwarming event.
CSEA Central Region
Judiciary Local member
Christine Chrzanowski
traveled to Albany from
her home in Lewis
County to volunteer at
the registration table. “I
hope to come back
every year,” she said.
CSEA members
employed on the
operational staff at the
University at Albany also
played an integral role in
the games’ success.
More than 2,000
athletes from across
New York State
competed in eight
Olympic-style events
during the three-day
Special Olympics
Summer Games.
Special Olympics athletes, coaches and volunteers
share in their victories during the Games, including
above after a track and field event. (Photo provided
by Gary O’Rourke)
Left, University at Albany Local member Patti
Seguin folds T-shirts at the Special Olympics’
merchandise table. “It’s for a good cause and I
love to help people,” she said.
Bender honored with CSEA local government
division Mission Achievement Award
E
rie County Local
President Joan Bender
was selected as the
2007 recipient CSEA
Mission Achievement
Award for the Local
Government Division.
The union honored
Bender with the award for
her leadership and strong
efforts to fight for her
members in the face of the
county’s severe fiscal crisis
in 2005.
As county employees
grappled with major
budget cuts and layoffs,
Bender helped lead CSEA
members through the
crisis, constantly keeping
them informed of
developments and
mobilized them to action.
“Some people in her
situation might be tempted
to throw up their hands
and throw in the towel, but
not Joan,” CSEA President
Danny Donohue said. “She
was out there on the front
lines leading her
membership through their
budget crisis, keeping them
informed, pressing for
action and winning their
support and respect in the
process.”
Bender is now leading
her members through
another crisis, fighting the
Berger Commission’s
recommendation to close
“A
fter taking the CSEA ELearning Course online I
found I had a new attitude about
taking civil service
examinations. During a recent
civil service test, I found that I
was more patient and persistent,
that my anxiety level shrunk
immensely and I walked out
with a more positive feeling. ELearning helped me discover
my weak points and guarded
me against test-taking tricks. I
would recommend this course to
CSEA members who seek to
improve their test-taking skills.
CSEA President Danny Donohue, left, and Western
Region President Flo Tripi, right, congratulate Erie
County Local President Joan Bender on receiving the
union’s Mission Achievement Award at the Spring
Workshop. (More on Page 15.)
Erie County Medical Center
and a private Buffalo area
”
hospital and merge the
hospitals into a new entity.
July/August 2007
— Leola Johnson, Buffalo
State Employees Local, on
using the CSEA E-Learning
Course online. Find out more
at www.csealocal1000.org.
THE WORK FORCE
Page
5
Auburn Correctional Facility
worker lauded as hero
“He’s the kind
of employee
you’d hope
would be
working
alongside you
if you ever got
into trouble.”
AUBURN — When Auburn
Correctional Facility
worker and CSEA member
Tony Rebich looked into a
hallway security mirror
last year and saw an
inmate on another civilian
worker, he didn’t think
about being a hero.
Fast intervention
He quickly activated an
alarm, yelled “hey,” and
started running at the
inmate.
Rebich fought the
inmate, getting punched
and slammed into a
concrete wall, giving
Rebich a concussion.
Still, Rebich got up and
chased the inmate until he
jumped off a nearby
loading dock into a
populated area of the
maximum-security prison.
The inmate was quickly
captured and prosecuted
for the assault.
Rebich ran back to his
co-worker, brought her
back to the storehouse
where he works as a
principal stores clerk and
waited for help to arrive.
“She was pretty shook
up,” he said. The woman
sustained minor injuries,
thanks to his swift
intervention.
Rebich’s quick actions
earned him the
Department of
Correctional Services’
most prestigious award,
the Medal of Honor, which
he recently received from
state Correctional Services
Commissioner Brian
Fischer in an Albany
ceremony.
Rebich is one of only a
handful of civilian
employees ever to receive
the honor.
A “true hero”
Rebich said he was just
doing what he’s paid to do.
“At this facility, you’ve
got to watch each other’s
back,” he said. “I don’t
know if I’m different than
anyone else. It’s just a
relief that I was there to
help.”
New York state Correctional Services Commissioner
Brian Fischer, back to camera, presents CSEA member
Tony Rebich with the Department’s Medal of Honor in
Albany. (Photo by Brittany Worgan)
He’s just very humble,
said Auburn Correctional
Facility Local President
Patricia Casler, who called
Rebich a ‘true hero.’
“We’re very proud of
him,” she said. “He’s a
hero. He saved her life.
He’s the kind of employee
you’d hope would be
working alongside you if
you ever got into trouble.”
Rebich admitted, “I
don’t take pats on the
back very well,” but said
he was grateful for the
honor.
“After it was all done, I
was quite honored,” he
said. “It was really a very
nice ceremony.”
— Mark M. Kotzin
County to hire more social services caseworkers
“Y
ou can only Band-aid
stuff so much.
”
— Adam Katz, electrician,
Jones Beach State Park,
speaking about the need
for more parks funding.
See pages 3, 8.
Page
6
THE WORK FORCE
SCHENECTADY — Department of Social
Services employees in Schenectady
County are welcoming county officials’
new plan to hire 18 additional
employees, mostly caseworkers, for
the overstretched department.
Following a highly publicized abuse
case and subsequent changes in
reporting and investigation
procedures, the department’s Family
and Children’s Services intake unit saw
an 18 percent increase in reported
cases of child abuse and neglect, while
the Family Support Unit, which helps
families dealing with substance abuse,
mental health and other problems, saw
a 40 percent increase in cases last year.
These cases are on top of already
heavy caseloads, which can run as
high as 35 cases per month. The state
July/August 2007
recommends caseworkers
handle no more than 75
active cases per year.
The increased
caseloads and the
additional responsibilities
associated with them
prompted CSEA to further
pressure the county for
some relief. CSEA had long
made an issue of the
extreme caseloads and has continually
pushed the county for relief in the
form of increased staffing in social
services.
“We appreciate the efforts of the
county legislature to keep children
safe,” Schenectady County Local
President Joanne DeSarbo said. “It’s
unfortunate that it took an abuse case
of such magnitude to
make them realize we are
short-staffed. For some
time now, we have been
doing whatever we can to
draw attention to this
staffing crisis.”
Staffers have also long
complained of outdated
technology, bureaucracy
and excessive paperwork
that combine to make an already
difficult job even harder.
“The new hires are a good starting
point,” DeSarbo said. “Hopefully, more
changes will come about that will
further assist employees in the
Department of Social Services.”
— Therese Assalian
Case reporting program problematic across state
CSEA hears social services
workers’ ‘Connections’ concerns
WAMPSVILLE — CSEA has
begun a statewide
“listening tour” to meet
with social services
workers to hear their
stories and concerns with
the Connections computer
program they are
mandated to use for case
reporting.
CSEA Director of Field
and Member Services
Steve Alviene, who’s
holding the union
meetings, said the
Connections program was
brought into social
services departments
statewide in 1997 due to a
federal requirement.
Workers have had
problems with the
program, developed by a
Texas company, from the
start.
“Ten years and 19 fixes
later, it’s still a horror
show,” Alviene said. “The
computer program is so
badly written and so
counter-intuitive that it’s
very difficult to use.”
Madison County
Department of Social
Services Child Support
Unit Social Welfare
Examiner Betty Jo Johnson
said many workers shared
their frustrations over the
system’s failures.
“The members were
very pleased that someone
was concerned enough to
investigate the problem, in
hopes of working to fix it,”
she said.
Rick Magan, a 25-year senior caseworker and Albany
County Department for Children, Youth and Family
Services unit 2nd vice president, shown here, has also
had difficulties with the Connections program. “I’d like
to see it disappear fast,” he said. “The state had an
alternative program to Connections that would have
been much simpler, much less complicated and would
have served our needs much better than this program
does.”
Recipe for failure
Alviene said because of
the program problems,
social services workers in
child protective services,
long-term child protective
services, foster care and
preventive divisions are
spending less time with
clients and more time
trying to enter case
documentations into
Connections.
“In children’s services,
people are in the office,
way, way longer than they
used to be,” said CSEA
activist Valerie Williams, a
caseworker with the
Oswego County
Department of Social
Services’ Adult Protective
and Home Care services
division.
A 2006 state Office of
Children and Family
Services study found that
31 percent of case-related
time is spent on
documentation, while only
17 percent of case time
spent on face-to-face
contact with clients.
CSEA activist and
Fixing the problems
The purpose of the
union’s statewide tour is to
collect real-life stories
about working with the
faulty program, with the
hope of holding a future
meeting between the OCFS
commissioner and
caseworkers to consider
possible solutions.
Worker safety is also an
issue.
“I don’t think people
understand how dangerous
it is to walk into a
household and remove
children from a difficult
situation,” CSEA President
Danny Donohue said. “The
staffing issue ties into that
safety issue. People
shouldn’t have to go out
alone for these types of
jobs, but they often do.”
Meetings have also been
held in Fulton County and
are set for Erie,
Westchester, St. Lawrence
and Rockland counties.
— Mark M. Kotzin
Any social services
workers who would like
to share their stories
about the Connections
program are urged to
call Steve Alviene at
(800) 342-4146, ext. 1355.
July/August 2007
“Ten years and
19 fixes later,
it’s still a
horror show.”
“I
nstead of printing out the test
prep booklets or going to a
class, I found the online training
to be most convenient option. I
did the different sessions on my
own time in my own home at my
leisure. I especially found the
quizzes for each section and the
scores to be very useful. I felt
very prepared and confident
going into the exam.
”
— Michele Delaney, social
welfare examiner, Albany
County Department of Social
Services Medicaid Unit, on
using the CSEA E-Learning
Course online. Find out more
at www.csealocal1000.org.
THE WORK FORCE
Page 7
Parks workers
protect, preserve
“Our carpenters,
electricians,
maintenance workers
— they do everything
here themselves and
they do a fabulous
job,”
ANCRAM — From the moment
they pass the entry gate at Lake
Taghkanic State Park to the time
they settle into the sand of East
Beach, park visitors notice a
common theme: workers at the
1,569-acre park do their jobs with
a smile.
Lake Taghkanic is part of
Taconic State Park, which
stretches from the southern
portion of pastoral Columbia
County down to the suburban
environs of Westchester County.
Many buildings within the park
date back to 1933, when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian
Conservation Corps set up camp
on site and began building.
CSEA members at Lake
Taghkanic take pride in their
park’s place in history, but say
funding to restore the historic
buildings and bolster the park’s
infrastructure wouldn’t hurt.
“It seems every year we’re
doing more with less, but we do
the best we can because we love
the parks,” said Taconic State
Park Local President Heather
Spencer.
After learning of the proposal
from Parks & Trails New York to
add $300 million in improvements
to parks statewide, Spencer and
co-worker Rebecca Leifels agreed
such funding could make Lake
Taghkanic attractive to a wider
audience.
“Our cabins, cottages,
bathhouses and offices would all
benefit,” said Leifels. “It could
also help improve our beaches.”
Having more money to work
with could add to the momentum
CSEA members have created with
their hard work.
“Our carpenters, electricians,
maintenance workers — they do
everything here themselves and
they do a fabulous job,” said
Spencer.
Allegany State Park situation
Funding is also tight at the 65,000acre Allegany State Park on the
Western New York-Pennsylvania
border. There is no money for
training, the paint is peeling off
buildings, the garage floor is
“O
ur title is maintenance
but we’re doing major
construction. We’re finishing
and maintaining what
contractors got paid a lot of
money to do.
”
— Michael June, mason,
Jones Beach State Park,
commenting on need for
more funding for parks. See
stories on Pages 3,4,8.
Allegany State Park mechanic Noah Gillman replaces a universal
joint on a park truck. “We get the DOT’s scrapped trucks and they are
still in better condition than ours,” said Local President Dennis Cain.
Page
8
THE WORK FORCE
July/August 2007
Taconic State Park Local
President Heather Spencer
outside one of the park’s main
buildings. Like CSEA members
across the state, she and her
co-workers are doing more with
less.
crumbling and it is difficult to
obtain necessary parts.
Campsites, roads and trails are
also in bad shape.
“The equipment budget
dwindles and dwindles to the
point where you can’t buy
anything,” said Local President
Dennis Cain. “The money always
decreases but equipment costs
always increase.”
Allegany State Park is also
short on staff. There is only one
Grade 12 mechanic in the entire
region, which includes five parks
spread across Cattaraugus and
Chautauqua counties, Cain said.
The park also could benefit from
additional carpenters, plumbers,
electricians, sanitation workers,
sewer workers and laborers.
— Jessica Ladlee
and Lynn Miller
Fight on to save
School for the
Blind in Batavia
BATAVIA — CSEA
President Danny Donohue
recently vowed to stand
with union members
working at the
endangered state School
for the Blind.
The school, in
existence for more than a
century, faces declining
enrollment due to a lack
of promotion by the state
and the elimination of a
seven-day residential
program. A five-day
residential program may
now also be in jeopardy.
“These children need
the guidance and the life
skills provided through
this school,” Donohue
said. “We have a
responsibility to do the
best we can for these
children. We cannot just
drop them into school
districts that may not be
able to provide the same
high level of service and
care.”
The state School for
the Blind serves students
ages 5 to 21 with a visual
impairment and
additional disabilities.
Highly specialized and
individualized instruction
from a caring, dedicated
staff helps students reach
their full potential.
Extracurricular
activities and dormitories
staffed by compassionate
CSEA members help
round out the educational
experience.
Unfortunately, many
students who could
benefit from the program
have been placed at
schools in other states or
mainstreamed into their
home districts. Home
districts generally do not
have the extensive
experience working with
blind children that staff at
the state school have.
“The best kept secret
in the state of New York is
the School for the Blind,”
said CSEA Western Region
President Flo Tripi. “We
need to change that. We
need to make sure
everyone knows about
this school. It can’t be a
secret anymore.”
— Lynn Miller
School for the Blind employee Linda Griswold, left,
CSEA Statewide President Danny Donohue, School for
the Blind Local President Sharon Armstrong, and
CSEA Western Region President Flo Tripi pose for a
photo outside the school office.
Chelsea Zemaitis, center, reads with two students in
one of the dormitories at the New York State School
for the Blind.
Resource Center provides
vital book services
BATAVIA — From
Mayville to Montauk,
educators of blind
children throughout
New York state rely on
CSEA member Shirley
Lapp.
Lapp runs the
Resource Center at the
New York state School
for the Blind in Batavia.
Her “office” is a little
building out back,
crammed floor-to-ceiling
with textbooks, Regents
practice exams and
other large-print and
Braille materials for use
by more than 1,000
visually impaired
children in mainstream
school districts and in
BOCES programs.
“This is such a good
service,” Lapp said from
the top of a stepstool
between two shelves of
books. “Visually
impaired students
should legally have the
same textbooks as their
sighted peers. The
books can be so
expensive. Being able to
borrow them for the
year really helps the
districts and the
families.” Books printed
in color often cost at
least $1,000 each. A
complete high school
biology book — it’s 60
volumes and fills a shelf
— can
cost
nearly
$20,000.
Lapp
really
doesn’t
know
how
Lapp
many
volumes
are house in her book
depository. Tracking is
still done the oldfashioned way.
“We don’t have a
database,” she said. “I
do everything by hand.”
In 2005, teachers let
Lapp know just how
much they appreciate
her efforts. She has been
honored with an award
from NYSAER, the New
York State Association
For Education and
Rehabilitation of the
Blind and Visually
Impaired.
— Lynn Miller
“We have a
responsibility to do the
best we can for these
children. We cannot
just drop them into
school districts that
may not be able to
provide the same high
level of service and
care.”
“S
ometimes union members
don't have the knowledge
of certain things and have their
backs up against the wall. At the
workshop you learn and see
how you can better handle
different situations. There was a
lot information that I wasn't
familiar with.
”
—Vaughn Jefferson, Brooklyn
DDSO, cleaner, speaking
about attending his first CSEA
Spring Workshop.
See story,
Page 15.
July/August 2007 THE WORK FORCE Page
9
Facts about health care worker injuries
● Health care titles with patient care duties have 165 percent
more injuries than the next most injured job — laborers, freight,
stock and material movers;
● 80 percent of those injuries are due to patient handling;
● The average direct cost per injury varied from $5,000 to
$30,000; and
● Indirect costs can reach as high as four to 10 times the direct
cost.
Zero lift policy reduces hospital and nursing home worker injuries
CSEA leading push for safe patient handling policies
ALBANY — Thousands of
workers who use mechanical
hospital and nursing home
equipment to lift heavy loads.
workers are seriously injured
“Caregivers deserve to be able
every year from lifting patients
to retire healthy after a career
while moving them from one
dedicated to their patients,” said
place to another, such as from a
CSEA President Danny Donohue.
bed to a chair.
“They shouldn’t have to wind up
Now, CSEA is leading a
in the beds next to them.”
statewide coalition of health
care organizations, labor
Proven safety measure
organizations and safety
CSEA and others in the
advocates that say it’s time to
coalition recently presented at a
stop requiring New York’s health
state Department of Labor
care workers to manually lift
daylong conference in Albany on
patients in
safe patient
“Caregivers deserve to handling.
their care.
Members of
Hundreds of
be able to retire healthy
the coalition,
attendees from
after a career dedicated
called the NYS
health care
to their patients. They
Zero Lift Task
facilities across
shouldn’t have to wind up the state
Force, say
caregivers such in the beds next to
learned the
as nursing
advantages of
them.”
aides, nurses
what is known
— CSEA President Danny Donohue
and LPNs, the
as “Zero Lift”
majority of
policy, in which
whom are female, must
workers use mechanical
manually lift close to 2 tons
equipment to help them transfer
during every shift, more than
and reposition patients. Zero Lift
construction or warehouse
has proven safer for patients and
staff at facilities that have
Maureen Cox, Director of the
implemented it, while saving
state Department of Labor
those facilities millions in costs
Division of Occupational Safety
resulting from injuries.
and Health, holds a microphone
The Zero Lift Task Force
as vendors demonstrate a piece
members say manual lifting and
of zero lift equipment at a safe
repositioning can also be a
patient handling seminar in
source of anxiety and pain for
Albany.
hospital patients and nursing
Page 10 July/August 2007
home residents. Manual lifting
puts patients at risk of falling or
being dropped and can result in
skin tears and bruises, friction
burns and dislocated shoulders.
Zero Lift eliminates the bulk of
manual lifting by using
mechanical and other assistive
devices to help workers transfer
and reposition patients. For
example, one piece of equipment
assists a resident from sitting to
standing and fits under a
patient’s arms to support him or
her during the lift and uses
nonfriction slide sheets to assist
in repositioning patients in bed.
Fewer injuries; more savings
Health care facilities that have
adopted Zero Lift policies have
reported fewer injuries,
improved patient safety and
comfort and lower workers’
compensation costs. They say
the cost of purchasing
equipment can be recouped in
as little as one year due to the
reduction in medical and
workers’ compensation claims.
One of the largest health care
providers in Western New York
adopted Zero Lift in four of its
long-term facilities in 2003. Since
then, it has saved 5,593 lost
From left, New York State Veterans Home at Batavia Director of
Nursing Barbara Bates, Administrator Joanne Hernick, Certified
Nurse Aide Paul Blujus and CSEA Occupational Health and Safety
Specialist John Bieger discuss the nursing home’s success with
zero lift at a safe patient handling seminar in Albany.
THE WORK FORCE
workdays and $961,996 in lost
wages alone.
Success story
The New York State Veterans
Home in Batavia has also seen a
significant drop in injuries since
implementing its Zero Lift policy
in 2003, said CSEA member Paul
Blujus, a certified nursing aide at
the long-term care facility and
member of the task force.
In 2002, workers at the facility
suffered 42 accidents from lifting
and moving residents and lost
1,862 workdays as a result of
their injuries. As of 2006, Blujus
said there has been a 39 percent
decrease in the number of
incidents and a 68.5 percent
decrease in the number of lost
workdays. The ultimate goal is
zero injuries due to patient
handling.
Blujus said fewer injuries
meant not just better care but
also greater flexibility in
scheduling time off, a precious
commodity for workers in the
health care field.
While zero lift met with some
initial resistance among staff at
the veterans home, workers
there now wholeheartedly
Roger Cook, right, executive
director of the Western New
York Council on Occupational
Safety and Health and member
of the NYS Zero Lift Task Force,
test drives a piece of zero lift
equipment.
recommend the policy.
“The no-lift policy is very
effective on resident safety and
the safety of the workers,” said
Certified Nursing Aide Yvette
Bundy. “It benefits everyone in
every way.”
— Ed Molitor
For more information about Zero Lift, visit
www.zeroliftforny.org.
July/August 2007
Page
11
CSEA members win NYCOSH award
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
R
egistration for eligibility
for workers’
compensation benefits
for Sept. 11-related illnesses or
conditions closes AUG. 14,
2007! If you miss this
deadline, you will NOT be
eligible for benefits related
to Sept. 11 conditions.
Members of the 90 Church Street Labor Coalition, flanked by the CSEA
Canary, accept a New York Committee for Occupational Safety and
Health Award on behalf of the 90 Church Street Labor Coalition, which
consisted of CSEA and other labor union members who helped
improve safety and health conditions at the 90 Church St. office
building, adjacent to the World Trade Center site. CSEA members and
staff accepting the award are, from left, CSEA Labor Relations
Specialist Barbara Moore, Public Service Commission Local President
Renee Jackson, Department of Health Local activist Mark Hammer,
Health Research Inc. Local President Deb Hanna, Metropolitan Region
President George Boncoraglio, former CSEA Occupational Safety and
Health Specialist Komilla John, Metropolitan Region Occupational
Safety and Health Committee Chair Frank Cosentino, CSEA Industrial
Hygienist Mark Stipano and Department of Health Local activist Marie
Rogers.
To register, call the New York
Committee for Occupational Safety
and Health at (866) WTC-2556
or visit NYCOSH’s website at
www.nycosh.org!
PROTECT YOURSELF — PROTECT YOUR
FUTURE!
D’Antonio honored with state division CSEA Mission
Achievement Award for dedication to union
S
tate University of New York at
Old Westbury Local President
Mary D’Antonio was selected
as the 2007 recipient of the CSEA
Mission Achievement Award for
the state division.
She was honored for her
longtime service on the Long
Island campus and for her
dedication to the union and
education.
D’Antonio, who had graduated
from Old Westbury, has taught
administrators at the college an
important lesson of her own —
management better treat her
members well or administrators
will have to answer to D’Antonio.
“Mary D’Antonio remains a
strong presence on campus and a
Page
12 THE WORK FORCE
tireless advocate for her fellow
employees,” CSEA President
Danny Donohue said. “Mary’s love
of education is matched only by
her passion for protecting the
rights of her members.”
Long Island Region President
Nick LaMorte, left, and CSEA
President Danny Donohue, right,
congratulate SUNY Old Westbury
Local President Mary D’Antonio,
center, on winning the union’s
2007 Mission Achievement
Award at the Spring Workshop.
(See Page 15 for more.)
July/August 2007
Dispatcher saves man from inferno
TROY — Rensselaer County 911
dispatcher and CSEA member
Dave Beaudoin had a really good
excuse for being late to work one
morning in May.
While on his way to work, he
rescued a man from a burning
home.
Beaudoin was driving to work
in Troy when he noticed smoke
coming from a house he was passing in a
nearby town.
He told residents of the neighboring
house of the fire and called 911, with his own
co-workers on the other end.
“I stopped, got on my cell phone to report
the fire and at the same time I’m also
banging on the door to see if there’s anybody
in the house because there’s a car in the
driveway, ” he said.
When no one responded to Beaudoin’s
knocks, he went into the burning house.
A man in his mid 60s was in the
home.
“I said ‘you got to come with
me, sir, your house is on fire,’”
Beaudoin said. The man said ‘no, I
got to get some stuff.’ I said ‘no,
let’s go, you’ve got to get out.’”
The man did come out,
disoriented but unhurt.
Firefighters soon arrived on scene,
but the man had no idea that one was
already there. Beaudoin has been a volunteer
firefighter for more than 20 years.
The home was a total loss, and firefighters
believe a lit cigarette could be to blame.
Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino
praised Beaudoin’s actions, calling him a
hero and saying he went above and beyond
the call of duty. The county legislature plans
to formally recognize Beaudoin’s efforts at an
upcoming meeting.
“I don’t see myself as a hero,” Beaudoin
Beaudoin
said. “I was in the right place at the right
time and I did what I was trained to do.”
— Therese Assalian
Protecting Your Benefits
Important information regarding Timothy’s Law
O
n Dec. 22, 2006, legislation
known as “Timothy’s Law”
was signed into state law.
This law changed the coverage
requirements for the diagnosis
and treatment of mental, nervous
and emotional disorders under
most group insurance health
insurance policies and contracts
in New York state.
Timothy’s Law became effective
Jan. 1, 2007. Because of the short
time between the law being signed
and when it took effect, insurance
companies have been working to
ensure compliance with the law.
Coverage required
Timothy’s Law requires that
health plans provide no less than
30 days of inpatient care and 20
days of outpatient care for the
diagnosis and
treatment of
mental, nervous
and emotional
disorders.
Additionally, treatment of adults
and children with biologically
based conditions are required to
be covered. These conditions
include schizophrenia/psychotic
disorders, major depression,
bipolar disorder, delusional
disorders, panic disorder,
obsessive-compulsive disorder,
bulimia and anorexia and for the
treatment of children with serious
emotional disturbances.
Equal level of services
Timothy’s Law also requires
that all insured health plans in
New York include mental health
benefits
comparable to
other health
benefits under the
insurance plan.
Any deductible, co-payment or coinsurance applied to benefits for
the mental health conditions
specified by Timothy’s Law may
be no greater than those applied
to medical services under the
particular plan.
CSEA-represented state
employees covered under the
Empire Plan who have received
mental health services on or after
Jan. 1, 2007, have begun to receive
letters and possibly a refund
check(s) from ValueOptions/GHI
for overpayment of participating
provider co-payments or for the
reprocessing of non-participating
provider claims using the medical
deductible.
Clinical Referral Line
Since Timothy’s Law
emphasizes the importance of
receiving mental health services,
what better time to be reminded
that the Empire Plan has a Clinical
Referral Line (which is available
24 hours a day, seven days a
week), which is staffed by licensed
clinicians experienced in mental
health disorders who are available
to help individuals with mental
health questions/concerns or
need help finding a provider.
Empire Plan enrollees can reach
the Clinical Referral line by
calling: 1-877-7-NYSHIP, select
Option 3.
Promoting Good Health
July/August 2007
THE WORK FORCE
Page 13
1980
27 years ago …
Former State Senate Majority Leader Warren
Anderson, a Binghamton Republican who led the
chamber from 1973 to 1988, recently died at age 91. He
was well known for his strong leadership and colorful
sense of style.
Anderson, whose accomplishments include helping
establish the state’s Tuition Assistance Program and
leading efforts to build Interstate 88, also had a longtime
working relationship with CSEA.
He worked closely with CSEA on many issues,
including the 1980 state Public Employee Safety and
Health (PESH) Law, which established work site safety
and health protections for public employees. PESH was
one of CSEA’s biggest victories in the union’s history.
"Warren Anderson was a great New Yorker and a
great friend to CSEA," said CSEA President Danny
Donohue. "His leadership in the state Senate was
essential in the success of a whole range of CSEA issues
and legislation for nearly two decades."
Page
14
THE WORK FORCE July/August 2007
Also in 1980 …
❉ Ronald Reagan is elected the 40th U.S. President.
❉ Lech Walesa leads Solidarity union movement in
Poland against communist government. Labor unions
become legal in that country.
❉ The United States hosts the Winter Olympics in
Lake Placid, N.Y. The U.S. boycotts the Summer
Olympics in Moscow.
Former State Senate
Majority Leader Warren
Anderson, above, addresses
the 1980 CSEA Annual
Delegates Meeting in
Niagara Falls.
❉ John Lennon is assassinated by Mark David
Chapman in New York City.
❉ Mt. Saint Helens erupts, killing 60 people.
❉ 3-M introduces Post-It Notes.
❉ CNN is launched as the first all-news network.
Meeting the challenge
CSEA members converge for Spring Workshop
M
ore than 750 CSEA activists from across New York attended the union's
annual Spring Workshop in Rochester June 8 to 10. Union leaders
participated in many programs to build leadership skills and present information
on key issues such as health care reform, safety and health and union organizing.
The Spring Workshop is in honor of Thomas H. McDonough, a former statewide
executive vice president and a fighter who was proud of his reputation as a hardnosed advocate of public employees and their rights; and Irving Flaumenbaum, a
former Long Island Region president a veteran CSEA leader who had been at the
forefront of the union’s expansion to include county and municipal workers.
New York state Comptroller
Thomas DiNapoli, left,
addresses the CSEA Spring
Workshop during a Saturday
session. DiNapoli thanked
CSEA for its support and
discussed the state pension
system’s fiscal health.
CSEA President Danny Donohue fires up the crowd during a
demonstration in support of Rochester hotel workers trying
to form a union. The demonstration was organized by
UNITE-HERE. For more information, visit www.uhrrjb.org
Collins receives Mission
Achievement Award
CSEA members, left, take
part in workshop sessions
on Saturday addressing
issues such as health care
reform, safety and health
and political action.
CSEA President Danny Donohue, center, joins VOICE CSEA (Voice of
Independent Childcare Educators) day care providers and staff on stage on
Sunday during a program to introduce the VOICE providers to CSEA
members. The VOICE group presented Donohue with a large thank you
card, in the background, in thanks of CSEA’s support for the providers in
their fight to form a union with CSEA. For more about VOICE, visit
www.voicecsea.org. CSEA has filed for recognition to represent 7,000
VOICE members statewide.
Ed Collins, president of the Clarkson University Local,
received the 2007 CSEA Mission Achievement Award for the
private sector division.
He was honored with the prestigious
award for his leadership of his co-workers
during the union’s organizing and
subsequent contract campaign at Clarkson.
Last year, Collins led CSEA-represented
facilities and services workers at Clarkson
through a public contract campaign after
university administrators offered the
employees a wage increase that would not
allow them to keep up with rising costs of
living.
After months of putting pressure on
Collins
Clarkson officials by attending campus
events, raising community awareness and
launching an innovative media campaign and website, the
union and university administrators came to an agreement
through mediation.
Collins is credited as a key force in holding the members
together in solidarity throughout the campaign.
“Your leadership during, and following, the successful
Clarkson University organizing drive was exemplary,” CSEA
President Danny Donohue wrote in a letter to Collins, who
was unable to attend the Spring Workshop. “You were willing
to stand up and stand out. You took risks that paid off when
your co-workers ratified their first CSEA contract. It was a job
well done that puts you into the front ranks of our rank and
file.”
July/August 2007
THE WORK FORCE Page 15
Law protects workers’ union activities
Editor’s Note: This is the 12th
article in a series of discrimination
articles that have appeared in The
Work Force, to provide valuable
information regarding important
areas of protection available
through the CSEA Legal Assistance
Program (LAP). The Legal
Assistance Program covers
employment and labor issues
involving disciplinaries, contract
grievances and arbitrations, court
litigation and agency proceedings.
Get more information about legal
services in the LAP by calling CSEA
Headquarters at 1-800-342-4146,
extension 1443, or by visiting
www.csealocal1000.org, and
clicking on the legal programs and
services menu item.
A
unique form of
discrimination faced by
CSEA activists is retaliation
based on their union activity.
Such discrimination and
retaliation is particularly common
during union organizing drives. In
both the public and private
sectors, employers are prohibited
from retaliating against union
activists and supporters who
engage in protected union
activities.
State Taylor Law
The Taylor Law prohibits public
employers from (1) interfering
with, restraining or coercing
public employees in the exercise
of their Taylor Law rights for the
purpose of depriving them of such
rights; (2) discriminating against
an employee for the purpose of
encouraging or discouraging
membership in, or participation in
the activities of, any employee
organization; and (3) using any
state funds to train managers, or
supervisors, regarding methods to
discourage union organizing or to
discourage an employee from
participating in a union organizing
drive. When a public employee
has been retaliated against for
protected activity, an improper
Page
16 THE WORK FORCE
practice charge can be
filed with the New York
State Public
Employment Relations
Board (“PERB”). The
improper practice
charge must be filed
with PERB within four
months of the
employer’s action.
Federal law
The National Labor Relations Act
(“NLRA”) protects private sector
workers against retaliation for
participating in or supporting
organizing campaigns or engaging
in other forms of protected union
activity. Federal law prohibits
private sector employers from
interfering, restraining or coercing
employees with respect to their
rights to engage in union-related
activity, or discriminating against
employees for participating in
such activity. Under federal law,
an unfair labor practice charge
must be filed with the National
Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”)
within six months of the alleged
conduct.
There are three primary
factors: (1) individual was
engaged in protected activity; (2)
employer knew of that
engagement; and (3) “but for” the
protected activity, the adverse
employer action would not have
happened. In order for conduct
to be considered “protected
activity,” it must have some form
of organization context and in
some way relate to the terms and
conditions of employment. In the
private sector, in order for
conduct to be considered
“protected,” it must be: a) for the
mutual aid and protection of
workers; b) done in a concerted
fashion; c) not so disruptive as to
go beyond the protections of the
Act.
Scope of protection
Although employees have a
right to engage in union activity,
July/August 2007
that right will be
balanced against the
employer’s right to
maintain order and
respect in the
workplace.
Therefore, the scope
of protection for
union activity
depends upon the
manner and context
in which the employee engages in
the activity. Protected activity
includes a) filing a grievance or an
improper practice charge or
participating in those proceedings
or a health and safety complaint;
b) announcing the intent to run
for union office; c) unit officer’s
vocal opposition to an employer’s
staffing decision; d) written
communication to the unit
membership regarding terms and
conditions of employment; e)
working to organize a union.
Generally, the most difficult
aspect of any union animus
discrimination case is showing
that the employer acted only
because of the protected union
activity. There are a number of
ways of proving the employer’s
improper motivation. Angry
comments critical of a member’s
union activity are the best
evidence of anti-union motivation.
[Therefore, it is essential to keep
records regarding such
statements, especially when they
involve a direct threat.]
Circumstantial evidence of
discrimination can be the timing
and content of the employer’s
action. Animus can also be
shown through differences in
employer treatment toward other
similarly situated employees.
CSEA will fight
As part of CSEA’s continuing
drive to organize new workers
and to protect our current
members, CSEA vigorously
pursues cases of anti-union
discrimination. Such cases can be
proven, with the assistance of
your labor relations specialist or
CSEA organizer, through a prompt
and detailed investigation of the
facts. Your role in gathering and
analyzing the background and
specifics of each situation, along
with your labor relations
specialist or CSEA organizer, is
key to the development of a
timely and successful case.
Break in membership affects eligibility for union office,
voting privileges
A break in union membership status can have long-term future implications. Your membership status
affects your eligibility with respect to:
• seeking or holding union office;
• signing nominating petitions for potential candidates;
• voting in union elections, and;
• voting on collective bargaining contracts.
Only members “in good standing” can participate in these activities. To be in “good standing,” your dues
cannot be delinquent.
If you go on unpaid leave or for any other reason have a break in your employment status, your dues will
not continue to be paid through payroll deductions. You must make arrangements to pay your dues directly
to CSEA to continue your membership status. If you are either laid off or placed on leave without pay status
due to becoming disabled by accident, illness, maternity or paternity, you may be eligible for dues-free
membership status for a period not to exceed one year. If you are called up for active military duty you may
also apply for dues-free status.
Note, however, you must continue to pay dues to run for office. Dues-free or gratuitous membership
allows members to continue their insurance coverage while out of work. It does not protect your right to run
for or hold office. This does not apply to members who are on leave due to being called up for military duty.
Members on active military duty, upon return, are considered to have had continuous membership status for
all CSEA election purposes.
Please notify the CSEA Membership Records Department at 1-800-342-4146, Ext. 1327, of any change in
your status and what arrangements you are making to continue your membership in CSEA.
Oral health important to your overall health
The Employee Benefit Fund
administers several levels of
dental programs for CSEA
members whose contracts include
Employee Benefit Fund coverage,
including state members. EBF
coverage is also available for
local government members, but
must be negotiated into a
contract. Prevention is the best
measure for good dental health.
Here is some information to help
you avoid unnecessary trips to the
dentist.
F
or more than a century,
dentists have trained in
separate dental schools and
have provided services in small
private practices, while
physicians train and practice in
a hospital setting. This has
created a perceived separation
between oral health and whole
body health.
Recent research has begun to
change this perception. The link
between oral health and overall
health is more important than
you may think.
When your teeth and gums are
healthy, the bacteria naturally
occurring in your mouth does
not usually enter your
bloodstream. Gum disease and
invasive dental treatments can
allow this bacteria to enter your
bloodstream.
Certain medications and
medical treatments can also
disrupt the normal balance of
bacteria in your mouth. Some
researchers believe this bacteria
imbalance and inflammation in
the mouth are linked to other
health problems in the rest of
your body such as:
Cardiovascular disease: Some
research indicates bacteria from
gum disease can travel through
your bloodstream into your
heart affecting your
cardiovascular system.
Pregnancy and
birth: Gum disease
has been linked to
premature birth and
low birth weight
babies as diseasecausing organisms
originating in the mouth have
been found in the placenta or
amniotic fluid.
Diabetes: The destructive
inflammatory processes that are
common with periodontal
disease are closely related to
diabetes. Diabetes increases
your risk of gum disease, decay
and infection. Poor oral health
can also make your diabetes
more difficult to control as
infections may cause blood
sugar to rise.
Osteoporosis: Beginning
stages of bone loss may show up
in your teeth. Routine X-rays
may allow your dentist to
identify bone loss and suggest
treatment.
Poor oral health can affect
your quality of life. Tooth decay
is the single most common
chronic childhood disease; it is
five times more common than
asthma and seven times more
common than hay fever.
Children lose more than 51
million school hours annually to
dental related illness. Adults lose
more than 164 million hours of
work annually due to dental
disease and dental visits.
What does this mean for you?
There are many reasons to
take good care of your mouth
teeth and gums. The relationship
between oral health and whole
health makes it even more
crucial to establish a regular oral
hygiene program including
regular dental and periodontal
appointments.
Make brushing for at least two
and a half minutes and gentle
flossing a part of your
daily routine. Signs of
periodontal disease
such as loose or
separating teeth and
bleeding gums during
brushing should be
treated as soon as possible. Be
sure to tell your dentist about
your overall health, especially if
you have had a recent illness or
chronic condition or if you are
taking any prescription or over
the counter medications. Be sure
to let your dentist know if there
are any changes with your
health as well.
Evidence that poor oral health
can cause, exacerbate or
indicate disease in the rest of
your body is increasing.
Practicing good oral hygiene is
an investment in your overall
health, longevity and well being.
Learn more ...
For more information about proper
oral care, visit the following
websites:
American Dental Association:
www.ada.org
Center for the Advancement of
Health: www.cfah.org
Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com
Benefit News:
www.BenefitNews.com
You can also visit the Employee
Benefit Fund’s website at
www.cseaebf.com.
Workers' Compensation
Legal Assistance Plan
CSEA members AND their dependents can get quality legal
representation at little or no out-of-pocket cost for the following
matters:
Workers’ Compensation;
Social Security Disability;
Personal Injury and
Personal Legal Matters
Representation also available at pre-negotiated,
pre-published fees for other personal matters.
Call
1-800-342-4146
Follow the Prompts for
“Injury and Illness Matters”
July/August 2007
THE WORK FORCE Page 17
CSEA announces 2007 scholarship winners
C
SEA recently presented college scholarship
awards to children of CSEA members from
across the state. CSEA wishes the students
good luck in their academic endeavors. As The Work
Force went to press, the following scholarship
winners were announced.
For more scholarship announcements, visit the
scholarship winners page at CSEA’s website at
www.csealocal1000.org.
Statewide awards:
Pearl Carroll & Associates Scholarship ($2,500)
(in memory of Charles Foster):
Kevin Muller, whose father, Philip Goldstein, is a
program coordinator for child protective services at
the Westchester County Department of Social
Services. He is planning to attend SUNY Geneseo.
MetLife Insurance Award ($2,500)
(in memory of Joseph D. Lochner):
Lauren N. Keeler, whose mother, Kathryn Keeler, is
a psychiatric social worker for Onondaga County.
She is planning to attend Cornell University.
AFSCME Family Scholarship:
Ryan Dean, whose mother, Carol Dean, is a member
of the Dutchess County Local in the Southern
Region.
Irving Flaumenbaum
Scholarship Awards (by region)
Long Island:
Lauren Anderson, whose mother, Elizabeth
Anderson, is a teacher assistant at the Bayport-Blue
Point School District; Dustin Canzonieri, whose
mother, Ruth Canzonieri, is a teaching assistant at
the Syosset School District and Michael Liam
Deoliveira, whose mother, Suzanne Fitzgerald, is a
teacher aide and health office worker at the Jericho
School District.
Metropolitan:
Kadeem Leon Gill, whose mother, Migdalia Ruiz, is
a senior court analyst at the New York State Unified
Court System; Alla Guzband, whose father, Viktor
Guzband, is a plant utilities engineer 1 at SUNY
Downstate Medical Center and Abigail Seide, whose
mother, Marie Chantal Seide, works for the state
Education Department.
Southern:
Adam Derkacz, whose mother, Beth Derkacz, is a
teacher aide at the Port Jervis School District and
whose father, Gary Derkacz, is a mechanic at the
Port Jervis School District; Jamile Kadre, whose
mother, Maria Kadre, is a school aide at the Yonkers
Public Schools and Cassandra Rosado, whose
mother, Debra Rosado, is a supervisor for Ulster
County.
Capital:
Casey L. Dubuque, whose father, Peter Dubuque, is
an employment counselor at Clinton County’s One
CSEA Scholarship Committee members recently
meet to decide the winners of the union’s Irving
Flaumenbaum, Pearl Carroll and Met Life
scholarship awards. From left are Janice
Beaulieu, Anita Booker, Maria Navarro, Gary
Lanahan, Donna Gavitt, Judy DiPaola and
Committee Chair Helen Fischedick.
Work Source program; Ashley Martinez, whose
mother, Sylvia Martinez, is a clerk at the Saratoga
Springs Central School District, and LeeAnn Rohm,
whose mother, Helen Miner, is a dispatch aide at the
North Warren Central School District.
Central:
Bradley Carl Church, whose father, Wayne Ellis
Church, is a custodian at the Webb Union Free
School District; Gregory Fedorchak, whose mother,
Kathleen Fedorchak, is a keyboard specialist at
Binghamton University, and Leigh A. Presutto,
whose mother, Laurie Presutto, is a calculations
clerk 2 at SUNY Upstate Medical Center.
Western:
Brian House, whose father, David House, is a
teacher aide at West Seneca Central School District;
Matthew Alan Hussey, whose father, Robert Hussey,
is a probation supervisor at the Monroe County
Probation Department, and Matthew Meyer, whose
father, Steven Meyer, is a supervising mechanic at
the state Department of Environmental
Conservation.
Local/unit awards:
Southern Region
Westchester County: The Westchester Local
recently awarded its annual scholarships. The 12
students receiving $1,000 awards are: Patsi Ali,
daughter of Westchester County Unit member Gina
Ali; Sarah Ambrosecchia, daughter of Westchester
Medical Center Unit member Carol Scharmett;
Adrianna Bosco, daughter of Edgemont School
District Teacher Aide Unit member Rosemary
Bosco; Sabrina Diller, daughter of Lakeland School
District Unit member Deborah Diller; Lisa Fazzolari,
daughter of Harrison School District Unit member
Rosalba Fazzolari; Neena Jube, daughter of
Page 18 THE WORK FORCE July/August 2007
Westchester Medical Center Unit member Elsy Jube;
James Kelly Jr., son of Westchester County Unit
member James Kelly; Caitlyn Lane, daughter of
Lakeland School District Unit member Noreen Lane;
Brittni Moses, daughter of City of Mount Vernon
Unit member Kelley Thomas; Amanda Ricciardi,
daughter of Harrison Unit member Jacqueline
Ricciardi; Alexis Santiago, daughter of Edgemont
School District Custodial Unit member Geraldo
Santiago; and Janine Socha, daughter of Yonkers
School District Unit member Stephanie Socha. The
local’s four-year renewable scholarship for $1,000,
named for retired activist Grace Ann Aloisi, was
awarded to Holly Stradling, daughter of
Westchester Medical Center Unit member Walter
Stradling.
Westchester County Unit: The Westchester County
Unit recently awarded five $1,000 scholarships to
the following students whose parents are all CSEA
members employed by the county: Joshua
Ambrosino, son of James Ambrosino; Jessica
Debellis, daughter of Michael Debellis; James Kelly
Jr., son of James Kelly; Dominica Lovallo, daughter
of Linda Lovallo and Asha White, daughter of
Patricia White.
Capital Region
Albany County: The Albany County Local recently
awarded two $1,250 George Sheffield Scholarships
to children of local members: Ryan Bastian, a
Cohoes High School senior whose mother is a
teacher aide; and Brittany Darling, a South Colonie
High School senior whose mother is a secretary.
Central Region
Central Region: The Central Region Scholarship
Committee recently awarded its inaugural James J.
Moore Scholarship to the following students:
Victoria Cole, daughter of Broome DDSO Local
member Kenneth Cole, and Kerri Gilmour,
daughter of St. Lawrence County Local member
Terri Gilmour.
Central Region Judiciary: The Central Region
Judiciary Local recently awarded Lt. Michael D.
Carraway Memorial scholarships to the following
students who are the children of local members.
Receiving $1,000 scholarships are: Nathan J.
Rockefeller, son of local member Barbara
Rockefeller, and Brittany Szucs, daughter of Jeanne
Szucs. Receiving $500 scholarships are: Megan
Barner, daughter of Beth Barner; Joseph C. Barry,
son of Christine M. Barry; Pamela A. Kennard,
daughter of Barbara Kennard and Ryan Strader, son
of local member Shelley Strader and Paul Strader, an
Onondaga County Local member. Receiving $250
scholarships are Christina M. Alibrandi, daughter
of Maria Alibrandi, and Allison M. Tebsherany,
daughter of Barbara Tebsherany.
July/August CSEA calendar of events
Statewide:
• July 8-15: 9th Annual Cycling the
Erie Canal. Experience the historic,
scenic Erie Canal from Buffalo to
Albany during this eight-day, 400-mile
bicycle tour organized by Parks &
Trails New York. CSEA is a major
sponsor of the tour. For more
information or to sign up, visit the
Parks & Trails New York website or
call Parks & Trails New York at (518)
434-1583.
• Aug. 16-19: CSEA Retiree Delegates
Meeting, Syracuse
Long Island Region:
• July 21: International Day/Women's
Health Fair, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Long
Island Region Office, Commack
• July 28: Defensive Driving, 9 a.m. 3 p.m., Long Island Region Office,
Commack
• Aug. 1 - 2: Defensive Driving, 5:30 8:30 p.m., Long Island Region Office,
Commack
• Aug. 7 - 8: Steward Workshop, 5:30 9 p.m., Charles J. Fuschillo Park Senior Center, Carle Place
• Aug. 18: Defensive Driving, 9 a.m. 3 p.m., Long Island Region Office,
Commack
Metropolitan Region:
•July 17 - 18: Steward Workshop, 5:30
- 9 p.m., CSEA Creedmoor Psychiatric
Center Local Office, Queens Village.
Southern Region:
• Aug. 24: Orange County Local 5th
Annual Golf Outing, Town of Wallkill
Golf Course. Cost is $99 per person,
including barbecue lunch and buffet
dinner at conclusion. Download
registration forms from the Orange
County Local website or contact
Charlie at (845) 361-2825 or (845) 8564351, April at (845) 692-7828, or the
local office at (845) 343-0172.
Capital Region:
• Visit the Capital Region page at
CSEA’s website at
www.csealocal1000.org or call the
region office for the latest events.
Central Region:
• July 10 - 11: Steward Training, 5:30 9 p.m., SUNY Cortland, Physical
Education & Recreation Building - Hall
of Fame Room
• July 24-25: Steward Training, 5:30 9 p.m., CSEA Jefferson County Local
Office, Watertown
• Aug. 23 - Sept. 3: CSEA at the State
Fair. Visit CSEA’s 17th annual booth
at the New York State Fair, Syracuse
Western Region:
• July 20: Annual Western Region
Golf Tournament, Batavia Country
Club
• Aug. 11: Steward Workshop, 8:30
a.m. - 3 p.m., Western Region Office,
Amherst
• Aug. 13-14: Contract Negotiations
Workshop, 5:30 - 9 p.m., Steuben
County Unit Office, Bath
For more information on the listed
events or to participate, contact your
region office (phone numbers are
listed on Page 4), or visit the CSEA
calendar page or your region page at
CSEA’s website at
www.csealocal1000.org. Please note
that additional events may be
scheduled in your region other than
those listed here, so check your region
calendar page on the CSEA website.
PEOPLE PERSON — The
PEOPLE recruiter of the
month of May is Charles
Guidarelli of the
Westchester County
Local in the Southern
Region. He recruited 43
new PEOPLE members.
CSEA’s PEOPLE program
protects and improves
our jobs, benefits and
pensions in Washington, Albany and
in your community. Your support
and participation in PEOPLE
strengthens CSEA’s clout in the
workplace, in the legislature, in
your community and in the labor
movement … MEETING
CANDIDATES — CSEA’s Onondaga
County Combined Services Unit
recently sponsored a “meet the
candidates” night that gave union
members the chance to hear from
candidates running for county
executive and their positions on
issues important to the county work
force … GETTING ACTIVE — CSEA
activists recently attended the
AFSCME National Leadership
Conference in Washington, D.C. and
were among more than 4,500
workers who demonstrated on
Capitol Hill to urge the U.S. Senate
to pass the Employee Free Choice
Act. CSEA members also attended
the AFSCME Democratic
Presidential Forum in which
candidates U.S. Sen. Joseph R.
Biden, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton, former U.S. Sen. John
Edwards, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, U.S.
Sen. Barack Obama and New Mexico
Gov. Bill Richardson took part....
NEW CONTRACT — North Syracuse
From Aug. 12 to Sept. 3, CSEA
members and their families can
save on admission to The Great
Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
when you buy your tickets online!
Shop union this summer!
K
ick off your summer with union-made products and services! CSEA
members who wish to shop to support union-made products and the
workers who make them can visit www.shopunionmade.org, a web
site exclusively endorsed by the Union Label and Service Trades
Department of the AFL-CIO.
The thousands of union-made products and services you can find here
include “Golden Books” for your child, Red Wing shoes, leather items from
Leathermark Accessories and even cruises through Norwegian Cruise Line.
School District Unit
members voted to
approve a new
contract. The threeyear deal calls for
raises each year,
increases tuition
reimbursement and
increases the amount
of sick time for
workers … SALUTE
TO MUSSO — Clinton County Local
President Joe Musso was recently
honored at the annual North
Country Salute to Labor. He was
recognized as a "true champion for
organized labor" for his years of
activism and tireless dedication to
CSEA members. CSEA Capital
Region President Kathy Garrison
attended the event, and state
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli
served as the keynote speaker ...
PROMOTING CSEA — CSEA
members in the Madison County
White Collar Unit are building their
union and sending a public message
that their services help families.
CSEA members will be handing out
brochures and other items at local
events to highlight the work they do
and get members more active in the
union … LIBRARIAN HONORED —
Rochester Library Part-Time
Workers’ Unit President Jane
McManus recently won the New
York State Library Assistants
Association’s Craig Koste Award for
Outstanding Service. McManus, a
library assistant and 33-year
employee, is best known for her
innovative Children’s “Storytime”
programming.
General admission is
$20.99, plus tax, per ticket
— a $19 savings! (Regular ticket price is $39.99.). Junior
admission (48 inches tall and under) is $20.99, plus tax, per
ticket — a $4 savings! (Regular ticket price is $24.99.) Children
2 years old and under are free!
Simply visit www.sixflags.com/greatescape and look for the promo
code box in in the upper right-hand corner. Enter “csea1000” as your code
and follow the menu!
July/August 2007
THE WORK FORCE Page 19
CSEA members save $4.00 off admission on Sept. 1 and 2, 2007, during CSEA Weekend.
SAVE
$4.00
CSEA member admission $6.00*
CSEA members and family members each get
one admission for $6.00 when purchased at
any gate with coupon. One coupon per person.
*Adult admission.
Children 12 and under admitted free.
SAVE
$4.00
NAME
ADDRESS
Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only –
Saturday and Sunday Sept. 1 and 2, 2007.
PHONE
CSEA LOCAL
SAVE $4.00
Clip one coupon at right
for each CSEA member and family member
and bring coupon(s) to any fair gate to get
$4 off the price of admission on
Saturday and Sunday,
Sept. 1 and 2, 2007, only.
SAVE
$4.00
CSEA member admission $6.00*
CSEA members and family members each get
one admission for $6.00 when purchased at
any gate with coupon. One coupon per person.
*Adult admission.
Children 12 and under admitted free.
SAVE
$4.00
NAME
ADDRESS
Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only –
Saturday and Sunday Sept. 1 and 2, 2007.
PHONE
CSEA LOCAL
The New York State Fair
is at the Empire Expo
Center located off
Exit 7 of I-690,
3 miles west of
Syracuse.
Hours of operation are
10 a.m. to
10 p.m. daily.
SAVE $4.00
Reproduced
coupons will
not be
accepted.
Additional
coupons will be
available at
your CSEA
region office.
SAVE
$4.00
CSEA member admission $6.00*
CSEA members and family members each get
one admission for $6.00 when purchased at
any gate with coupon. One coupon per person.
*Adult admission.
Children 12 and under admitted free.
SAVE
$4.00
NAME
ADDRESS
Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007, is CSEA
WEEKEND at the New York State Fair in Syracuse.
CSEA members and their family members will receive
$4.00 off admission that weekend, compliments of
CSEA and the New York State Fair.
CSEA will maintain a booth in the Center of Progress
Building on the fairgrounds throughout the entire fair,
so stop by and visit the CSEA booth at any time.
The coupons for $4.00 off admission however, are only
good during CSEA Weekend,
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1 and 2, 2007.
Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only –
Saturday and Sunday Sept. 1 and 2, 2007.
PHONE
CSEA LOCAL
SAVE $4.00
SAVE
$4.00
CSEA member admission $6.00*
CSEA members and family members each get
one admission for $6.00 when purchased at
any gate with coupon. One coupon per person.
*Adult admission.
Children 12 and under admitted free.
NAME
ADDRESS
Coupon is valid for CSEA weekend only –
Saturday and Sunday Sept. 1 and 2, 2007.
PHONE
CSEA LOCAL
SAVE $4.00
SAVE
$4.00
Long Island Region
July/August
Long Island Reporter
2007
Farmingdale State College
Local 606 annual picnic
F
A Farmingdale Local member, foreground left, has her hands poised to
catch the unbroken egg her partner tossed. Winners of the event were
Local Treasurer Joel Tarantowicz, second from left on far line, and
Robert Licci. Two white spots in the photo are other eggs in mid-air.
ARMINGDALE — The breeze occasionally turned over
chairs and pushed tablecloths off the tables and over the
faces of picnickers. Aside from that, it was a wonderful
afternoon for Farmingdale State College Local 606’s
annual picnic.
Please see Picnic continued on Page 3
From top to bottom: Farmingdale State College Local members, from left, Carolyn
Wenzler, Kathy Valentino and Anna Brewer, hold bags with gifts from vendors;
Farmingdale members, on left-hand side of the table, got lots of information from the many
vendors, on right-hand side, who took part in the information fair that was part of the
picnic. After winning a raffle prize, Susan Belasco, right, picks the next winner from a jar.
Fran Barton is standing next to her; Marjorie Tee, left, cranks the umbrella up in the face of
a strong breeze. Helping are Bea Kustanowitz, center, and Diane Ellis.
Picnic cont’d from Page 1
The temperature on Friday, June 22, was in the 70s,
the skies were blue with high white clouds and the
grass on the athletic field was freshly cut.
There was lots for 125 CSEA members and their guests
to eat — franks, burgers, chicken, salad, grilled
vegetables and soda with ice cream and crumb cake to
finish the meal. There were raffles for prizes donated by
vendors and the union. For the athletically inclined,
there was an egg toss, a three-legged race and
footballs and Frisbees to throw around. For the kids,
there was a big field to run around on and nothing to be
warned not to bang into. For everyone, the picnic was a
chance to relax and talk with co-workers and the
retirees who joined them for the day. It sure beat
working.
The committee that arranged the picnic was headed by
Local Secretary Amanda Gist and included Fran Barton,
Denise Botiglione, Chris Dose, Local President Tom
Dowdney, Sue Peterson, Barbara Sarringer, Nina Von
Deesten, Patty Wagner and Christina Walker.
Above, seven teams compete in the three-legged race.
The winners were Local Secretary Amanda Gist and her
son Kenny, left, and Alphonstina Hollie and Kadyan
Marshall, right. At right, from left, Christina Walker,
Suzanna Goench and Local Executive Vice President
Glen Havjar cut up rope for three-legged race
contestants.
Above, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, left,
chats with Local 606 members at the picnic.
The picnic was a chance to lie
on the grass, relax and enjoy
the day.
Above, Til Lofaro, right, signs a dollar before
putting it in the jar for a raffle, half the
proceeds of which went to the child care
center on campus. Youngsters cared for at
the center are children and grandchildren of
Farmingdale State employees and students.
Above, Tom Dowdney
makes announcements
during the picnic.
Above, members and their guests enjoy the picnic, which was held on an athletic
field at Farmingdale State College.
At left, about 125 members and their guests had plenty to eat at the local’s
annual picnic.
Long Island Reporter
3
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Rallying support from
residents before a recent
demonstration by CSEA
members who work at the
Mattituck-Cutchogue
School District are, from
left, Sam Strickland, unit
president; Region
President Nick LaMorte
and Nancy Morrow. The
union and the school board
were to go to fact-finding
as this issue of the Long
Island Reporter went to
press.
Message from Long Island Region President
Nick LaMorte
G
reetings!
Summer is here and the living is easy, easy at
least for the thousands of tourists who will be
coming to our beaches and parks, some of the
most beautiful places in the country.
For our members working in the parks, summer
is when the going gets tougher, and they rise to the
challenge.
Keeping the greens green and the fairways fair
at Bethpage State Park’s five world-class golf
courses, including the world-renowned Black
Course, is one area where our members shine.
Jones Beach is another famous park, one of the
first public beaches in the country, where CSEA
members maintain Robert Moses’ jewel of public
works projects that set the standard for many such
oceanfront parks to come.
But our members can’t do it all. Parks and Trails
New York is a private not-for-profit organization
working to protect New York’s parks and help
communities create new parks. The group recently
issued a report criticizing the amount of funding
New York’s parks receive from the state.
In fact, Parks and Recreation Commissioner
Carol Ash cited the
report in her budget testimony calling for more
parks funding.
Despite the need for more money, our members
are making do with what they have, and in turn,
providing the best services and maintenance to
2
Long Island Reporter
Long Island parks that
visitors will see
anywhere.
To the thousands of tourists who will visit
our public beaches, parks, golf courses, hike our
trails and visit other public venues, the need for
more parks’ funding will go unnoticed, thanks to the
hard and resourceful work of CSEA members.
So next time you take yourself or your family for
a day or a week to any one of the fabulous parks
on Long Island, take a minute to thank a CSEA
member for the fine job they’re doing in presenting
the best face of Long Island’s parks to the world. It
may be summer, but it isn’t easy.
Yours in solidarity,
Nick LaMorte, president
Long Island Region
Stony Brook mail services serves
school’s ‘city’
STONY BROOK — The State University at Stony Brook is a big institution with two
campuses, an undergraduate college, a graduate school, a medical school and the
largest hospital in Suffolk County and an ambulatory care center. It is staffed by 12,000
employees who work in hundreds of offices, laboratories, cafeterias and shops and
other locations.
Keeping the mail moving for those workers is an essential task performed by 20
members of SUNY Stony Brook Local 614, the staff of the university’s mail services.
“Our employees do all aspects of mail services,” said Adrianne Michelson, a mail
supply clerk who has worked in the department for eight years. “It’s like serving a small
city.”
“The university is our city,” said Louise Melious,
a 17-year employee who is manager of mail
services, and also serves as treasurer of the CSEA
local.
Stony Brook’s mail service is much like a
medium size city’s main post office. It has its own
ZIP code and the equipment found in any post
office. The modern mail processing equipment
keeps track of every
piece of mail that goes
out and how much it
Adrianne Michelson works at a costs. Employees go out
mail processing unit that keeps twice a day to pick up
track of how many pieces have mail, stamp it and ready
passed through and what the
it for delivery to the
postage for each was. She
United States Postal
wears gloves because paper
Service; they sort
leaches out oils in the skin and incoming mail and deliver
dries it.
it to the university’s work Louise Melious supervises
sites. They also staff a
the mail services division,
post office annex in the a $1 million per year
student union building, where they sell stamps and money operation at SUNY Stony
orders to students and help them wrap packages.
Brook.
The cost of the entire operation is close to $1 million a
year with the staff handling anywhere from 2,000 to 7,000
pieces of mail a day, depending on the academic season. “Life slows down a little in
the summer,” said Melious. “From November to May, it is busy, and then it starts back
up in August, when Admissions sends out orientation packages for new students.”
Computers and e-mail have cut into the volume of mail, but “snail mail” will be with
us for some time to come. “E-mail and faxes make for a gradual decline, but it’s
apparent that a good part of the mail system is not
affected,” she said. “Journals are printed and
mailed, medical records, things needing a receipt —
proof they were sent. These seem safe from being
overtaken by e-mail.”
Top photo, Clerk Colin Pilkington, boxing mail for
delivery to the university’s many work sites, has 26
years of service at the university.
Left, Marilyn Lipkis, a motor vehicle operator, is one
of the staff members who goes out twice each day
to pick up and deliver mail.
Inside Reporter
852 Executive Board Meeting
MEDFORD — The need for more members
involved in CSEA’s political action efforts was the
main theme at the May 23 meeting of Suffolk Local
852’s Executive Board.
Forty local and unit officers were present at the
meeting, held at the Hampton Inn at Exit 63 of the
Long Island Expressway.
The guest speaker was Cheryl A. Palmer,
CSEA’s coordinator of PEOPLE, the union’s federal
political action program that protects and improves
members’ jobs, benefits and pensions in
Washington, Albany and in their communities.
“A primary goal is getting a universal health
care program in the next two years,” Palmer said.
She explained the importance of contributions
to the winning of the union’s goals in Washington,
and urged the officers to seek payroll deduction for
people through contract negotiations with their
municipality.
Local President Bill Walsh picked up the theme,
noting he serves as statewide Political Action
Committee chair.
He suggested that donations to PEOPLE are
not money out of pocket but a gift to our families.
“Any contribution you make is a contribution to
the security of your families,” he said.
He congratulated Jack Christ, president of the
Village of Babylon Unit, for the outpouring of
support at a demonstration supporting members
the evening before. “The officers of this local are
proud to stand with you,” he said.
Walsh also installed the two top officers of the
Town of East Hampton Unit, President J.J. Krem
and 1st Vice President Steven Arkington. The unit’s
other officers are Ed Pluchino, 2nd vice president,
Margaret Cary, secretary, and Joel Halsey,
treasurer.
Local 852
Roundup
Long Island Reporter
Jeff Hyman, left, CSEA Long Island Region occupational safety and
health specialist, teaches a class on safe refuse collection to five
members of the East Hampton Unit of Suffolk Local 852. Class members,
who work for the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, are, from left
to right, Jason Lavelle, Douglas Salazar, Conrad Fisher, Donton Donegal,
and David Hummel. The four-hour class was offered through a grant to
CSEA from the New York State Department of Labor and its Hazard
Abatement Board.
Painting equipment in Town of East Hampton Highway garage
are, left to right, Suffolk 852 Local members Alex Dias, Luis
Bahamondes, Clint Bennett and Justin Schellinger.
South Hampton Unit president addresses town meeting
Clockwise from top: Local 852 President Bill
Walsh, second from right, presides at the
Executive Board meeting. Other local officers,
from left, are Jean McCarthy, recording
secretary; Pat Fisher, execuive vice president,
and Matt Hattorff, 2nd vice president; Chris
Jones of Travel Unlimited discusses trips the
firm offers to CSEA members and their families.
Others in the photo, from left, are Fred
Blumenfeld of Travel Unlimited, Jack Christ,
president of the Town of Babylon Unit, and Maureen
Sullivan, Local 852’s office secretary; Before Suffolk
Local 852’s Executive Board meeting got underway,
Cheryl A. Palmer, CSEA PEOPLE coordinator,
hands out material about CSEA’s federal political
action program to, from left, Rich Vacchio of the
Huntington Unit, local 6th vice president; Dave Clark
of the Smithtown Unit, local 4th vice president; Tom
Skabry, president of the Town of Southold Unit, and
Hank Herman, vice president of the Village of
Babylon Unit; Bill Walsh, left, swears in newlyelected officers of the Town of East Hampton Unit,
J.J. Kremm, center, president, and Steven Arkinson,
1st vice president. At rear is Millie Lucas of
PEOPLE, CSEA’s federal political action program.
SOUTHAMPTON — Pete Collins, president of the
Southampton Unit, has strongly criticized
proposed changes to the town’s ethics
regulations.
He said there are laws and codes on the
books that meet the problem. The proposals,
which the board keeps changing are very broad
and over-reaching, he charged, threatening town
employees and residents.
“If for a moment we assume the current ethics
law needs changing, why doesn’t the town
appoint a separate independent blue ribbon panel
to revise the laws?” he asked. “I think that would
make more sense than the current hodge-podge
of proposals being considered today.”
Collins also found fault with the way the town
was trying to force acceptance on unit members.
Three council members had distributed “their
ethics diatribe,” which singled out Collins and
criticized him to his members, with their
paychecks.
“They’ve been trying to ram this down people’s
throats,” he said. “They did it without consulting
with us. But employees did not leave their basic
rights of citizenship at the front door of town hall
when they went to work here.”
Instead of wasting time
and energy, the town board
should take up
Southampton’s real
problems, such as a lack of
affordable housing and
vanishing open space.
Pete Collins
“You are not helping
everyday, real families survive and thrive in this
town through this law,” he charged.
Village of Babylon rally draws CSEA members, supporters
BABYLON — The dramatic resignation of John Walton,
a CSEA member, at the village council’s June meeting
surprised the village administration.
Whether it will change the administration’s
stonewalling of contract negotiations for the 33
remaining members of the Village of Babylon Unit
remains to be seen.
Supporters of the union, which
has been without a contract for
more than a year, trooped into the
council’s June 26 meeting. The
mayor and village trustees were
unresponsive to questions from
union supporters, responding not
with an answer but with another
Jack Christ
4
East Hampton Unit
question.
Walton, the sweeper truck operator in the highway
department, then questioned the administration’s claims
that Mayor Frank Scordino lives on his $22,000 per
year village salary.
Walton said he was “tired of
living on a poverty level, tired of
living on hot dogs and beans,
macaroni and cheese.” The
village could take his job and
shove it.
“Shame on you, Mr. Mayor,”
Walton said. He put his
resignation on the council’s desk
and walked out.
“As he walked out, the audience all applauded him,”
said Unit President Jack Christ. “We lost a good worker.
We have lost many good workers because of the salary,
and we can’t support our families.”
Village officials have shown little sign of wanting to
bargain in good faith. Wages for unit members, who are
sanitation, parks and recreation and highway
department workers, are believed to be among the
lowest in Suffolk County.
“They keep playing games,” said Christ, one of the
negotiators. “They haven’t moved their offer up. They
just keep switching the numbers around.”
“The village’s proposals are basically an insult,” said
Robert Schmidt, a highway department employee who
serves as unit treasurer and a negotiator. “We moved
on our proposals but they are sticking with their bottom
line. They have no interest in giving us a fair contract.”
“The village officers are very arrogant,” said Christ.
“They look at us as servants. Basically, they’re using
government powers to mistreat workers.”
Although Freedom of Information statutes require
Scordino to provide information for negotiations, he
refuses. “He didn’t give us the information we asked for
on members’ salaries, the hours worked, including
overtime, how much they contribute to benefits for
employees,” said Christ. “The whole situation is an
insult.”
Village officials have punished vocal CSEA
supporters by cutting their overtime, while workers who
keep their mouths shut continue to get as much
overtime as before.
The unit’s contract expired May 31, 2006.
Those who demonstrated include members of
Suffolk Local 852, led by President Bill Walsh, members
of unions that belong to the Long Island Federation of
Labor, and residents of Babylon. The unit plans to
continue the monthly demonstrations.
“The demonstrations are so they’ll know we’re not
going away,” said Christ.
Robert Schmidt
Long Island Reporter
5
Long Island Federation of Labor’s Congressional evening
Members question pols on priorities
HAUPPAUGE — Long Island
Region members are taking part
in the national labor movement’s
push for Congress to pass the
Employee Free Choice Act
(EFCA) and health care
legislation during this session.
A dozen CSEA members were
among union members who
participated in the Long Island
Federation of Labor’s recent
Congressional evening.
Bobby Rauff, executive vice
president of Oyster Bay Local
881, questioned U.S. Sen.
Charles Schumer on how Senate
Democrats plan to move ahead
on the two priority items.
U.S. Reps. Tim Bishop and
Steve Israel were present and
responded to questions from
union members.
Long Island Region President
Nick LaMorte serves as the
federation’s political director.
Richie Acevedo, president of
the Port Washington Custodial
Unit of Nassau Educational Local
865, commented on the recent
AFSCME Leadership Conference
in Washington. On AFSCME’s
blog, Acevedo wrote he attended
conference workshops on
organizing and the Employee
Free Choice Act.
“I’m heading for the EFCA
rally on Capitol Hill,” he wrote.
“Today’s temperature is
supposed to be higher than 90
degrees, but this fight is worth it.
In this election, working families
will pave the way to change. We
will make our voice heard at the
rally and the remainder of the
Leadership Conference. After
that, we are on our way to the
White House!”
Bobby Rauff questions Sen.
Charles Schumer at the Long
Island Federation’s
Congressional evening. Several
hundred union members from
Nassau and Suffolk counties
attended.
Local elects slate, agrees to terms
of salary reopener
BELLPORT — Members of the Suffolk Cooperatitive Library Local
701 have elected a slate of officers and agreed to the terms of a
second salary reopener for this year.
Elected to lead the local for the three years, beginning July 1, are
President David Douglas, Vice President Mickey A. Cantwell,
Recording Secretary Linda Hoff and Treasurer Kristin Minschke.
“It is an honor and privilege to be elected by my fellow workers,”
said Douglas, a computer technician who has worked at the library
for more than 11 years. He said the local’s contract expires this year
and he is looking forward to working with the library’s management
on a renewal.
At the end of last year, members approved a re-opener for 2007
that provided an increase of 3 percent or $1,500, whichever was
greater. This year, the library is receiving additional financial aid from
the state and, as called for in the local’s contract, the original
increase was reopened.
“The library raised the offer by an additional 2 percent or $1,250,
giving members a total of 5 percent or $2,750 for the year, and will
also make the increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007,” said Eileen
Milewski, one of the negotiators and acting president until June 30.
Long Island recognizes, honors veterans
COMMACK — The Long Island
Region recently honored during two
events CSEA members, both living
and dead, who served in their
country’s armed forces.
Veterans Recognition Day
On May 19, the regions Veterans
Committee held its first Veterans
Recognition Day. About 25 veterans,
who served in wars from World War
II to Iraq, and their guests attended.
“Each veteran received a certificate
of appreciation that recognized their
service to our country,” said Maryann
Phelps, committee chair and a
member of SUNY Stony Brook Local
614.
Those who attended appreciated
the recognition and thought the
event should be held annually.
Veterans who received
certificates were Leonard Beaulieu,
Michael Broccolo, Frederick Bond
Jr., James Brown, Manley Brown,
Frank Campbell, Tony Cardone, Aldo
Cowell, Charles Crowe, Gerard T.
Custance and Freddie C. Eddins.
Also, Harold Flanagan, Harold
Ford, William Gwynn, Dennis Hill,
Jean Houser, Jesse Hunt, Edward
Hussey, Robert Inslee, Clarence
Johnson, Everett R. Johnson,
Bronislaus (Ben) Kosiorowski, Fred
LaScalea, Gottfried Mahler, Peter
Marriott, Fred Marsland, Scott
Gottfried Mahler, who served as
a chief petty officer in the United
States Coast Guard during World
War II, is shown with Maryann
Phelps, Veterans Committee
chairperson, at Veterans
Recognition Day.
6
Long Island Reporter
McGrath, Ronald Mihalek, Andrew
Nelson and Tommy Noble.
Also, Debra O’Connell, Joseph
Owens, Maryann Phelps, David
Ruland, Michael Carl Tanner, Valerie
V. Taylor, Glen Urban, Herman
Williams, Daryl Wilson and Kathleen
Yanes.
“Everyone pitched in to make this an
exceptionally successful day,” said
Phelps.
Memorial Day ceremony
On May 26, the committee and
many volunteers held a Memorial
Day ceremony before visiting the
gravesites of 54 deceased CSEA
veterans and members’ relatives,
and placed a flag on each grave.
Those honored were James V.
Amature Jr., Ross S. Aveni, Stanley
Baxter, Richard Butler Jr., Edward F.
Buttacavoli, Albert Chiuchiolo, Frank
R. Colicci, Joseph L. Davies, Louis
DeMeo Jr., Evelyn P. Dionisio,
Rocco J. Dionisio, Andrew J. Doyle,
Theodore Evel, Donald F. Ferrante,
Bernard Fussa, Walter Galkowski,
Louis J. Giordano, MaryLou Goeller
and Edward A. Grant.
Also, John J. Gugel, Philip
Katz, Julia Keller, Stanley King,
Harold Kustanowitz, Anthony P.
LaMorte Sr., Charles V. LeMaire,
Morton Leif, Joseph Lubonski,
William A. Martone, Patrick
McGee, George J. McMahon,
Robert Albert Miller, Philip P.
Nappi, Kenneth E. Nolan,
Frederick T. Nusser and
Frank O’Brien.
Also, Louis Pallone,
Arthur Pastore, Joseph
Payton, Dominick J. Pollastro,
George Ponosuk, Frederick P.
Prezioso, John Abraham Prine,
John J. Reynolds, Edwin J.
Rusch, G. Salvatore, Benjamin G.
Sancimino, Anthony B. Tsanakis,
Mary Tsanakis, Mario J.
Terraccinano, Joseph Toker, Loretta
Toker, Walter W. Train and George J.
Volz.
This was the fifth year the
Veterans Committee has honored
the veterans buried at Calverton.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Hempstead goes Hollywood
Calendar of Upcoming Events:
July and August 2007
JULY:
2 – Human Rights Committee — 5:30
p.m.
4 – Region Office Closed —
Independence Day
11 – Local 430 Executive Board meeting
— 3:30-5:30 p.m.
24 – Member Action Team Committee —
5:30 p.m.
28 – Defensive Driving — 9 a.m.3 p.m.
20 – Women’s Committee — 5:30 p.m.
31 – Political Action Committee
— 5:30 p.m.
22 – Local 430 Executive Board meeting
— 3:30-5:30 p.m.
AUGUST:
22 – Local 430 General Membership
meeting — 5:30-7 p.m.
11 – Local 430 General Membership
meeting — 5:30-7 p.m.
1 – Defensive Driving — 5:308:30 p.m.
16 – Women’s Committee — 5:30 p.m.
2 – Defensive Driving — 5:308:30 p.m.
18 – Region Executive Board Meeting —
5:30 p.m.
21 – International Day/Women’s Health
Fair — 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
18 – Defensive Driving — 9 a.m.3 p.m.
14 – PEOPLE Committee — 5 p.m.
15 – Veterans Committee — 5:30 p.m.
28 – Political Action Committee — 5:30
p.m.
29 – Member Action Team Committee —
5:30 p.m.
20 – Local 430 Executive Board meeting
— 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Long Beach Unit wins many upgrades
LONG BEACH — After a union campaign in the
community, the Long Beach City Council approved on
May 29 upgrades and pay boosts for 72 members of
the Long Beach Unit of Nassau Municipal Local 882.
“We have another list of grade changes with other
titles on it that we will be pushing for within the next
several months,” said Unit President Colleen Silvia.
The upgrades, gained for about one-third of the
membership, total $73,000.
Those who won upgrades include those working in
the titles of administrative aide, bookkeeper, clerk,
cleaner, heavy duty auto mechanic, bus driver, code
enforcement/crossing guard and water and sewer
treatment plant operator. In addition, maintenance
workers with a commercial driver’s license who were
working out-of-title as heavy equipment operators
received a change of title and grade increase.
Before the council acted, the CSEA unit collected
more than 800 residents’ signatures on petitions in
support of the changes.
Unit President Colleen Silvia expressed thanks to
Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte; John
Shepherd, president of Local 882 and CSEA members
who supported their union brothers and sisters working
for Long Beach.
The changes were proposed to the council by a joint
union-management grade change committee, which
began meeting in January. Union members were John
Mooney, unit executive vice president; Bill McCarthy
and Silvia.
“We tried to get people paid in accordance with what
they do,” McCarthy said.
He and his co-workers in the sewer treatment plant
deserved the upgrade they got, he said. “We’ve got to
take a civil service test to get hired, then have to pass
a sewage treatment course, then a state lab proficiency
and then a state test for licensure, and every five years
we need continuing education,” he said. “We felt that
with what we have to do and what we have to keep up,
we deserved a boost.”
The committee is continuing to work for other grade
changes.
Above, bus driver Paul Chulbi holds a sign backing the
union’s campaign for upgrades and pay boosts before a
recent meeting of the Long Beach City Council. All bus
drivers received grade changes.
HEMPSTEAD — Hempstead went Hollywood — for a week.
During the spring, a production company filmed scenes for the pilot
of “Babylon Fields,” a mystery television series.
Employees of the village’s Department of Public Works helped the
production crew set up for the
filming.
“The CSEA members
cleaned and prepared the field
where the camera crews set
up,” said John Shepherd,
president of the Nassau
Municipal Local 882 and its
Village of Hempstead Unit.
“They also emptied and cleaned
the DPW building where sets
were built.”
No CSEA members
Two DPW employees have a quick
appeared in the pilot.
Gary Kornova, supervisor in lunch near one of the sets the
television crew built for “Babylon
the village’s central storeroom
and unit 1st vice president, said Fields.”
having the film crew in the
village was interesting. “They were here for a week and we tried to help
them a little here and there,” he said.
Village employees lent tools and supplies to the production crew for
several jobs, including a change that turned Hempstead’s DPW building
into the Babylon Police Department for the series.
Why didn’t the production company go to Babylon (whose
employees are members of Suffolk Local 852) instead of giving
Hempstead a makeover? It wasn’t movie magic.
“It was filmed in Hempstead because the union for the film crew has
a clause in its contract that if they have to travel more than a certain
distance, they get double time,” said Shepherd. “They came from
Manhattan. Hempstead was within range. Babylon would have been out
of range.”
Had the series been picked up, the filming would have been done in
Hollywood with a crew returning to Hempstead from time to time for
outside shots. But so far, Kornova said, it looks as if viewers will not be
seeing “Babylon Fields” on their TV screens.
For television’s “Babylon
Fields,” Hempstead’s
Department of Public Works
office on Milburn Avenue was
turned into the Babylon Police
Department. These photos
were taken by Gary Kornova Jr.
(son of Gary Kornova, 1st vice
president of the Village of
Hempstead Unit) and may not
be used without his written
permission.
Long Island Reporter
7
Local 865 holds annual Executive Board meeting
JERICHO — About 150 leaders of Nassau Educational
continue to move this local forward,” he said.
Local 865 and its 68 units attended the annual Executive
Other officers of the local are 1st Vice President Linda
Board meeting and dinner at the Milleridge Cottage May
DeMott, 2nd Vice President Ken Grant, Recording
15.
Secretary Jean Ahlert and Treasurer Lee Reynolds.
In brief remarks, Local President Monica Berkowitz
urged units to attend demonstrations by the Lynbrook unit,
which was in a long fight for a contract, and other units
locked in disputes with their board of education. “We are
powerful when these boards of education see big crowds of
people,” she said. “Make some noise and show them CSEA
is important. We need to show them we’re not asleep.”
Local 865 President
The Lynbrook unit reached a settlement with the board
Monica Berkowitz greets
soon afterward.
attorney Marvin Anderman,
Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte
one of the guests who
congratulated Berkowitz, who assumed the local’s
greeted those attending the
presidency earlier this year. He said he was confident she
dinner meeting.
would lead the local to new heights of service to members
and the region. “Monica stepped up to the plate and will
Barbara Weinstein, center, who works in the Syosset
School District, gets out her wallet to buy a raffle ticket
from Region President Nick LaMorte, second from left, and
Local 865 Treasurer Lee Reynolds, back to camra. Jack
Steang, and Fran Pfeffer are also employees of the
Syosset district.
Local 870 custodial unit
helps community
COPIAGUE — Members of the Copiague
full-time custodial unit recently helped their
community through two contributions they
made.
The first were $600 college
scholarships presented to Sacajewana
Idlett and Verlenis Espinal, outstanding
Copiague High School graduating seniors.
The second was a $300 gift to the food
pantry at Our Lady of the Miraculous
Medal Roman Catholic Church in
Wyandanch.
Nearly all of the 34 members of the unit donated
toward the gifts, said Pat Cirasole, unit president.
Idlett will attend Suffolk County Community College
and Espinal will go to St. Joseph’s College in
Patchogue.
“These are good kids who work hard,” said Cirasole.
The union chose the two young women from a list
of candidates prepared by Jaime Suarez, a social
studies teacher at the high school and adviser of
SOUL, the Student Organization of Unified Leaders.
Both winners are active in the group.
The awards, the second presented by the unit, are
named for Bruce Williams, a very active member who
died shortly before the first awards presentation last
year.
The Rev. Bill Brisotti, pastor of Our Lady of the
Miraculous Medal, accepted the gift for the food pantry,
which has been providing food for needy residents
since 1975.
Above, the Rev. Bill Brisotti, left,
receives $300 worth of gift
certificates from Pat Cirasole,
second from right, as Frank Peralta,
second from left, and Nick LaMorte
look on.
Above, graduating Copiague High
School seniors Sacajewana Idlett,
fourth from left, and Verlenis
Espinal, receive $600 Bruce
Williams Memorial Scholarship
Fund Awards from Pat Cirasole,
president of the Copiague
Custodial Unit of Nassau
Educational Local 865. With them
are, from left, Scott Kelly, unit vice
president; Joe Chirco, unit
treasurer; Region President Nick
LaMorte; Jaime Suarez, a social
studies teacher at the high school;
Frank Peralta, unit vice presidentelect, and retiree Bob Zuccarello.
Long Island SEFA has
successful year
COMMACK — Generous donors and great
volunteers made the Long Island State
Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) a very
successful campaign this past year.
“Thank you goes to all the donors and
volunteers who raised $462,268 for those in
need,” said Millie Lucas, a retired CSEA
member who is SEFA director at United Way
of Long Island.
She also thanked the SEFA committee,
which is co-chaired by Yakov Shamash, dean
of engineering at the State University of New
York at Stony Brook, and Long Island Region
President Nick LaMorte, loaned executives
and state agencies that participated in the
annual fund-raising effort.
“To name just a few ways SEFA donors
are helping to improve our world, more Long
Island children are going to be well-nourished
and able to succeed in school, and hundreds
of seniors will be safer in their homes and
receive the medical care they need because
of your contributions,” Lucas said. “Our water
will be cleaner, our families will be healthier
and our futures will be brighter.”
Lucas is planning to raise even more
money next year to continue improving the
lives of all Long Islanders.
Long Island Reporter
8
Onondaga Local 834
www.csea834.com
Vol. 6 No. 1 • July/August 2007
News & Views
Message from the President
By Len Foster
Local 834 President
As I’m about to complete my year as President of our Local, I
reflect not only on this year but also on my 30 years of activism.
Throughout that time, there has always been one constant — CSEA
is a large, political and powerful representative organization when our
membership chooses to get involved.
Many of our units are now involved in contract negotiations. Some
of these units can expect to have a lengthy process. The key to their
success will be a strong, involved membership supporting their
representatives at the table.
One way to do this is to increase the amount of members vs. nonmembers (also known as Agency Fee payors). To accomplish this,
our members and leaders should emphasize the privileges of
belonging to CSEA; reminding non-members they have no say in
what their contract includes, who represents them, or access to
member-only benefits. By being a CSEA member, they will belong to
one of the largest public employee unions in the country, or world.
Some don’t realize that beyond our units and local, we have a
large, statewide organization backing us. Our union offers
professional staff services supporting us in negotiations and
disciplinary matters; political lobbying on issues that directly affect us;
health and safety experts who can be called on when necessary;
professional communication and education services; a research
department to back our strategic campaigns and access to our
International union’s many staff services. For member-only benefits,
CSEA offers group insurance plans, free retirement counseling, a
discount buying service, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed
and more. Most members may never access many of these services,
but they are there if you need them – if you belong. Joining is as
simple as signing a membership card, available from any unit officer
In my 30 years the one constant has always been
you, the member. You are CSEA. You are its
power. Your involvement strengthens us and allows
you to be heard.
and CSEA dues cost the same as the agency fee that non-members
already pay.
We also have an opportunity in the next few months to more
strongly express our views in the political arena. This November we
will have the opportunity to select a new county executive and many
other elected officials who will have the ability to affect our lives.
When elected officials are your bosses, every election is important.
That’s why CSEA has a political action organization made up of members
like you from across our county and state. They research and interview
every candidate
Please see Message cont’d on Page 2
Onondaga County Units
start negotiations
By Mark Kotzin, CSEA Central Region Communications Associate
CSEA representatives recently sat down with Onondaga County
management to officially start the negotiations process for the union’s
10 county employee bargaining units.
This is the earliest the union has begun negotiations for the units’
more than 3,000 members in at least a decade. The workers’ current
contract will expire in December 2007.
The initial meetings were held to discuss ground rules that both
sides would agree to follow throughout the process. Unfortunately, the
county was unwilling to agree to a provision to limit the time period for
new proposals to be introduced into the process, so no ground rules
were put into place.
In the meantime, the union has been working for months to prepare
for contract negotiations. The 10 county unit presidents have been
meeting as the negotiating team, along with Local 834 President Len
Foster and CSEA staff professionals, including Labor Relations
Specialists Marc Heatley (lead negotiator), Rich McCormack (conegotiator), Communications Associate Mark Kotzin and Political Action
Coordinator Rick Noreault. They have been
Please see Contract cont’d on Page 2
Village of Skaneateles fights for retiree health coverage
By Mark Kotzin, CSEA Central Region Communications Associate
CSEA continues to fight a move by the Village of Skaneateles
Board to cut health coverage in retirement for current and future
retirees.
Without notifying the union until the day of the vote, the board
approved changes that would eliminate health coverage in retirement
for all but a chosen few. Most, if not all, CSEA retirees and future
retirees would lose their coverage or have the cost increased so high
they couldn’t afford it.
Without advance notice, the union was unable to fight the change
before it was approved. Afterward, CSEA went to bat for the workers,
filing an improper practice charge against the village for failing to
negotiate. The union also held a demonstration outside the village hall
before a board meeting, which received widespread media coverage,
and spoke out against the changes in that meeting. CSEA Skaneateles
Unit President David Short presented the board with petitions signed
by nearly 200 village residents opposing the change.
“It’s pretty poor how they’re treating us,” Short said. “Health
insurance was part of the package when we all started working here.
Let’s face it; you’re never going to get rich with the paycheck. You’re
hoping to have enough to feed your family and get the benefits when
you retire. Now they’re trying to take that away from us.”
“Health insurance is a basic need, and it’s certainly not fair to just
get rid of it without first seeking other, less harmful options,” he said.
Short also said the CSEA and police units were about to start
contract negotiations, where the issue could have been addressed.
“What a perfect opportunity to negotiate,” he said.
CSEA is hoping to sit down with the village to negotiate a better
resolution that continues fair and affordable health care coverage for
the workers in retirement.
Village of Skaneateles Unit President David Short hands
petitions opposing the retiree health insurance changes to
members of the village board.
Onondaga Local 834 News & Views
Page 2
Safety Committee works to educate members
By Al Crump, Local 834 Safety Committee Chair
The Onondaga County Local Safety Committee
has dedicated itself toward providing a safer work
environment through educating our members and
their employers.
We are currently working together with OCC to
provide Office Ergonomic Training in July for our
members and supervisors. It’s not only important
that we convince our employers to provide
ergonomic equipment, but it’s equally important to
educate our members and their supervisors of that
equipment’s proper use.
CSEA has other training programs available,
such as OSHA 10-Hour and work zone safety. If
any unit is interested in bringing safety training to
your work location, please contact Al Crump at 4982982.
The committee will be hosting its annual Safety
Awards to acknowledge outstanding members who
have worked towards a safer work environment.
The recipients will be among the local’s guests at
the July 15 clambake where they will receive their
award.
Safety should be the number one issue at the
work site year-round. If you know any member who
has displayed outstanding regard and concern for
employee health and safety and would like to
acknowledge them in future awards, please fill out a
Message
nomination form available from your unit president
or the local office.
Looking for help with our
newsletter!
By Bob Riley, editor, News & Views
The Local 834 Newsletter Committee has reformed and wants to publish on a more regular
basis. We’re always looking for volunteers to help
us spread the word about each and every unit.
Want your news heard? Have a talent for reporting
or writing? Get involved today! Call Robyn at the
Local Office at 446-0330 to sign up to join our
committee.
What would you do to get a fair contract?
By Chris Kraynak, Local 834 Political Action Committee
Co-Chair
Did you realize that less than 75 percent of our
local’s membership is registered to vote, and less than
55 percent of them voted in the last general election?
Here’s another little secret – the politicians know it.
That means our bosses, the elected officials who
make important decisions every day about our quality of
life and our working conditions do not feel they have to
listen to the needs of their own workers.
If we want to get better contracts and have our
voices heard on the issues that concern us most, we
need to get more members to vote. When we DO turn
out to vote in November, you can bet the politicians will
know and remember it.
There are plenty of reasons people don’t vote,
including distrust of the system, lack of information about
the candidates, and inconvenience. Remember, in many
cases our families rely on us to make good decisions
about their future. Our children can’t vote, so we have to
do it for them. Our Local 834 has to unite as a team. No
matter who you vote for, we need all our members to
register and exercise their right to vote. We encourage
you to consider supporting candidates endorsed by
CSEA, because they have demonstrated to us their
support on issues that affect you as a member.
Help the union help you. Our local will do whatever
we can to help our members get out and vote this year.
There should be no more excuses. If you don’t know
how to vote, just ask. If you are afraid to vote, your union
brothers and sisters will help you through the process.
Union works to address future downtown parking problems
cont’d from page 1
By Linda Park, Onondaga County Health Department Unit President
seeking the union’s support and endorsement and
base their recommendations on a candidate’s voting
record and support of issues that affect us. In local
races, our area political action coalition makes
recommendations to the region Political Action
Committee (PAC), which makes the official
endorsements. Local 834 has several members on
the region PAC. It is a time-intensive process, and
works best when our members get involved.
There may be times when it appears the union
is not working for you. If you feel this, it is up to you
to speak up. We are a member-run union, and if
more members get involved, we can make
tremendous progress. When we act as a group, with
one very large voice, we can be heard. We can
make a difference. Together, we can support our
negotiators to ensure more fair contracts. If elected
officials won’t support us, working together with one
voice we can remove them from office and elect
new candidates who will support us.
In my 30 years the one constant has always
been you, the member. You are CSEA. You are its
power. Your involvement strengthens us and allows
you to be heard.
Many employees who work in the Downtown Civic
Center Complex could be facing a parking crisis this
fall.
Construction of the Convention Center Hotel will do
away with 250 parking spots. Our research indicates
that about 170 county employees use this lot,
commonly referred to as Lot 17.
A few months ago, while working on another
parking crisis with the Oncenter garage, the
countywide Labor-Management Committee met and
agreed to assess the situation and work on possible
solutions to the problem for members who work in this
Contract cont’d from page 1
working on a strategy to make the negotiating process
more open and transparent, building upon progress
made in the last contract talks, and getting more
members involved in the process.
Recently, CSEA conducted two surveys to gauge
member opinions. The first was on previous
communications efforts, where it was learned that the email “contract blast” system proved effective in getting
information out to members. The second survey
measured member satisfaction with the current contract
language, to allow the union to rate the articles that
members are most dissatisfied with and attempt to fix
them in negotiations. This was a groundbreaking
undertaking for the union, attempting for the first time to
have members take their surveys online, which met with
mixed results.
Here are some key dates
to remember:
Aug. 29 – last day to register to
be eligible to vote in primaries
(postmarked by Aug. 24)
Sept. 18 - Primary Day
Oct. 17 - last day to register to be eligible to vote in
the general election (postmarked by Oct. 12)
Nov. 6 – General Election
You can register in person at the Board of
Elections Office by calling (315) 435-8685, or
request a voter application by mail.
As an American citizen and a public worker, it is your
duty to vote. Let’s do what is right for our union and
ourselves and show the politicians we mean business in
2007.
Local 834 has re-formed our Political Action
Committee and we are going to get very involved in the
political process in Onondaga County. We would
welcome any and all participation from interested
members. Anyone who wants to volunteer to work with
our committee, please call Robyn at the local office at
446-0330. If more members get involved politically, we
can get more respect from the politicians and more fair
contracts now and in the future.
area. We’re continuing to meet
and talk with parking officials, and
county officials in the different
departments affected.
CSEA will keep members
informed on this issue.
As this newsletter went to press, CSEA was
formulating our negotiating proposals based on the
survey input. We will be meeting with members to share
those proposals and get feedback prior to exchanging
them with the county.
CSEA is also injecting itself more strongly into the
political process of helping select our next county
executive, noting that the candidate elected may have a
deciding factor in these and certainly in future
negotiations. Recently, all four candidates attended a
Combined Services Unit general membership meeting
for a “meet the candidates” night, which was open to all
county units, and similar events are being planned in the
future.
CSEA is continuing to use the “contract blast”
system to get the word out to members about progress
in negotiations. Blasts will not only be e-mailed, but
posted on bulletin boards throughout the county to make
sure members are aware and involved. If you want to
volunteer to help post notices or distribute blasts at your
work site, please talk to your unit president.
The negotiating team appreciates the support of the
members as we move forward with this difficult and time
consuming, but very important process.
Onondaga Local 834 News & Views
Page 3
Around the Local • Around the Local • Around the Local • Around the Local • Around the Local • Around the Local • Around the Local • Around the Local
Onondaga County Combined
Services Unit
Unit President Al Crump reports: “the Combined
Services Unit recently held its annual membership
meeting. In response to requests from last year, we
had the candidates running for County Executive
attend and we opened the “meet the candidates”
forum up to all units. We have a unique opportunity
to pick our own boss. With almost 3,500 county
employees, if each employee could influence two
people to vote for one candidate, that would be a
voting bloc of over 10,000 votes. Keep in mind the
candidate who wins this election will have a
profound effect over all our lives. We need to
educate ourselves to where these candidates stand
on issues that affect county employees, how they
have voted in the past on our issues, and who will
treat us fairly and with respect.
Skaneateles Schools Unit
The Skaneateles Schools Unit has reached a
tentative agreement in negotiations for their next
contract. The current agreement for the 53 workers
expired at the end of June. The tentative contract is
for two years, and includes wage increases each
year and other improvements. A vote was being
scheduled as this newsletter went to print.
Onondaga County DSS Unit
DSS Unit President Joe Alcaro reports: “At the
recent Region 5 Spring Conference, we met with
Valerie Williams from the Oswego County
Department of Social Services to discuss the issues
and concerns we as DSS workers share over the
New York state Connections PC system.
Representing Onondaga County DSS were: Joseph
Alcaro, Gail Pedersen, Natalie Radford and Cindy
English, all officers of CSEA Local 834 DSS Unit. In
addition to these DSS Unit officers were: Michael
Casler a DSS eligibility specialist and Local 834
officer as well as Local 834 President Len Foster.
We had a great discussion and learned that CSEA
Director of Field and Member Services Steve Alviene
has been conducting a “listening tour” around the
state regarding this issue, and recently met with
Madison County DSS workers. We are working to
set up additional meetings with Steve to discuss
corrective actions to the problems we’re facing with
this computer program, especially the time workers
must spend away from actual casework. In addition,
we discussed the rising caseloads within all of DSS.
It appears that the Medicaid caseloads are soaring
and that presently there are no limits on caseload
size. Valerie Williams pointed out the fact that
Connections is being added to the Medicaid
component, and this could cause additional
problems for DSS workers in the future.”
North Syracuse Schools Office
Personnel Unit
North Syracuse Office Personnel Unit President Sue
Lepkowski reports that the workers have just voted
to approve a contract, which was reached before
their previous agreement expired. Their unit started
negotiations in May and reached a tentative
agreement after three meetings. Members
overwhelmingly approved the new three-year
contract, which contains wage increases each year,
increases to sick leave, and an increase in tuition
reimbursement.
Onondaga County Library Unit
Unit President Holly Sammons reports on the saga
of a dress code: “It started two years ago, when one
department in our Library Unit was sent a memo
prohibiting the wearing of jeans at work, despite
years of casual Fridays and an occasional Saturday
of wearing jeans. In summer 2006, a new memo was
sent prohibiting wearing shorts, except for driver
messengers (who were exempted due to a lack of
air conditioning in their vans). In the past, library
departments would receive a seasonal memo stating
that wearing appropriate shorts was OK in the
summer. Now, during what would be the hottest
week all summer, shorts were banned. Maintenance
workers, doing some of the hottest and dirtiest work
there is, complained and we filed a grievance.
According to PERB, the state Public
Employment Relations Board, dress codes are a
mandatory subject of negotiation. Management
cannot unilaterally set a dress code without having
negotiated with labor. Unless the union contests
these ‘memos’ that attempt to set rules,
management often gets away with it. After filing an
Improper Practice Charge and meeting with an
administrative law judge, CSEA and library
management have been trying to negotiate a dress
code that will work for the members.
The vast majority of library workers dress neatly
and appropriately. The union strongly questions the
need for a dress code. As in many situations, the
lapse in judgment of one or two workers has resulted
in management’s need to codify rules rather than
simply supervise employees. Library work has
changed since the last written dress code we had
(men wear suits, women wear dresses). Fashion
changes, work demands change, and the only
constant has been the library workers’ commitment
to serving the public in the best possible way.”
Speaking of that, congratulations to Library Unit
Vice President George Lawrence, who was recently
honored with the 2007 YWCA Academy of Diversity
Achievers Award. He was honored for his work
promoting diversity within the library system and in
our communities.
Town of Dewitt Units
The three Town of DeWitt Units have just started
contract negotiations. The current agreements for
the Blue Collar, White Collar and Supervisory units
expire this December. Proposals for the negotiations
have been completed and bargaining began at the
end of June. CSEA represents about 70 town
workers.
Onondaga County Health
Department Unit
County Health Department Unit President Linda Park
reports: “the Health Department and Onondaga
County have started Labor-Management meetings
on a monthly basis. We will be working together to
discuss issues that benefit union members and
management. So far, we’ve been working on several
issues, including comp time, current dress code and
vacation, and we will keep you informed on what
transpires.
Also, the Health Department, along with DSS,
will be sponsoring a family summer picnic to be held
on Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Arrowhead Lodge at
Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton from noon – 4
p.m. We will have food, prizes, a magician, an
inflatable game, a fire truck and safety and
educational materials.”
City of Syracuse Unit
City of Syracuse Unit President Rick Rogala reports:
“In June, we concluded our sixth contract negotiation
session with the City of Syracuse. It ended with very
little progress. As with most contracts, wages and
health insurance are the major issues. Our next
meeting is scheduled for July. Between now and
then, the committee will meet to discuss ways to
move the negotiations along.”
CSEA is also continuing to fight the city’s change
to retiree health insurance. The union filed a
grievance over the change, which seeks increased
contributions from retirees, and we are awaiting the
grievance to be heard.
Van Duyn Long Term Care Unit
Van Duyn LTC President Barb Taylor reports: “We
are continuing our ongoing battle to Keep Van Duyn
Caring! For the past 3 1/2 years, we have not had a
break with all the uncertainty surrounding us and
Van Duyn’s future. Just when we thought we had
finally gotten a much needed “break,” the Berger
Commission is now looming above us at all times
and it is very difficult to remain positive. Our first
concern is always the well being of our residents, but
when we speak about how much our employees
could potentially lose by not being county-owned it
gets misunderstood. Our employees stand to lose
their state retirements, something many have
worked years to secure. They also could lose their
health insurance benefits and other benefits we hold
dear.
Our officers represent a great group of people
who, in spite of the fear of the unknown, continue to
take quality care of our residents. It’s not easy doing
what we do when our future seems uncertain,
sometimes difficult decisions have to be made, so
THANKS VAN DUYN EMPLOYEES! We’re very
proud of you and appreciate all you are doing and
CSEA shares that sentiment. Hang in there and
keep up the good work!”
Onondaga County WEP Unit
WEP Unit President Bob Riley reports: “the CSEA
Local 834 Water Environment
Protection/Metropolitan Water Board Unit is currently
challenging contract language regarding promotions,
lateral transfers, and essential personnel through the
grievance process. Two cases have been scheduled
for arbitration with the third scheduled for a Step 2 in
early June. Recently several of our members have
experienced anti-union sentiment from management.
It is very important that as union leaders we can
count on support from our union brothers and
sisters, and as we begin negotiations, it is important
that we stand together. Remember, an act against
ONE is an act against ALL! As the process unfolds,
more information will be available.”
Syracuse City Schools Office
Personnel
Syracuse City School District Office Personnel Unit
President Laury Willoughby reports: “Currently the
Syracuse City School District Unit 9/Office Personnel
are in contract negotiations for a contract expiring
June 30, 2007. Considering the proposed staff
reductions throughout the district, negotiations are
not faring well with regard to wage increases or
health benefits not being increased. Our Unit is not
being hit hard with staff cuts. Most, if any, cuts to the
265-member Unit would be through retirements.”
Onondaga Local 834 News & Views
Page 4
Our Local Leadership
Local 834 officers
Name and email
Len Foster
Al Crump
Michael Casler
Bob Riley
Vacant
Natalie Radford
Celia Crump
Robyn Clough
Position
Local 834 President
Local 834 Executive VP
Local 834 1st VP
Local 834 2nd VP
Local 834 3rd VP
Local 834 Treasurer
Local 834 Secretary
Local 834 Office Manager
Work phone
446-0330
498-2982
498-8211 x142
435-2260
435-2372
498-2245
446-0330
County unit presidents
Name
Walt Sturick
Joe Alcaro
Linda Park
Barbara Taylor
Position
Department of Corrections
Dept. of Social Services
Onon. Co. Health Department
LTC/Van Duyn Home & Hospital
Eric Burbidge
Mary Linnertz
John Edwards
Bob Riley
Holly Sammons
Al Crump
Onon. Co. Parks & Recreation
Onon. Co. Probation Department
Dept. of Transportation
Dept of Water Environment Protec
Onon. Co. Public Library
Combined Services Unit/OCC
Position
Baldwinsville School District
Town of Camillus
Cicero Highways
Jordan Elbridge School District
Liverpool Library
N. Syracuse Clerical
N. Syracuse Maintenance
N. Syr. Teaching Aides
N. Syr. Village DPW
Onon. Co. Water Authority
City of Syracuse
Town of Dewitt-Blue Collar
Town of Dewitt-White Collar
Town of Dewitt-Supervisory
Town of Manlius Highway
Syracuse Housing Authority
Skaneateles School District
Syracuse Schools #6
Syracuse Schools #9
Village of Skaneateles
Work phone
699-2745
689-2138
457-0310 x112
218-2112
218-3604
657-2054
455-7061x3130
448-8689
437-8331
446-3392
432-1925
656-3090
470-4310
685-8361
435-4061
435-5852
685-3488
Delegates
Name
Mathew Zachariah
Carmen Church
Donna Ascioti
John Gianni
Jeffery Hopps, Sr.
Michael Knox
Susan Kwietniak
Anna Sinclair
Position
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Delegate
Alternate Delegate
CSEA members wishing to take advantage of the
union’s optional insurance plans, with low group rates and
the convenience of payroll deduction in most cases have a
new person to turn to.
Anthony Mancuso is the new CSEA insurance
representative for Pearl Carroll & Associates, CSEA’s
licensed insurance provider, and is available to meet with
you to discuss your insurance needs, from disability and life
insurance, to auto, home and car insurances. He can be
reached at (800) 773-5923.
Work phone
435-5581
435-3196
435-3280
435-5511
x328
683-5550
435-7045
435-5415
435-2260
435-1842
498-2982
Unit presidents
Name
Cynthia Russell
Dave Underwood
Bill Hendersen
Mickey Geelan
Pamela Sprague
Suzanne Lepkowski
Gary Orzel
Anna Sinclair
Grant Cummings, Jr.
Nick Kochan
Rick Rogala
James Griffin
Brenda Morgan-Manley
Dale Longden
John Barnwell
Greg Palmer
Diane Boden
Tom Bell
Lauri Willoughby
David Short
Clambake Ticket Deadline Soon!
New CSEA insurance
contact
Phone
435-3839x131
435-2726 x314
435-5070
435-8556
435-8211 x177
498-2693
435-8407
218-360-4
Union hosts discount
defensive driving classes
CSEA Local 834 will again sponsor defensive
driving classes to be held at our local office in July
and August. The six-hour course costs $14.50 and
is open to CSEA members and their families. Preregister by calling the local office at 446-0330.
You only have a few more days to purchase
tickets for our 2007 Local 834 Clambake!
Tickets are available through your unit
presidents and must be ordered by July 6.
The bake will be held on Sunday, July 15,
at Hinerwadel’s Grove, 5300 West Taft Road
in North Syracuse. At noon, we’ll start off with a
brief general membership meeting and union
Information Fair. This will be a chance to meet
your union officers, and get information about
what benefits and services CSEA has to offer!
At 1 p.m., the bake begins, and the food
and drinks will continue until 6 p.m. Our musical
entertainment will come from area favorite
Letizia and the Z Band! As usual, we will have
door prizes and raffles. Our Women’s
Committee will be raffling off gift baskets to
raise money for their participation in the
Memory Walk, a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s
Association of Central New York.
Tickets will be sold for cash only - NO
personal checks. Absolutely no refunds will be
given and absolutely no children will be
admitted.
Clambake Ticket Prices:
Members (with Local subsidy): $25.00*
Non-Members (Guests) – $35.00
* Many units offer additional subsidies for their members, check
with your unit officers for details.
Classes will be held:
July 18 & 19 – 6-9 p.m.
July 28 – 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
August 15 & 16 – 6-9 p.m.
Visit us
online!
www.csea834.com
for all the
latest
information
on what’s
going on in
our Local,
including a
schedule of
events!
News & Views is an official publication of
CSEA Onondaga Local 834
5815 Heritage Landing Dr.
E. Syracuse, NY 13057-1042
446-0330 (phone) 446-1042 (fax)
www.csea834.com
Onondaga Local 834
Newsletter Committee:
Bob Riley, Editor
Laury Willoughby • Linda Park
Advisers:
Robyn O’Brien, Local 834 Office Manager
Mark Kotzin, CSEA Communications Associate
YOUR UNION
NEWSLETTER
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830
July/August 2007 • Vol. 12, No. 7
Message from CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta
It’s Halftime: Time to Look Back and Look Ahead
I
t’s remarkable to me that we have already
approached the halfway point of our first term
in office. These last two years have flown by as
we ready ourselves for yet another summer in
Nassau County. Summer usually brings us a different
set of issues such as broken air conditioners inside
buildings as well as those members who must brave
the heat to work outside doing physical labor. To the
county’s credit they have been mostly cooperative
with us in these areas especially after we reacted
aggressively to many of these types of complaints.
One of the issues that CSEA was a big proponent
of was the handicapped parking at 240 Old Country
Rd. Working together with Mr. Don Dreyer, director of
the Office of the Physically Challenged and other
high ranking Nassau County officials, I am pleased
to say that the handicapped parking spots at 240
OCR are now right in front of the building, instead of
where they were, much further away.
This was not an easy victory, to say the least. As
is everything which goes on in county government,
red tape and bureaucracy prevails in most instances.
Nonetheless, county officials did come around and
they lived up to their word. Mr. Dreyer was very
instrumental in actually moving the handicapped
parking and we thank him for his hard work.
One of the biggest problems CSEA Local 830 has
faced and continues to deal with is the use of private
contractors being hired to perform duties which we
believe are ours. It’s a daunting task to fight this
growing problem. In past years the contracts became
so overwhelming that many slipped by the union and
our work was delved out. What really disturbs us is
that all the while our county work force has
continued to dwindle down to the lowest number in
many years. To top off that problem, the county uses
those low numbers to justify why they need to
‘
So far, I believe we have helped to
change the way CSEA is thought about in
Nassau circles, and in a good way. I love
this job and I’m ready for the second half
to begin.
subcontract out our work.
This vicious cycle has become a top priority to me
and my staff. Recently, we decided to approach the
problem right from the onset instead of waiting for
the county to give us notice, which is what our
contract states under Section 32. Our new strategy
is to fight some of these contracts in the Nassau
Legislature when they are first introduced for
approval. It has been very effective. CSEA has been
able to cancel out a few of these contracts, and in
some instances, we were able to procure more hires
and training of current staff. Although that may seem
like a small victory, we see it as a huge
accomplishment, since the use of private contractors
seems to be directly related to the continued
downsizing of our work force/membership.
The much talked about “Compensation Review” is
well underway. Currently, the vendor has asked to
speak directly with 427 of our members after
reviewing all of those lengthy questionnaires we all
had to fill out. As I have stated many times, my staff
and I are keeping a vigilant eye on this entire
process. After this review period, they will begin the
‘classification process’ and this is where I expect my
job will become much more intense. Remember, the
commitment I received from County Executive
Suozzi which states, “No CSEA member will be
negatively affected” by this study. As they say, soon
the “rubber will meet the road” on this audit and I am
prepared to do battle over each and every title if
necessary. Let me add however, that I truly hope that
is not what needs to happen and that somehow this
study does its job without hurting any of my
members. We’ll see, and stay tuned as we will
update you when we learn more.
Let me say farewell to outgoing Police
Commissioner James Lawrence. Commissioner
Please see Message cont’d on Page 2
What’s Inside
July/August 2007 Express
☞ Page 3
• President Laricchiuta Named One
of Long Island’s Most Powerful
☞ Pages 4 and 5
• Members at Old Bethpage Work
Hard All Summer
• Money Appropriated for JDC
Renovation
• Mid-term Report for Laricchiuta
and Co.
2
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
The
Work Force
CSEA Nassau County Local 830
July/August 2007 • Vol. 12 No. 7
A Monthly Publication of CSEA Nassau County Local 830
JERRY LARICCHIUTA, President
Ryan Mulholland, Editor
(516) 571-2919 Ext. #13
www.csealocal830.org
NASSAU LOCAL 830
Executive Officers:
JERRY LARICCHIUTA, President
DIANE RUSS, Executive Vice President
RON GURRIERI, 1st Vice President
ROBERT CAULDWELL, 2nd Vice President
DEBRA IMPERATORE, 3rd Vice President
SCOTT MULHOLLAND, 4th Vice President
TIM CARTER, 5th Vice President
EARL STROUGHTON, 6th Vice President
DEBBIE O’CONNELL, 7th Vice President
BARBARA LANG, 8th Vice President
ROBERT McLAUGHLIN, 9th Vice President
JOHN ALOISIO, 10th Vice President
PETER KIERNAN, 11th Vice President
SUSAN COHEN, Secretary
BETH LUTTINGER, Treasurer
CSEA830.ORG GOT 70,000 HITS IN APRIL &
MAY ALONE!
EACH YEAR WE CALL UPON CSEA MEMBERS
TO LEND A HELPING HAND TO LONG
ISLANDERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BY
BECOMING OR CONTINUING TO BE A UNITED
WAY OF LONG ISLAND CONTRIBUTOR.
LAST YEAR, CSEA MEMBERS:
• Generated more than $90,000 for fellow
Long Islanders
• Provided 3,000 uninsured children with
preventive medical care
• Helped provide emergency heat
assistance to hundreds of senior citizens
on fixed incomes
• Provided more than $50,000 to families of
military reservists who have experienced
financial difficulty
FIND OUT HOW EVERYONE IS CONNECTING
WITH CSEA BY LOGGING ON TO
WWW.CSEA830.ORG!
AND…GAINING
Unit Presidents/Executive Board:
CHUCK ALBERS, Fire & Rescue Services
JOHN ALOISIO III, Treasurer’s Office
ROB ARCIELLO, Deputy Sheriffs
STANLEY BERGMAN, Comptroller’s Office
LISA SINAGRA-TIRPAK, Public Safety
ROBERT CAMPO, Public Works Department
RAY CANNELLA, Civil Service Commission
ROBERT CAULDWELL, Social Services
STEPHEN COHEN, Medical Examiner’s Office
CAROL CONTI, County Clerk
CAROL CROSTON, Nassau Community College
VIVIAN CROWLEY, General Services
KENNETH DASH, SR., Board of Elections
MARY DELMARE, Crossing Guards
ROBERT CONTI, Police Communications Operators
ALICE BARRON, A. Holly Patterson
HEDRY PRESIDENT, Senior Citizens Affairs
ROSE SACCHETTI, County/District Attorney
NANCY IANSON, Drug & Alcohol
DEBRA IMPERATORE, Police Civilian
ROBERT JOHNSON, Health Department
LARRY LOISELLE, AMTs
KEN HAMEL, Sheriffs Support
PILAR MILLER, Assessment Department
JOHN RINALDO, Parks, Recreation & Museums
MARLA ROWE, Probation Department
DIANE RUSS, Consumer Affairs
EARL STROUGHTON, Nassau University Medical Center
RUDY WATSON, BMU/Fleet Services
JOSEPH WHITTAKER, Fire Marshal’s Office
We welcome reader suggestions: Please address your
comments to Ryan Mulholland, Editor, Nassau County
EXPRESS at CSEA Nassau Co. Local 830, 400 County
Seat Dr., Mineola, NY 11501-4137.
MEMBERS ONLY ACCESS
TAKES JUST THREE EASY STEPS!
SIGN UP TODAY
TO BE KEPT UP TO DATE ON WHAT
YOUR UNION’S DOING FOR YOU!
Pledge forms are available at www.csea830.org
under the Announcements on the home page.
They Said It:
This Month in
Labor History
July 25, 1890
New York garment workers won the right to
unionize after a seven-month strike. They
secured agreements for a closed shop and
firing of all scabs.
Quote of the Month
“I only have the deepest admiration for the
leadership here at CSEA. You do a great job of
letting the legislators know what’s going on …
and also for your membership too. They work
really hard and are the heart and soul of Nassau
County.”
– Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias, on the May 23
episode of “Talkin’ Labor with Local 830”
Message Continued From Page 1
Lawrence is a very decent man who always treated
CSEA members with respect. He also recognized
the importance of all police support staff, and he and
I have had a good relationship, or as well as it can
get between management and labor. I can only hope
that whoever replaces him in the near future leaves
at least one ear open to the issues and problems
which ALL police support staff face. Attitude comes
from the top, and if our new Commissioner of Police
respects his entire work force, that train of thought
will eventually trickle down to all ranks.
Commissioner Lawrence, in my opinion, treated his
entire force with respect regardless of title or rank. I
wish him and his family all the best in the coming
years and I hope he enjoys his retirement. He will be
missed by CSEA.
So, here we are at the 50-yard line, or bottom of
the fifth inning, or just simply the halfway mark. So
far, I believe we have helped to change the way
CSEA is thought about in Nassau circles, and in a
good way. I love this job and I’m ready for the
second half to begin. Talk soon.
Yours in solidarity,
Jerry Laricchiuta
3
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
CSEA Takes Part in Annual Police Memorial
The annual Nassau County Police Memorial took place
May 16 at Police Headquarters in Mineola. The annual
memorial commemorates active and retired Nassau
County police officers who have died.
Sixty-five retired and three active officers died in the
CSEA Local 830 President
Makes Power List
The May 17 edition of the weekly newspaper, The
Long Island Press made CSEA Local 830 President
Jerry Laricchiuta number 14 on its 5th Annual Power
List, which ranks the 50 most influential Long Islanders
over the past year.
Laricchiuta was number 26 on last year’s list.
The Long Island Press said about the Local 830
President: “When you are the president of the largest
labor union on Long Island, you can always get
somebody to listen to you.” Laricchiuta made history
when he beat an incumbent for the seat two years ago
by a 2-1 margin. Since
then, he has walked softly
and carried the big stick of
having an entire union
behind him when he needs
to get something done.
A reception was held for
all the Power List members
May 22 at Maxwell &
Dunne’s Steakhouse in
Plainview. Other members
included government
officials, labor leaders,
corporate CEOs and
community activists.
Top photo, Jerry with #1
on Power List,Tom Spota.
Bottom photo, Jerry with New York state Deputy
Secretary for Public Safety Michael Balboni.
past year, and over the past 80 years, 29 Nassau County
officers made the ultimate sacrifice by dying in the line of
duty. Over the years, 17,917 names have been
engraved on the National Memorial Wall in
Washington D.C. to represent all those who have
died in the line of duty, with the first dating back to
1792.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was
on hand along with CSEA unit presidents Mary
DelMare (Crossing Guards), Larry Loiselle (AMT)
and Chris Roberto, representing the Police Civilians
Unit, in which Debra Imperatore serves as
president. The four CSEA representatives presented
a flower arrangement to Nassau County Police
Commissioner James Lawrence to honor the fallen
officers.
17 New Handicapped Spots Added
to 240 Old Country Road
Above, Jerry Laricchiuta with
Chief Tony Rocco (left) and
Oyster Bay Supervisor John
Venditto (center) among others.
Left, CSEA flower arrangement.
Far left, from left, Jerry
Laricchiuta, Deputy County
Executive Tim Driscoll and
Nassau Police Commissioner
James Lawrence.
Big Win for CSEA
Part-time Workers Get
Bonus Vacation Days
Some of the 17 new handicapped spots in the front row at 240
Old Country Rd.
MINEOLA — After the Nassau County Express highlighted the issue of
a lack of handicapped parking that existed far from the front door at 240
Old Country Rd, the Nassau County Office of the Physically Challenged
moved 17 new handicapped parking spots to the front row at the
building that houses the Nassau County Assessors, Treasurers, Clerk
and Comptrollers offices, among others.
Previously, the spots in front were designated as reserved spots,
which have now been moved to the east side of the building parallel to
County Seat Drive where the handicapped spots used to reside.
This situation was first discovered during Jerry Laricchiuta’s
campaign in 2005, when he promised to improve handicapped
accessibility. The Express followed up on that promise with feature
stories in March and August 2006, and April 2007. After meeting twice
with Director of the Physically Challenged Don Dreyer, a plan was
devised within the ADA Project to push this renovation to the front
burner.
There is still more to be done which includes electronic doors, and
ramps and further accessibility improvements within the building.
CSEA would like to thank elected officials, Maureen O'Connell,
Howard Weitzman and Harvey Levinson for their cooperation in this
matter.
A March 13 ruling decided that after
1,910 hours of work, part-time Nassau
County employees are entitled to pick up
five vacation days. Previously, the
language in the CSEA contract was
unclear about how many hours were
needed to pick up vacation and bonus
vacation leave. Many part-time workers
were not getting the correct vacation
leave and some were not getting any at
all. “This makes it crystal clear,” says Tim
Corr, CSEA Local 830 grievance chair.
The ruling also clarified one day’s pay
as seven hours, as these part-time
workers get paid on an hourly basis.
CSEA thanks the hard work of Corr,
Local Executive Vice President Diane
Russ and labor lawyer Tony Giustino for
getting this settlement done.
This ruling is retroactive to Sept. 27,
2003. If you have any further questions
or concerns on this, please contact Corr
at 571-2919, ext. 14.
4
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
Tour of the Old Bethpage Village Restoration
Mid-term Report
Local 830 Halfway Through First Term With Jerry Laricchiuta as President
S
ince July 1, 2005, Jerry Laricchiuta has
officially been the president of the CSEA
Nassau Local 830, representing 10,000
members here in Nassau County. It is now halfway
through his first term as union president and much
has been accomplished, and there is still a lot to be
done in the second half of his term.
Let’s take a look back at some of Local 830’s top
accomplishments over the past two years:
1. Changing of the guard at NHCC
Jerry Laricchiuta was very instrumental in
creating a changing of the guard for the Nassau
Health Care Corp., as on March 7, 2006, Arthur
Gianelli was named Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer of NHCC. Previous
CEO Dan Kane left the NHCC in poor financial
standing, which created a lot of work for both
Gianelli and CSEA. Since that point, CSEA has
met with Gianelli’s team weekly to work on
overall improvements. CSEA is happy to say that
NHCC is in far better standing today than it was
two years ago.
2. Keeping Tabs on Job Title Review
A major issue that has been dealt with over the
past two years is the problem of CSEA members
working out of title. In March 2007, the county
work force filled out questionnaires that outlined
exactly what they do on a daily basis at their
jobs. CSEA has been very diligent in making
sure the county carries through with this review
in a way that will not have an adverse effect on
the CSEA membership.
3. Focus on Health & Safety
Local 830 organized a press conference at the
Juvenile Detention Center for March 28, 2006,
5
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
where nearly half of the 19 Nassau County
Legislators attended along with coverage by
many media outlets. After several minor
improvements over a year’s time, on May 9,
2007, the legislature approved a motion for a
company to come in and examine the concerns
so they can go ahead and come up with a
contract and get to work on some major
renovations. Local 830 has toured Wantagh’s
Cedar Creek Plant on numerous occasions and
has publicized the problems there through this
Express newsletter, as well as the Long Island
Press and various other local publications. As of
today, many of the health and safety issues there
have been addressed.
4. Fight Against Subcontracting
It’s always a battle when it comes to fighting
against the county contracting out to private
companies. There are many jobs that our CSEA
workers can do, but sometimes are contracted
out, costing more money, therefore being a
burden to the taxpayer. CSEA has a staff
member who works two days a week solely on
subcontracting cases to make sure nothing slips
through the cracks. In April 2007, CSEA won
tens of thousands for its members at Old
Bethpage Restoration in a grievance over a roof
that was contracted out and ended up costing
several times more than it should have.
5. Several Big Wins for Part-timers/Saving
Positions for CSEA Members
On Dec. 19, 2005, the county legislature was set
to adopt a living wage bill excluding all seasonal
employees. Once Laricchiuta stood before the
Legislature and lobbied several lawmakers, the
bill was ultimately approved 19-0. In May, CSEA
had a big win by clarifying the language in the
contract on bonus vacation days for part-time
employees, which determined one day as being
seven hours. In November, the county
legislature looked to remove funding for 200
already financed positions in the 2006 budget to
transfer money over to the police budget line.
Laricchiuta stood before the Legislature and said
that CSEA supports the hiring of more police
officers, but never at the expense of his
membership. Four days later, the funding for all
200 positions was reinstated.
6. Informing the Public and Calling for Action
on High Property Tax Issue
During Jerry Laricchiuta’s appearance on
Cablevision’s “Meet the Leaders,” and with his
discussions with numerous government officials
on “Talkin’ Labor with Local 830,” he has made
the public very aware of where your taxpayers
money really goes. It has become a common
theme to inform the public that the county part of
your tax bill is only between 14 and 19 percent,
with your school taxes taking up the bulk of your
property taxes. Jerry has spoken in depth with
legislators such as Roger Corbin on solutions to
this problem to lessen the tax burden for
everyone, especially our hardworking CSEA
members.
7. Keeping a Campaign Promise
During Jerry Laricchiuta’s 2005 campaign to
become Local 830 president, one of his promises
was to improve the handicapped parking
situation at 240 Old Country Rd. After the
Express highlighted the situation in three
editions, CSEA worked closely with the Nassau
County Office for the Physically Challenged to
get something done. In May, 17 new
handicapped spots were moved to directly in
front of the south side of 240 Old Country Rd.
(See story on page 3.)
8. Much Improved Communication between
CSEA and Membership
With the creation of the Local 830 weekly Radio
Show, “Talkin’ Labor with Local 830,” the
advertising campaign on Cablevision, advertising
with the Long Island Press, and Jerry
Laricchiuta’s frequent appearances on News 12,
Newsday, and the Long Island Press, and an
interview on Cablevision’s Meet the Leaders that
ran 50 times in March 2007, CSEA has been
more visible than ever. The creation of
www.csea830.org in September 2006, made
member benefits, news, unique special features,
and even archives of the radio show available
with the click of a mouse. Through membership
website signup, CSEA has been able to build an
e-mail database that enables Laricchiuta to
inform the membership of any news or updates
instantly.
9. Focusing on Scholarships for our Member’s
Children
With the numerous scholarships offered to our
members’ children during the past two years
through the CSEA Women’s Committee, and the
past two CSEA annual scholarship classics,
Local 830 has a new focus on the importance of
the education of our members’ children.
10. Influx of CSEA Member Events & Generosity
to the Community
CSEA has put on events for its members all year
round, including the January Martin Luther King
Jr. Luncheon, July CSEA Scholarship Golf outing
and the December Holiday Party. In addition,
member information fairs, and seminars are held
on a regular basis at the local office and at
various departments. This year, CSEA donated
hundreds of toys to the “Christmas on Jackson
Street” event in Hempstead, and gave out four
$1,000 scholarships from the proceeds of the
golf outing. Involvement with the United Way,
and Toys for Tots in recent years has also been a
benefit to the community. The Local 830
Veterans Committee has also engaged in many
programs and services this year to benefit vets.
Above, events such as the annual golf outing
builds camaraderie between the membership.
Left, general membership meetings give
members the opportunity to voice their
opinions.
Far left, “Talkin’ Labor with Local 830” has
informed the membership of CSEA news on a
weekly basis over the past 15 months.
Laricchiuta is ghown interviewing CSEA
President Danny Donohue.
Now it’s your turn. What do YOU (OUR
MEMBERS), think were the top stories
of Jerry Laricchiuta’s first half term in
office? Did we leave anything out?
And more importantly, what do you
think your union needs to focus on in
the year ahead to better serve YOU?
Please e-mail Ryan Mulholland at
rmulholland@csea830.org, or mail to
400 County Seat Drive, Mineola, N.Y.
11501, and we will post member
comments in the next issue of the
Nassau Express!
BETHPAGE — With Nassau County spanning a mere 287
square miles, it’s hard to believe that sometimes there can be
such a great hidden asset that most have not seen.
If you were absent on that day in 4th grade when your class
took a trip to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration, then there’s
a good chance that you have never experienced all that it has
to offer.
About 20 CSEA members work at Old Bethpage, in an effort
to maintain a pristine piece of land that inhabits some of Long
Island’s most classic buildings and farms.
CSEA Unit President for Parks, Recreation and Museums
John Rinaldo works at the carpenter shop at Old Bethpage,
and has done so for about 27 years, with a total of 37 years in
the county. Rinaldo has seen it all in his time there and has
built a lot of small buildings on the property including the
horse’s stables around 1990.
“Most of the buildings are original structures brought from
other places,” Rinaldo said. The blacksmith shop came from
right by the current Wantagh Parkway and Old Country Road,
and the Mineola Fairgrounds from County Seat Drive near the
current CSEA offices. Overall, the buildings, animals and 200
acres of rolling hills set up a wonderful mid-1800s environment,
especially for children.
With summertime here, it’s a very busy time for CSEA
members at Old Bethpage. Museum Associate Henry Clarke
directs all the summer camp groups, which will be running
constantly through July and August. With the blacksmith and
hat shops, the general store, the farms, the schoolhouses,
chapel and homes, it’s a great learning experience for the kids.
Upcoming events for children and adults of all ages include an
old-fashioned Independence Day Celebration, a Civil War
Battle re-enactment, a 19th century historic baseball
tournament and the much awaited Long Island Fair Sept. 2630.
All these experiences wouldn’t be possible though without
great work of CSEA members such as Joanne Graves, Martin
Jancheson and Jon Folk. Graves works in the general store,
which was brought over from East Norwich in 1866. Jancheson
has been a farmer there for 25 years, and Folk works in the
carpenter shop two days a week, while staffing the blacksmith
shop the other three days.
Rinaldo marvels of all that has been accomplished at the
Old Bethpage Village by the workers there. With 20 employees
and just five or six workers being full-time, there is a lot of work
to be done to maintain one of Nassau County’s greatest
features. And it certainly seems as if they’re always doing it
with a smile.
Log on to www.csea830.org in the special features section
to see a two-minute video of CSEA member Jon Folk teaching
children in the blacksmith shop.
From top to bottom: A picturesque view of Old Bethpage
Village; horse stables; Farmer Martin Jancheson;
Blacksmith Jon Folk; Joanne Graves from the village’s
general store.
6
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
CSEA Stands Behind Correction
Center Support Staff
MINEOLA — The June 18 meeting of the
Nassau County Legislature brought
members from the Nassau County Sheriffs
Officers Association demonstrating in
supporting of settling a contract with
Nassau County after being without one for
more than two years.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry
Laricchiuta spoke before the legislature in
support of the correction officers’ winning
a fair agreement.
Also at the legislature meeting, CSEA
Local 830 had many members on hand as
well to combat any notion that union would
be looking to civilianize or contract out
correction officer positions.
Media presence of News 12, News 55
and “Long Island News Tonight” also
latched on to the story and got
Laricchiuta’s thoughts on it. “CSEA is the
largest public union in the state and on
Long Island, so contracting out is the last
thing we would want to do,” he said.
This all stems from CSEA’s hope of
passing a bill that would enable all “CC”
titled employees to assume limited peace
officer status, including the Sheriff’s
Support Staff who are CSEA members.
“This long overdue bill would grant our
members the same protection as
correction officers,” Laricchiuta said. He
also said CSEA has no inclination at all of
doing any correction officer duties.
Another issue dates back to the last
Sheriff’s association contract in 2001,
which agreed to civilianize 55 positions. To
this date only approximately one-third of
that amount has been filled. Sheriff’s
Association President John Duer refuted
that fact, but Laricchiuta said, “I have the
list. If anyone wants to see that it’s only
been 19 they can call the Nassau County
Sheriff and ask him.”
CSEA plans on standing strong behind
their members from the Nassau County
Correctional Center to ensure they receive
the rights that they deserve.
If you want to see footage from the
June 18 legislative hearing, please log
onto www.csea830.org in the special
features section.
Photo above, CSEA members hold up
banners saying, “Protect the ‘CC’ title.”
Below left, Jerry speaks before the
legislature.
Below, Jerry Laricchiuta speaks to
“Long Island News Tonight” and to
News 55’s Tom Allen.
Quick Hits
On Tuesday, June 5, CSEA met with Nassau
Community College Public Safety to discuss
the implementation of a new peace officer
training course which will enable current
qualified NCC public safety workers to assume
peace officer status after a 10-12 week training
course. NCC officials hope to get this program off
the ground by the winter.
The 2007 Commerce Bank
Championship took place June 25July 1 at the Eisenhower Park Red
Course in East Meadow. CSEA
members worked hard to get the
course in tip-top shape once again
for this Champions Tour event.
During tournament week, they
worked around the clock to ensure
things ran efficiently. One week following the tournament’s completion, CSEA
used the course for their annual golf outing.
Art Gianelli, president/CEO of
the Nassau Health Care Corp.
meets with Nassau County
Legislator Kevan Abrahams to
discuss the proposed plans for
the A. Holly Patterson parcel of
land in Uniondale. The plans were
unveiled at a community meeting
held at the nursing home for the
residents of Uniondale. The plans
include the construction of new
nursing home, a Medicaid assisted living facility, congregate care, senior
housing, commercial, the allocation of land to the Uniondale School District and
the creation of a community center.
The Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show
festivities officially kicked off on the night of
Friday, May 25 with the cocktail hour at the
Cradle of Aviation. CSEA Local 830 President
Jerry Laricchiuta attended the reception and he
is shown here with Assistant Vice President for
Business Development Larry Trivigno. Log onto
www.csea830.org to find out all the great
benefits that Bethpage has for CSEA members.
The New York state Senate passed both the
25-year retirement bill for fire marshals and the 20-year bill for deputy
sheriffs June 13. The deputy sheriff’s bill still has to go through the State
Assembly, and then to Gov. Spitzer to become a law. The fire marshal’s bill has
passed in the senate and assembly. CSEA would like to thank its political action
committee for their dedication to trying to get this bill passed.
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi held a press conference on June 5
discussing his plan of consolidating municipalities and taxing districts in
Nassau County. While the goal of this plan is to save money, CSEA remains
steadfast that if this takes out any roads and parks, thus having a direct effect on
members, then CSEA will strongly speak out against it. Suozzi did say that
roads and parks would be looked at, but there will not be any jobs lost in the
process, only through attrition.
7
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
A. Holly Patterson June
Employee of the Month
Lenora Venezia has been
employed at A. Holly
Patterson Extended Care
Facility since December
1994. She has consistently
demonstrated outstanding
care to her residents.
Venezia is perceptive and
sensitive to residents and
Leonora
staff alike.
Venezia, LPN,
She works in harmony
on right with
with staff members, always Viola Gamboa,
friendly and kind to her co- RN
workers. Venezia shows
pride in working at A. Holly Patterson.
She is very deserving of the Employee of
the Month Award; a true asset to the facility.
NUMC June Employee of
the Month
At a reception hosted by the employees of the
Money Appropriated for JDC Renovation is
New Training for Employees to be Implemented
At the May 9 meeting of the Nassau
County Legislature, the long awaited
decision to appropriate the money for
improvements at the Nassau County
Juvenile Detention Center was
approved.
Since the CSEA press conference at
the facility on March 28, 2006, there
have been minor improvements to the
facility, but this motion by the legislature
will open the door for the planning stage
as a company has been selected to
come in and see exactly what has to be
done as far as renovations are
concerned. That walkthrough is
scheduled to be soon, and then a
contract will be drawn up from those
findings.
“This is certainly a long process,” said
Tony Tafuro, a 34-year CSEA member
employed at the center. “But, this is a
good sign, and a good step forward.”
Any long-term timetable is difficult to
figure at this time. Tafuro said half the
funding for the project will be put up by
the state, just as long as they follow
state guidelines.
In addition to the potential
improvements to the building, staff will
soon receive additional training. Tafuro
has been working on implementing a
new training program for JDC
employees which would be the same
training given to Nassau County
correction officers. Some of the topics
that will be taught include report writing,
CPR, first aid and coping with stressful
situations.
With this complete overhaul of the
JDC, the future is bright for this over 50year-old facility.
“The staff is very happy with this new
credible training,” Tafuro said. “You can
fix the building all you want, but that’s
just as good as the staff you have
working inside of there.”
“This is a major step forward to
improve both the sanitary conditions in
the facility, and to train our members to
do their jobs more effectively than they
From left, at the March 28, 2006,
CSEA press conference, are Nassau
County legislators Jeff Toback and
Denise Ford, CSEA Local 830 Vice
President Ron Gurrieri, County
Legislator Dave Denenberg, Local
830 President Jerry Laricchiuta,
Long Island Region President Nick
LaMorte and Legislators Dave
Mejias, Norma Gonsalves and Dennis
Dunne.
ever have before,” CSEA Local 830
President Jerry Laricchiuta said.
This Month from “Talkin’ Labor with Local 830”
From left,Theresa Capuano, medical
technician at NUMC; Rita Bernhardt,
medical technician at NUMC; Arthur A.
Gianelli, president/CEO, Nassau Health
Care Corp.; Jill Rovenger, lab technician at
NUMC; Joseph Hanley, administrator,
Pathology and Labs at NUMC and Jen Lin,
MD, Chair of Pathology and Labs at NUMC.
Over the summer months, things have heated up in the
Local 830 radio studio, as several esteemed guests have
joined CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Recent guests include Nassau County legislators Judy
Jacobs, Roger Corbin and Dave Mejias, Nassau County
Detectives’ Association President Tom Willdigg, and CSEA
Unit Presidents Ken Hamel, Ken Dash, Pilar Miller, John
Aloisio, Bob Campo and Steve Cohen.
All these shows can be accessed in their entireties at
www.csea830.org. New episodes air each Wednesday
night at 6:30 p.m. on WGBB AM1240.
Left, Jerry Laricchiuta with Judy Jacobs.
Nassau University Medical Center, Jill
Rovenger, laboratory technician at NUMC, was
honored as the June Employee of the Month.
Rovenger, a resident of Levittown, began
working at NUMC in 1976. She has been an
asset and cornerstone to the hematology
division. She takes the initiative when action
needs to be taken and is a patient advocate for
the patient safety.
Above, clockwise from left, Unit
Presidents Steve Cohen (Medical
Examiners), Bob Campo (DPW), John
Aloisio (Treasurers), Pilar Miller
(Assessment), Ken Hamel (Correction
Center).
Above, Jerry Laricchiuta with Dave Mejias
8
CSEA NASSAU COUNTY LOCAL 830 UNION MEMBER NEWS
A Message From Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte
CSEA Members Make the Parks Shine
Greetings!
Summer is
here and the
living is easy;
easy at least for
the thousands of tourists who will be
coming to our beaches and parks,
some of the most beautiful places in
the country.
For our members working in the
parks, whether run by Nassau County,
the various towns or New York State,
summer is when the going gets
tougher and they rise to the challenge.
Keeping the greens green and the
fairways fair at Bethpage State Park’s
five world-class golf courses, including
the world-renowned Black Course, is
one area where our members shine.
Jones Beach is another famous
park, one of the first public beaches in
the country, where CSEA members
maintain Robert Moses’ jewel of public
works projects that set the standard for
many such oceanfront parks to come.
Nassau County has a wealth of park
land and recreational opportunities for
the public, all maintained and kept
running through the hard work of
CSEA members.
But, our members can’t do it all.
Parks and Trails New York is a private
not-for-profit organization working
statewide to protect New York’s parks
and help communities create new
parks. The group recently issued a
report criticizing the amount of funding
New York’s parks receive from the
state.
In fact, Parks and Recreation
Commissioner Carol Ash cited the
report in her budget testimony calling
for more parks funding.
Despite the need for more money,
our members are making do with what
they have, and in turn, providing the
best services and maintenance to
Long Island parks that visitors will see
anywhere.
To the thousands of tourists who will
visit our public beaches, parks, golf
courses, hike our trails and visit other
public venues, the need for more parks
funding will go unnoticed, thanks to the
hard and resourceful work of CSEA
members.
So, next time you take yourself or
your family for a day or a week to any
one of the many parks on Long Island,
take a minute to thank a CSEA
member for the fine job they’re doing
in presenting the best face of Long
Island’s parks to the world. It may be
summer, but it isn’t easy.
Yours in solidarity,
Nick LaMorte, president
Long Island Region
KIDNEY FOR ALICE
We have a CSEA Nassau Local
830 member in the Parks
Administration Building named
Susan Dillon who needs your
help. Her daughter Alice is in
desperate need of a kidney
transplant.
Alice
Your qualifications for a laparoscopic surgery are:
Type O blood, between the ages 18-60, and in good health,
without a history of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes,
hepatitis or a heart condition.
All medical expenses are paid by Alice’s
insurance, and the Merrick Kiwanis
Foundation has a fund earmarked for
the donor’s out-of-pocket expenses,
such as transportation, housing and
possible lost wages.
To help Alice, please call (518) 223-3264 and ask for Sue or Marty
Dillon. You can also e-mail them at mdillon897@aol.com. Further
information is available at www.kidneyforalice.com.
Proceeds go toward scholarships for members’ children