Volume 42 Number 8 September 2012

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

www.sseu371.org

DESPITE WAIVER, WE WILL PREVAIL

Our Fight to Save CASA Workers Now Enters the Next Critical Phase
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO has received a waiver from the Federal government for $10 million in order to go forward with Medicaid reform, which among other things would privatize CASA. The news is a harsh blow to thousands of senior citizens who rely on home care and could now be transferred into managed care facilities. SSEU Local 371 represents 900 CASA workers. The Union is committed to ghting any layoffs. We will continue to ght, President Anthony Wells said. There is time for them to make changes. With the waiver, Governor Cuomos Medicaid Redesign Team can take the next steps in its recommendation to privatize the CASA program. The Union has lobbied hard against this. In December, hundreds of members descended upon an MRT meeting in Albany to express how privatization would hurt workers and seniors alike.

The Fight Ahead

The Union will also keep members updated as new information becomes available. Were going to ght it every way we can, Wells said, noting that the Union would reach out to state lawmakers and people in the Governors ofce to make sure that CASA stays intact.

This isnt the rst time the Union has had to pull out all the stops to save this important program. Twenty years ago, the state tried to phase out CASA, but because SSEU Local 371 was able to organize community members and workers against such an inhumane cut, the Union was able to save CASA. This Union is ghting to keep all of our members employed, Wells said. There is nothing more important.

Stop Union Busting

Defending Collective Bargaining

Governor Andrew Cuomo ran for the states top ofce on a platform that was hostile to public sector unions. Thankfully, Governor Cuomo has given up his wrongheaded goal of holding a constitutional convention to get rid of the Triborough Amendment, which mandates that when contracts with public sector unions expire the terms continue until a new contract is settled. This is to counter-balance the part of the states Taylor Law that bars unions like ours from striking. However, the Union has learned that the State is looking into creating so-called emergency panels for municipalities that can

Preserving Our Triborough Rights

declare scal emergencies that could halt expired contract terms from continuing to cover workers. This would be a sneaky way around the Triborough Amendment. The Union is working with the rest of the labor movement to stop this initiative, and reaching out to state lawmakers to stop such a measure. This is the same right-wing agenda that has been imposed in Michigan to break unions, which has infuriated public sector workers. The labor movement is united in stopping this from happening, President Anthony Wells said. Hopefully, this is just chatter that isnt going anywhere, but

were going to make sure that this doesnt progress. This is an important part of the states labor law that ensures that workers collective bargaining rights are protected in addition to ensuring labor peace. Wells stressed, An attack on the Triborough Amendment is an attack on collective bargaining.

New Delegate Training

Page 3

Labor Day Parade

Pages 4-5

Crisis Intervention Unit

Page 8

CALENDAR
SEPTEMbER
18 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 19 Delegate Assembly Meeting: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 West 23rd Street in Manhattan 26 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Civilians Law Enforcement Meeting: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 15th Floor

Our Vote Is Our Voice

his November we are faced with some daunting challenges. The upcoming elections are the most important in our lifetime. We often say that about national elections, just as we did about the 2008 presidential election. But this one truly is, not just because of the outcome, but because of the need to protect the voting process itself. In more than 25 states, laws have been passed that disenfranchise millions of voters. There are laws requiring state-issued ID cards to vote. In some states, the time to vote has been shortened. Still others have ended weekend or early voting. These changes are intended to control the national elections and take the decision away from voters. The victories of the civil rights movement are in danger. The biggest victory, the right to vote, is under direct attack. So once again we must become energized to ght back. The strategy is clear: mobilize all registered voters to vote and register all those not yet registered. We must encourage, cajole and insist that those registered voters get out and vote. Thats the only way to save our democracy. We have seen the positive results when people are energized to participate in the political and electoral processthe rst African American President and the passage of the Assault Bill. We understand the challenges are many. We are ghting back to secure livable wages and a contract that meets our needs. We are ghting back to protect our pensions and benets. We are ghting back to strengthen our rights and improve the working conditions in our work locations. We are ghting back to maintain the dignity of all working woman and men and their ability to put food on the family table. It is clear that if we do not participate and vote in this election, these challenges will multiply. We must believe that we can make a difference, no matter how small. We have in the past, and we will again in the future.

OcTObER
3 9 Executive Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Committee of Concerned Social Workers: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor

11 Womens Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 16 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 17 Delegate Assembly Meeting: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 West 23rd Street in Manhattan 24 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Civilians in law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 15th Floor

We must believe that we can make a difference, no matter how small.

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 Joe Nazario V.P. Negotiations & Research Rose Lovaglio-Miller 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

Anthony Wells

The Assault Bill Will Be Enacted!

Governor Cuomo has signed the Assault Bill, one of this unions top legislative priorities. The bill will go into effect on Nov. 1. After that, assaulting a social service worker will be a felony offense. We thank everyone who contributed to passing this bill. It took commitment and leadership at every level of the Union. Now, we no longer have to ght for this legal protection.

The Unionist | September 2012

ON THE FRONT LiNEs

adie Sanders is more than just a Community Coordinator in the Housing Authority. For more than 27 years, she has been like a second mother in the Howard Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Sanders leads community programs for children who live in public housing. We oversee after-school and evening programs. We do homework help, Sanders explained. She also organizes community gardens and leads summer trips to the museums and amusement parks. These things help educate and entertain children, and create a sense of community. Because she lives in the area, she doesnt feel like its just another civil service job, but rather a lifetime responsibility. She checks childrens report cards to makes sure children are doing their best in school. We are like another family to them, she said, noting that Community Coordinators are often invited to birthday parties and other family events in the area. Its not work and then you go home. She should know. Sanders noted that what the public doesnt often see is that workers in her title put in the extra effort during emergencies. She spent the night in the community center during Hurri-

Leading a Family in Brownsville

cane Irene last year. On Sept. 11, 2001, she stayed in the community center overnight with the children because many parents were unable to get home. The families know us, so they treat us like family, Sanders said. Its a rewarding job, she said, because she gets to watch a lot of children in the community grow up and benet from the programs that she leads. Ive had a lot of inuence on a lot of young people who come through my center, Sanders said. She added with a laugh, Some get city jobs and are making more than me. Thats a reward you get. Sanders, a member of the Unions Executive Committee, lamented that public housing has often been neglected, but noted that her job proved that investment in public housing and especially in community programs for young residents was vital. We should be investing more in our children, she said. My goal is Sadie Sanders: Building family values for nearly three decades. to make sure Im doing the best job I can do.

New Delegate Training

The Union will host another Delegate Training open to all new Delegates and Alternates on Oct. 6, 2012 at DC 37 headquarters at 125 Barclay St. in Manhattan from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you would like to attend, please ll out the coupon below and return it by Sept. 21 by faxing it to (212) 477-4863. Name:___________________________________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________________________________ Cell Phone:________________________________________________________________________________ Email:___________________________________________________________________________________ Location:_________________________________________________________________________________ Delegate:___________________ Alternate:____________________ Shirt Size:______________________

September 2012 | The Unionist

Ari Paul

LABOR DAY MARCH

ore than 50 SSEU Local 371 members and their family members came out despite the rain to march in the annual Labor Day Parade up Fifth Ave. Sept. 9, joining their sisters and brothers from across the New York City labor movement. The yearly affair is to celebrate the contributions of labor, but in an election year, where working people are under attack by right-wing politicians around the country, unionists renewed their commitment to political organizing. The message this year: We are one. And SSEU Local 371 not only let its collective voice

roar through the corridors or the most 1 percent neighborhood in the City, but exed its political muscles. As members marched, President Anthony Wells was constantly approached by elected ofcials who voiced their support for social services and the civil servants who operate them. Days like this are a celebration, but also a reminder of all the work we have to do, said Wells after the march, which was just two days before teachers in Chicago went on strike. Working people are under attack. We have to let the powersthat-be know that we are a force to be reckoned with.

WORKING PEOPLE ARE UNDER ATTACK. WE HAVE TO LET THE POwERS-THAT-BE KNOw THAT wE ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED wITH.

Above, Monsignor Robert Ritchie of St. Patricks Cathedral greets SSEU Local 371 members. At right, members gather in Union Square near the locals headquarters before heading up to the parade.
4 The The Unionist Unionist | September | January 2012

H, 2012
Photos by Ari Paul

Left: Members march up Fifth Ave.; at right, Joe Locust leads the delegation; below, from left to right, Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez, Local 371 Exec. VP Yolanda Pumarejo, President Anthony Wells, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts and State Senator Diane Savino.

January 2012 September 2012 | The | The Unionist Unionist

In November, the Choice is Clear

he two national party conventions are over, and in a month and a half we will head to the polls in the presidential election. In one corner, we have a candidate who made a fortune destroying middle class jobs and a running mate who wants to destroy the social services Americans depend on. In the other, theres a president who has fought to save the middle class and working America. The choice is clear: All of us have to work to ensure that President Barack Obama is re-elected. This administration has reformed the health-care system to make it more affordable. It has introduced new regulations in the nancial sector in response to the economic downturn. And the Obama administration worked hard to help the ailing auto industry to recover. By contrast, the Republican Party ticket nds its inspiration in Scott

Walker, the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson, who have made it their goal to destroy unions, the key defender of the American working class. When Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan talk about reducing the size of government, they arent talking about wasteful contracts or military spending. They are talking about destroying the safety net millions of Americans depend on, and social service workers like us who provide those vital services.

President Obama has afrmed his commitment to job creation and reforming the tax system to make it more equitable.

Save Voting Rights

Worse, the Republican strategy to unseating President Obama focuses on imposing dubious voter ID laws in swing states. Watchdog groups say that there have been few actual cases of voter fraud, and that these new laws would make it harder for low-income and people of color to vote. President Obama has afrmed his commitment to job creation and reforming the tax system to make it more equitable. Vice President Joe Biden addressed the AFSCME con-

vention this summer, a clear indication that the administration sides with public sector workers. Of course, New York is a blue state; it doesnt seem that important to go out to the polls. But there is more we can do. We can volunteer to do phone banking and door knocking in swing states. We can encourage our friends and family to vote, to make sure that the victory is decisive. And above all, voting is the process that connects us to this democracy. When our grandchildren ask us about this historical election, we can say condently that we were an active part. Michelle Akyempong, Vice President of Political Action

The Unionist | September 2012

Remembering a Union Icon

STUaRT LEibOWiTZ, who died Aug. 23, made his mark during his tenure as president of the DC 37 Retirees Association. But for members of SSEU Local 371, he stood out as a charismatic Vice President for Research and Negotiations of this Union, who came into that position in 1967 and retired from the local in 1994. Stu used to say were all retirees in training, said President Anthony Wells. I take that to heart. He fought hard so that working people could retire with dignity. SSEU Local 371 members have what they have today because people like Stu fought for dignity in the civil service. Among many of his accomplishments were pushing for DC 37 members to be placed in a Tier 1 pension. As The ChiefLeader reported, as a a co-chair of the DC 37 pensions committee, he helped win pension cost-of-living-adjustments and reimbursement of Medicare Part B payments for retirees, and developed the association into a stronger political force within the union.

Stu Leibowitz, right, with City Comptroller John Liu.

With Stu, I Found a Common Ground in the Union

he best way for me to honor the memory of Stu Leibowitz is to reect upon our initial encounter. We both worked in a downtown Brooklyn Welfare Center in the mid-1960s. Sufce it say, we were opposites that did not attract. I perceived myself a product of the times: liberal, radical and militant. I perceived Stu as a conservative, right wing Republican with whom I had nothing in common. Stu called me another worthless anarchist. Those who knew us well thought the consequences of a confrontation between us could be analogous to matter meets anti-matter. Hence, our encounters were infrequent and brief.

Learning About Respect

Stu left the location after a few months to become the negotiator for SSEU Local 371, and over the next decade became a legendary labor leader. While I still had guarded personal feelings, I respected, admired and beneted from his abilities as a negotiator, and always supported him in that position. I became a Grievance Representative for the central union in the mid-1970s and, after a few months, the long avoided confrontation occurred. Stu called me into his ofce and said, I was opposed to your coming here, and I was wrong about you. He went on, You are very good at what you do. I replied, So are you. Our common ground, the Union, was the foundation upon which our friendship was built. This friendship had a positive impact on my life, because I leaned not to
September 2012 | The Unionist

Leibowitz advocated for retirees until the very end.

focus on our differences but on what we had in common. Over the years, Stus talents continued to inspire and amaze me, and our friendship ourished. Every City employee has some how beneted from his talents. His retirement was not an end, but a new beginning. As the president of the DC 37 Retirees Association, he cornered the market on obtaining benets for retirees, such as the

COLA Medicaid Part B reimbursement. I was deeply saddened by his passing, occasionally wondering what we will do without Stu. However, I know exactly what I will do with the Stu within. I will continue to ght for the dignity of working people and be very proud to be one of the acorns from the Mighty Oak, Stu Leibowitz. -Shirley Gray
7

Photos from DC 37

Condolences
Condolences are extended to Ms. Tobi King-Cooper, Delegate for HASA at 400 Eighth Avenue on the death of her mother-in-law, Ms. Ethel Cooper, who died in September. Condolences can be sent to Tobi King-Cooper, 2171 Madison Avenue, #6-B, New York, NY 10037. Condolences are extended to the family and friends of Stuart (Stu) Leibowitz, former Vice President of Research and Negotiations at SSEU Local 371 and President of DC 37 Retirees Association, who died in August. Condolences can be sent to his daughter, Julianne Leibowitz, c/o DC 37 Retirees Association, 125 Barclay Street, New York, NY 10007. Condolences are extended to Belinda Brathwaite, Caseworker at Long Term Health Care Program in Queens, on the death of her sister, Gail Brown. Condolences can be sent to Belinda Brathwaite, HRA/LTHHCP, 92-31 Union Hall St., 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11433. Condolences are extended to Avon WilsonPinckney, Job Opportunity Specialist at Job Center #52, and Bridgette Browning, Caseworker in HASA Concourse, on the death of their uncle, Herman Ryan Jr., who died in August. Condolences can be sent to Ms. Avon Wilson-Pinckney, 1410 Wood Road., #1D Bronx, NY 10462. Condolences are extended to Lucy Lane, Grievance Representative at SSEU Local 371, on the death of her mom, Wendy. Condolences can be sent to Lucy Lane, SSEU Local 371, 817 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10003. Social Service Employees Union Local 371 817 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10003

Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY

PILOT PROGRAM:
SSEU LOcal 371 has launched a crisis intervention unit to deal with the increase in traumatic episodessuch as deaths, illnesses, assaults, etc.at worksites, and to give our members an empathetic setting to express themselves and deal with these issues. Licensed social workers (represented by the Union) are available to intervene with crises at work locations. They are experienced professionals who are certied to work with diverse populations. These social workers will facilitate onetime group counseling to members who are

Crisis Intervention Unit

experiencing crisis or trauma at their worksite, and they will help members identify better ways of coping with stress at their worksites and help members to identify their strengths. The crisis intervention unit will also provide referrals for outreach services and information about community resources. The units goal is to assure SSEU Local 371 members that they can have a healthy and safe work environment. For more information about the program, please contact Alexis Davis at (212) 7779000, ext. 3068.

Congratulations
Congratulations to Michelle Akyempong, Vice President of Political Action at SSEU Local 371, on the marriage of her daughter, Ebony, to Jamal Lenard on September 9.

The Reverend Is In!

Most SSEU Local 371 members know Ron Cook as a dedicated Union organizer. But on Sept. 16, he was installed as a Pastor of Christian Faith Tabernacle at the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Brooklyn. We congratulate him and recognize all the hard work he put into making this goal happen. We wish him luck and hope he can bring the spirit into our mighty Union!

Filing Extended
The Department of Citywide Administration has issued a Notice of Examination for Exam No. 3000, Juvenile Counselor. It reads, The Notice of Examination is amended to extend the end of the ling period from September 7, 2012 to October 26, 2012 and change multiplechoice testing from the week of October 22, 2012 to the week of January 7, 2013. For more information please contact Denise Barr at the Welfare Fund.
Ari Paul

The Unionist | September 2012