Volume 43 Number 5 May 2013

Ofcial Publication of Social Service Employees Union Local 371-DC 37 AFSCME, AFL-CIO

www.sseu371.org

DoITT workers gathered with Union ofcers and staff to discuss the arbitrators award ordering the agency to rehire these Union members.

We Did It at DoITT

A Defeat for Abusive Management

n the last issue of The Unionist, we reported that SSEU Local 371 won a major arbitration case in which the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications was ordered to reinstate 18 of our members it laid off in the fall of 2011. The 18 Community Coordinators at the 311 call center were escorted out of the agency two weeks before their layoff date without any warning or any negotiations with the Union about possible alterna-

INSIDE
May Day 2013
Pages 4 and 5 Page 6 Page 7

Contract Update Saunders Rallies Troops

tives to the job cuts. The arbitrator found that the agencys failure to meet with the Union rst was a violation of protocol. The members gathered at the Unions ofce last month to discuss the arbitrators award. Some members had enough years to retire and some found other jobs. Others are worried that the agency may try to appeal the award. But the overwhelming feeling was one of pride that
Continued on page 3

Ari Paul

CALENDAR
MaY
15 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 West 23rd Street in Manhattan 16 Next Wave: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 21 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 22 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Civilians in Law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 15th Floor

Contract Now!
n June 12 we will have the opportunity to show the City what labor power looks like. The Municipal Labor Committee (MLC)comprised of all the Citys public-sector unions, uniformed and civilianis organizing a rally for collective bargaining. The purpose of the rally is to show a unied front in the ght for contracts for City workers. In a word: Solidarity! The most frequently asked question I hear when Im at worksites around the City is, Where is our contract? The answer: the Mayor has not offered contract terms worthy of our support, nor is he willing to have fruitful negotiations to reach an agreement. No union has a new contract or is in any real negotiations. If the Mayor wants an agreement, then let him make a real offer that includes retroactive increases. We will not take steps backward just to say we got a raise. Retroactive increases, healthcare and welfare contributions have to be on the table.

A Citywide Demand

JUNE
4 5 6 Shelter Chapter: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Executive Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Committee of Concerned Social Workers: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Bell and Adams Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor

12 Womens Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 18 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 19 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 West 23rd Street in Manhattan 20 Next Wave: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 26 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Civilians in Law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor

Out of struggle comes strength and progress.

The June 12 rally is the chance to show this Mayor and the future Mayor that we are serious about our contract. It is also and opportunity to show ourselves that solidarity is more than a word or concept. Solidarity is a show of strength and determination. We have demanded that elected ofcials be held accountable and that labor support not be taken for granted or marginalized. It is time to enforce these demands. We have talked the talk and now we must walk the walk on June 12. Our large numbers and solidarity must show the candidates that we mean business. A successful rally will be measured by the turnout of our members and others. Members who are upset that the cost of everything has gone up but our salaries havent. Members who are upset at the attacks on our benets and pensions. Members who are upset at the privatization of our jobs. June 12 is the time for us to do more than complain. Our actions will do the talking. On May 1, we had another opportunity to show our solidarity by wearing black and white in support of Chereece Bell, Damon Adams, social service workers and all workers. We can do more. We must do more. We will continue to educate, organize and agitate. We will not succumb to negativity and apathy. The stakes are too high and important. Out of struggle comes strength and progress. We will ght for a new contract because we have earned it. It will not be given to us unless we demand it. We will demand it by showing up 17,000 members strong on June 12. God bless you and God bless the Union. Anthony Wells

Published monthly except for a combined issue in July/ August and a Supplement in January by the Social Service Employees Union Local 371, District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO. Subscription Price $2.00 annually. Periodical postage paid at New York, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: The Unionist, SSEU Local 371, 817 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. 10003. USPS# 348990 (212) 677-3900 ISSN# 0041-7092 President Anthony Wells Executive Vice President Yolanda Pumarejo Secretary-Treasurer Juan Ortiz V.P. Negotiations & Research Rose Lovaglio-Miller V.P. Organization & Education Armenta Weekes V.P. Grievances & Legal Services Lloyd Permaul V.P. Publicity & Community Relations Patricia Chardavoyne V.P. Legislation & Political Action Michelle Akyempong Trustees Vincent Ciccarello Yolanda DeJesus Melva Scarborough Editor Ari Paul Visit us on the web at www.sseu371.org

The Unionist|May 2013

We Did It at DoITT
Continued from page 1

A Defeat for Abusive Management

the Union was able to ght against the unfair terminations. Im very happy, said Veronica Hunter, who had 23 years on the job. I found a job at the Department for the Aging, and before that I was looking for a job. It was depressing.

Public interest is my passion...I want to continue with my career in the public interest.
Harvey Simon

Decisions to Make
Rosangela Torres is unsure if she will return to her post at DoITT, as she has recently accepted a position at the Board of Education in Middletown, relocating two hours north of the City. Its a decision I have to make for my family, she said. Members expressed anger toward the agency, but noted that the Unions attorney, Jeffrey Kreisberg, fought the agency on every point during the arbitration hearing, which played a huge role in the Unions victory.

Jeffrey Kreisberg was low key but relentless, said Harvey Simon, who had attended the hearing. Simon found part-time work after being laid off, but he is considering going back to the agency, since hes been working in the public interest for 10 years. Public interest is my passion, he said. I want to continue with my career in the public interest. Vice President of Negotiations and Research Rose Lovaglio-Miller has reached out to management to discuss where members will be placed. The Union will keep members updated about any new developments in this case.

ON THE FRONT LINES

Keeping the City Affordable

s City blocks become more and more populated with high-rise luxury housing, its important that the government work creatively to ensure that members of the 99 percent have roofs over their heads as well. Thats where SSEU Local 371 member Frederick Wiley comes in. A Community Coordinator at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, he plays an integral role in the 421-a and 421-b programs, which grant tax incentives for affordable housing.

A
Triage

I think were very proactive in the procurement of affordable housing. We work with developers and builders to do just that.

My role is to triage the public, he said outside his ofce in lower Manhattan. They communicate with us with faxes, telephone callsanyone who is inquiring about their tax incentives. We give them an efcient response. My motto is optimum customer service. In addition to the joy of helping people, Wiley sees his role as important in dispelling the bum rap City workers get for not adequately transferring calls to the right place or giving people the right information. Ill try to get you to the right place at the right time, he said. Fifty perMay 2013|The Unionist

cent of the solution is listening to what the persons concerns are. While gentrication all over the City is making it harder for working and middle class people to nd affordable housing, Wiley sees the HPD as a noble force to make things more equitable. I know the role is positive because people inquiring about their concerns know theyre going to get a prompt response, he said. I think were very proactive in the procurement of affordable housing. We work with developers and builders to do just that.

Active in the Union

Wiley is also an SSEU Local 371 delegate and has been an active rank-and-le activist throughout his 20-year civil service career. In all agencies, a persons rights and dignity should be protected, Wiley said on the importance of unions in civil service.
3

Frederick Wiley: Optimum service.

Ari Paul

One Struggle for the

MAY 1 is a day when we not only celebrate workers contributions but to resist injustice and demand justice where it has been denied. Unions like ours that gathered in Union Square, where we demanded justice for undocumented workers and spoke out against union busting all over the country. But this year SSEU Local 371 also did something special. We called on our members all across the City to wear black and white in solidarity with our former members Damon Adams and Chereece Bell, two former ACS workers who are victims of an overzealous Brooklyn prosecutor.
A Grassroots Affair
The idea of the black and white solidarity came from Vice President of Organization Armenta Weekes and HRA worker Alfredo Crossman. The Union publicized the day of solidarity with a grassroots outreach campaign to members, including a letter from Crossman in The ChiefLeader. The trial is expected to begin next month. From across the boroughs, SSEU Local 371 recognized that an injury to one is an injury to all, said Union President Anthony Wells. Today its them, but tomorrow it could be you. Indeed, workers rights are in the crosshairs of the 1 percent. Union members spoke about the rolling back of labor rights in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, and the fact that Mayor Michael
4 The Unionist|May 2013

MAY DAY 2013

Bloomberg has refused to engage in real bargaining with the Citys unions. Before the ofcial union May Day rally in Union Square, police ofcers violently arrested several protesters marching in the streets of the East Village protesting against attacks on workers rights. Its inspiring to see people taking this struggle seriously, Wells said. The case of Bell and Adams reminds us that workers are always going to be used as scapegoats. It is a reminder why days like May Day are important, days when we mustnt take anything for granted, and ght back against such victimization.

99 Percent

Clockwise from top left: SSEU Local 371 rallied with the rest of the labor movement in Union Square on the afternoon of May 1, members and staff also joined the parade down Broadway to City Hall, police arrested a protester who participated in a pro-worker march from Tompkins Square Park to Union Square, members throughout the City (four photos at bottom) wore black and white in solidarity with Chereece Bell and Damon Adams on May 1, everyone at SSEU Local 371 headquarters also wore black and white in order to show solidarity (All photos except for the four at bottom right: Ari Paul).

May 2013|The Unionist

On Contract, Bloomberg Declares War on Unions

he Bloomberg administration intensied its intransigence at the bargaining table with City unions including District Council 37, with which SSEU Local 371 bargains withwhen it declared it would not settle any deal that includes retroactivity. It also said that it wouldnt budge on its insistence for workers to pay a portion of the health care costs, which among other things would offset any pay increases included in future deals. The shot across the bow came April 15 in the form of a letter from Deputy Mayor Caswell Holloway to the Municipal Labor Committee. Holloway then outlined the Citys hard stance in collective bargaining at a meeting of the Citizens Budget Commission, which regularly attacks worker pay and benets, two days later. The Mayor has made it clear that he does not want to bargain fairly with the unions, said SSEU Local 371 President Anthony Wells. DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts has made it clear that we are willing to bargain, but we cant accept any terms that deny pay that our members are owed or one that pulls money out of the pockets of workers as the price of living continues to rise. Almost all City unions, as a result of the 2008 nancial crisis, have been operating on expired collective bargaining agreements. The DC 37 contract expired in March 2010. Unions have pressed the City for new bargaining sessions, but in November of 2011, the City offered DC 37 three
Andrew Hinderacker

Clear Terms

Doom-and-Gloomberg: City Hall has offered no contract terms that are acceptable to labor.

0-percent annual raises followed by two 2-percent raises, which DC 37 ofcials including the leadership of SSEU Local 371 found absolutely unacceptable.

Finding the Money

The City seems to be willing to spare no expenses when it comes to contracting out services or giving tax breaks to real estate barons, said Vice President of Research and Negotiations Rose Lovaglio-Miller. The upside is that Mayors latest insult against the Citys hardest working men and

women is further uniting the labor movement its goal of demanding fair contracts. The MLC will also be having a rally at City Hall Wednesday, June 12 at 4:00 p.m. to demand that the Bloomberg administration drop its demands that the 99 percent make concessions to the 1 percent. We encourage our members to attend this important rally, Wells said. We need to show City Hall that social services workers wont take insults like this lying down. We need to show the Mayor that we are a mighty, mighty Union.

Trustee Election Results

SSEU LOcaL 371 would like to congratulate the winners in the Welfare and Benet Fund Trustee elections. The winners came from the Wells Members United Slate: Jagdish Patel, Rosaura DeJesus, Pauline Moore and Mark Casner. The Union would like to thank everyone who voted and participated in the open and democratic election. Elections like this show the power of an open and democratic union, said Union President Anthony Wells.
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The ofcial results, as tallied by the American Arbitration Association, are as follows: Pauline Moore: 1,176 Mark Casner: 1,150 Rosaura DeJesus: 1,143 Jagdish Patel: 1,138 Roman Alvarez: 429 Jody St. Paul: 421 Denise Relf: 419 Zulka Marzan: 388 Michael West: 217

Ofcial 15-Day Election Notice

Ofcial 15-day notice is hereby given for nomination and election of two (2) delegates and four (4) alternates for the Citywide delegation from the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Election will take place Monday, June 3, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the Union Ofce, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan.
The Unionist|May 2013

New York Is an AFSCME Town!

n supporting our sisters and brothers at District Council 1707 in their struggle to save City funding for day care centers, this Union joined with one of the nations most important labor leaders in calling for a budget that works for the middle class. Lee Saunderswho was elected last summer as the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is the parent union for SSEU Local 371spoke at a rally at City Hall April 24, surrounded by elected ofcials, union members from across the city and community leaders demanding that the Bloomberg administration not balance the budget on the backs of children. Saunders spoke thunderously to the rallying crowd and the assembled journalists about the importance of investing in City services and the importance middle class jobs play in a healthy, thriving economy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Unionist, Saunders talked about the vital role SSEU Local 371 plays in providing key services for the 99 percent, but also in the ght back against austerity.

Social Services Matter

Youve got politicians who dont believe in public service, who dont believe in providing essential services to the people of New York City, and SSEU Local 371 provides essential services, like social workers, helping families, he said. Weve got to continue to make our voices heard, and weve got to march, weve got to rally, weve got to knock on doors, weve got to mobilize our members, weve got to mobilize our communities to say that public services are essential to the fabric of this community across New York City. Saunders pointed to the turn out of different locals and various community

Lee Saunders: Not only is AFSCME united, I think the trade union movement is united...

groups coming to together for a common cause. Not only is AFSCME united, I think the trade union movement across this country is united, and I think that were united in our communities in developing stronger coalitions and allies because the 99 percent are trying to play by the rules every single day, trying to put bread on the table, send their kids to school, theyre being hurt. And theyre being hurt at the expense of the 1 percent who are trying to get more power. He ended saying, Thats unacceptable, and weve got to ght back.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders rallied members at City Hall, speaking about the importance of good jobs and the middle class.
May 2013|The Unionist 7

Ari Paul

Condolences
Condolences are extended to the family and friends of Angelo Howard, retiree and former Union delegate at DHS 8 East 3rd Street mens shelter, who died in April. Condolences may be sent to Kathy Johnson, 34 West 130th Street, #1, New York, NY 10037. Condolences are extended to the family and friends of Burton Blaustein, former HRA Deputy Commissioner and SSEU Local 371 activist, who died in April. Condolences may be sent to The Family of Burt Blaustein, 531 East 20th Street, #9E, New York, NY 10009. Condolences are extended to Coletta Duncan, SUP I, at Heat Line 180 Water Street, on the death of her brother Leon N. Duncan, who died in April. Condolences may be sent to Coletta Duncan, 180 Water Street, Mezzanine Floor, New York, NY 10038.
Social Service Employees Union Local 371 817 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10003

Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY

On Medicaid Waste: We Warned You

wo stories in the New York Times last month validated the concerns SSEU Local 371 has had about the privatization of senior care as a result of the plan put forth by the Governors Medicaid Redesign Team. Specically, the Union, in ghting to save jobs in the CASA and Lombardi programs, has said that keeping these programs in-house would make it easier to have oversight to combat fraud and waste. The articles painted a lugubrious picture of outsourced care. [R]epresentatives from a dozen advocacy organizations for disabled people warned [the states Medicaid director] that they were seeing a systemic problem: some of the neediest people were not being allowed to enroll, or were being denied the hours of service they need without a meaningful chance to appeal, the Times said. Such allegations have had consequences. For example, the Medicaid director, the paper reported, suspended all new enrollment in VNS Choice, the largest managedcare plan, and other plans run by Visiting Nurse Service of New York pending an

BULLETIN BOARD
SWaP- Community Assistant at 150 William Street in Manhattan, would like to swap to ACS Downtown Courts 350 Jay Street, 370 Jay Street or 330 Court Street in the Administrative Unit/Data Entry division. If interested, please call (212) 341-8979. SWaP- Supervisor II at Brooklyn eld ofce, 2554 Linden Blvd in Brooklyn, would like to swap to a Supervisor II eld ofce in the Bronx or 55 W. 125th Street. If interested, please call (718) 348-6697 or (914) 548-8054. SWaP- Job Opportunity Specialist at East River Job Center #37 in Manhattan would like to swap to Job Opportunity Specialist position at Dyckman Job Center #35. If interested, please call (212) 945-8267. SWaP- Supervisor I (eld position) at 33 Rockwell Place in Brooklyn would like to swap to a Supervisor I (non- eld position) in Brooklyn, Queens or Manhattan. If interested, please call (718) 330-2299. SWAP- AJOS I at Fordham Job Center #44, Bronx, would like to swap to 109 East 16th Street, Senior Works Center #52 or Center #18 St. Nicholas. If interested, please call (917) 749-4069. SWAP- Job Opportunity Specialist at Crotona Job Center #46 in the Bronx would like to swap with Caseworker at Queens Center #53 43-00 Northern Blvd, LIC or Queens FSCC Satellite 34-00 Northern Blvd, LIC or East River Queens #37 One Honeywell Street, LIC. If interested, please call (718) 901-4583. SWAP- Caseworker at Coney Island Center in Brooklyn would like to swap with Caseworker at HASA Queens 33-28 Northern Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101; HASA Greenwood 275-285 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY or HASA Waverly Unit 8-12 West 14th Street. If interested, please call (516) 451-3872. SWAP- Community Asst. at Department of Homeless Services in Manhattan at 78 Catherine Street would like to swap to Linden or Barbara Kleinman. If interested, please call ( 212) 877-4434. SWAP- Job Opportunity Specialist at Linden Job Center in Brooklyn HRA, would like to swap to Coney Island Job Center or Bay Ridge Job Center. If interested, please call (718) 237-7066. SWAP- Job Opportunity Specialist, FIA/HRA at Monterey Job Center #46 in the Bronx, would like to swap to Dekalb Job Center #64, Bushwick Job Center #66 or Linden Job Center #67. If interested, please call (347) 792-6923.

Members

investigation into its use of social adult day care centers like R & G in Bensonhurst, where a stream of agile older people had been recently seen picking up free takeout food there and walking or bicycling away with it. While the MRT has touted its plan as a bold way to make the Medicaid system more efcient, social services advocates have noted that these private agencies have used illegal inducements to attract clients, and worse, those in need are not getting the care they require. SSEU Local 371 has always believed these types of services should be done in-house, not just in order to preserve these jobs, but to ensure that the most vulnerable populations have access to the best service they can have. These revelations in the Citys newspaper of record give the Union some hope that our message regarding privatization will be heard at the highest levels of the State, and that policy makers will work with us and other social services advocates to come up with a system that benets everyone.

Save the Date: Solidarity with Local 1549

Members are encouraged to come out and support our sisters and brothers in Local 1549 for a rally and press conference in support of civilianization in the NYPD. It will take place on Wednesday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall.
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Snow Day Info

Any member who, during the snowstorm of December 2010, arrived at work to nd that their ofce was closed should contact the Union. Send your name and your location to Vice President of Publicity Patricia Chardavoyne at pchardavoyne@ sseu371.org or at (212) 598-7044.

The Unionist|May 2013