Volume 42 Number 1 January 2012

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

www.sseu371.org

Fixing the hRA/FiA

Union Addresses Overcrowding and Overtime at Job Centers

Union President Anthony Wells, joined by other officers and members, confronted FIA management about overtime and overcrowded issues at the job centers.

t is well known that the City is facing an unemployment crisis. Since the economy crashed in 2008, people throughout the region have continued to lose their jobs, and not enough new jobs have been created. More and more people are coming to the Family Independence Administration (a part of the Human Resources Administration), where SSEU Local 371 members are dedicated to helping them. But over the last several months, members have reached out to the Union

complaining of managers who are violating overtime protocol, by forcing continued hours on employees at the end of their shifts. Then when workers try to assist one another by covering the overtime, management wont allow it. Security on locations has been lacking, overwhelming members who are dealing with frantic clients and rising caseloads at one end, and are also dealing with heavy-handed managers. Many of these problems stem from the fact that the front-line workforce has been stretched too

thin. As Kirby Lindell, a Sup II in employment services, said, They really need to hire more people.

Meeting the Bosses

On Dec. 20, SSEU Local 371 officers, including President Anthony Wells, joined dozens of FIA workers for a second labormanagement meeting with FIA officials at District Council 37 to address these concerns. Weve been very patient, but
Continued on page 3

The Future of TASA

Page 3

Holiday Parties
Pages 4-5

EEO Laws Explained

Page 7

CALENDAR
JAnUARY
17 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor 18 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 W. 23rd St., Manhattan 19 Black Heritage Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor 24 Shelter Chapter: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor 25 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor 30 Next Wave Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor 31 Civilians in Law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor

Welcome to 2012
he new year always brings a renewed hope that this year will better than the last. Resolutions are made with vows to achieve goals that will improve our lives and the lives of people around us. To those of you who participate in this annual ritual, good luck. Too often, as we all know, those goals are set aside as lifes challenges and temptations wear us down. At SSEU Local 371, we do not make resolutions lightly. We believe that resolve is not just something you do, but something you havethe strength and willpower to continue to fight back. The challenges we faced in 2011 did not disappear on New Years Eve. Our goal is to continue standing up and working for our members to protect their jobs, wages and benefits, and safety. For example, we continue to fight back to save the CASA program and the more than 700 jobs at risk. We also continue to fight back to save TASA and those members who provide vital services to pregnant teenagers and their families. In job centers, we face many challenges such as overcrowding, daily stress, hostility and long workdays. We are working to find the solutions but grow weary with the agencys responses. We are determined like never before to pass an assault bill that will keep our members safe. Members have been strengthening our efforts by participating in a letter writing campaign to get the attention of state legislators. Finally, elected officials in Albany are getting the message that our members need more protection. Its a priority for us and we are not going away. In 2012, this Unions agenda is clear. The fight back is to protect jobs and benefits, improve working conditions in every location and keep our members safe. You can feel confident knowing that these resolutions that will not be broken.

FeBRUARY
1 3 Executive Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor Black Heritage Celebration: 6:30 p.m. DC 37 Headquarters, 125 Barclay Street, Manhattan Committee of Concerned Social Workers: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor

15 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 W. 23rd St., Manhattan 21 Alumni Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor 22 Political Action Committee/Womens Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Office, 12th Floor

Our goal is to continue standing up and working for our members...

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. Organization & Education Ingrid Beaumont 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

BlACK heRitAge CeleBRAtion

Mark your calendar! The annual Black Heritage Celebration will take place Feb. 3, at DC 37 headquarters. The keynote speaker will be activist and scholar Angela Davis. This event will also highlight and celebrate the life and leadership of our departed president, Charles Ensley.

Join us!
The Unionist | January 2012

Fixing the hRA/FiA

Continued from page 1

Union Addresses Key Concerns for Front Line Staff

they have got to fix it, Wells told members before the meeting. At the end of the day, we need more workers. But in the meantime FIA management has to come up with a plan of action. It was a heated exchange between the Union and management, to be sure. Vice President of Negotiations and Research Rose Lovaglio-Miller impressed upon FIA management that the rising caseloads and forced overtime were having a drastic effect on staff morale. Members are complaining because there is too much overtime. People are saying they need medical leave because its so crazy, she said. Its getting to the point where your workers are saying, enough is enough. They have hit a brick wall.

People are saying they need medical leave because its so crazy...Its getting to the point where your workers are saying, enough is enough. They have hit a brick wall.
VP Rose Lovaglio-Miller
demanding that all workers stay until all clients have left the buildings. I told management thats ludicrous and unacceptable, Lovaglio-Miller said. Indeed, many SSEU Local 371 members spoke of the problems on the job. Miriam Ramos-Ortiz, an AJOS II based in the Bronx, noted that at her location nearly 40 potential clients on the line are turned away at the end of the day because the workers dont have time to get to everyone. Those people come back the next day, just making that days client load that much larger. The problem, workers said, is getting out of control. We dont have the staff, Ramos-Ortiz said. As far as staffing goes, the agency can only make new hires if City Hall lets it, so the Union will have to apply pressure to the Bloomberg Administration to hire more people to address the growing problem of joblessness in the City. The Union is also working with Communications Workers of America Local 1180, which represents Directors in this agency, in order to improve relations on the shop floor.

Progress Made
While members believed the meeting proved valuable in showing the agency how low morale had gotten, many thought the agency officials didnt show adequate concern for making things better. However, HRA/FIA management did hear the Union and its members. On Dec. 22, two days after the labor-management meeting, a memo to job center Directors was issued addressing two pressing topics: conducting on-site labor-management meetings and overtime guidelines that would not force everyone to stay until the last client leaves.

Ludicrous Actions
In a caucus with members, she noted that it came to the point where a worker informed the Union that she was written up because she had the temerity to leave after she worked overtime and her clients paperwork was done. Managers have been

The Future of TASA

the tASA pRogRAma vital part of the Administration of Childrens Services that addresses the needs of teenage parentscould be phased out of existence this summer as a part of the Governors Medicaid Redesign plan. SSEU Local 371 is hard at work to preserve the jobs and functions of the program. According to the ACS website, TASAs case managers help mothers and fathers under age 22 to manage their new responsibilities, take control of their lives, and learn how to provide better futures for themselves and their children. TASA workers help clients on dealing with the challengers of teenage parenthood while also assisting them in getting access to education, health care, job training and public benefits. and to ensure that if it goes through that Union members will be put to work elsewhere in the agency. The Union left the meeting with more questions than answers. ACS has stated that TASA employees will be moved into other jobs, but details about this are still lacking. Vice Presidents of Negotiations and Research Rose Lovaglio-Miller noted that it is unclear that a state-mandated program like TASA can legally be phased out in this way. Our bottom line is always keeping people employed, she said. If theyre going to keep people working, we are always available for discussions about that. However, she pressed that the Unions stance is that TASA is an effective program with dedicated workers, and should be kept as it is, saying, We hope that ACS will understand the importance of what TASA does, not just for the agency, but for the teens.
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Short on Answers
Last month, SSEU Local 371 officials met with ACS management to determine whether the phase-out could be stopped
January 2012 | The Unionist

Holiday Parties 2011!

O
ne of SSEU Local 371 members favorite traditions is setting up holiday parties at their locations for the families they serve. Across the boroughs, members decorate their locations, serve food and give out presents, complete with one member dressed as old St. Nick himself. Its a tradition that forges a unique relationship between the clients and SSEU Local 371 members. Its the type of bond that is sealed through genuine friendship and is harder to achieve in the dayto-day routine of social services. together. We should have more of this. Members chip in to put on the parties, but also receive donations from the Union and from local vendors. Fields, in his Santa outt, coming out of one of the ofces back rooms. Is that your Santa Claus room? the boy asked, overwhelmed with joy. It is, Fields replied. Is that where you keep all the presents? the boy inquired. Fields stopped for a second. Theres something in there for you, he said.

A Hectic Time
This year the holiday parties occurred in the afternoon, right when children were getting out of school. Its a hectic time for SSEU Local 371 members, as they scramble to put on the parties while working on their cases and talking to their clients at the same time. But as always, things came together this year. Cassandra Young, an SSEU Local 371 Alternate Delegate at the Brooklyn HASA site, said it was easy for the workers to come together to put on such an event. Its a family-like atmosphere here, she said.

Above, Warrnia Rumph (left) and Abby Campbell helped organize the party at Amsterdam HASA, where Deborah Finkelstein, at left, set up a gift table for the children (photos by Pat Arnow).

Below, Walter Fields played the part of Santa Claus while his coworkers at Brooklyn HASA gathered around him to celebrate another successful holiday party (photo by Andrew Hinderaker).

Kids Light Up
Its for the kids. You see them light up, said Caseworker Walter Fields, a Brooklyn-based member at HASA, who played the part of Santa Claus this year. He noted that the members greatly enjoy putting on the parties. It really brings their morale up. It helps the workers. It brings them

Cynthia Ocean, bottom, served food at the Queens HASA holiday party, as members put gifts out on display, at right (photos by Dave Sanders).

Joy in the Air

The joy among the children was highly palpable. At one point at Brooklyn HASA, a small child stopped

The Unionist | January 2012

January 2012 | The Unionist

Your Union, Your politics

he new year is now upon us, and the Union has its work cut out for it politically. We are already off to good start, as the Unions leadership this month met with Jason Helgerson, the states Medicaid Director, to urge him to block the Medicaid Redesign Teams plan to end the CASA program. The elimination could mean the unnecessary risk of 700 SSEU Local 371 members jobs, as well as moving elderly clients from in-home care into nursing homes and hospitals.

social service worker, a protection already afforded to many other civil servants. Members did a great job in 2011 writing their State Senators and Assembly Members urging them to pass this bill. Now its 2012, and while the bill already has substantial support, we have to step it up.

Get Involved
We urge members to get involved not only by continuing these efforts, but by coming to the Unions Political Action Committee meetings each month to get informed about how you can organize your fellow members to make political gains for social service workers. When members attend these meetings they have a chance to present our elected officials with issues they face on the job. Members are empowered

Lobbying Effort
The Union is continuing to lobby on the Assault Bill, a measure that would make it a felony to assault a

when they see firsthand that their voices are being heard. You can also get involved in your own communities: go to Community Board meetings, talk to your local elected representatives, and spread the Unions message through other organizations, like political clubs, churches and parents associations. Furthermore, we continue to urge members who have been the victim of assault on the job or have witnessed it happen to other members to contact the Unions Legislation and Political Action section, as we need lawmakers to hear directly from members. Remember, we are the Union! The more you participate, the stronger this Unions political power will be.

-Michelle Akyempong, VP of Legislation and Political Action

on the FRont lineS

Fighting For Patients Everyday

DeAling with health insurance companies about ones coverage is never easy, and SSEU Local 371 member Hiro Ciprian does it for a living as a Hospital Care Investigator at Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan. Ciprian applied for the job five years ago while working in the non-profit world. She said she wanted to come to City service because of the benefits and the union. HCIs are responsible for handling patient insurance claims and making sure the insurance company payments come through to the hospital. It can be an arduous process, involving having to speak to many different people at a given insurance company to get the files processed properly. Most insurance companies provide good quality follow ups with the claims, Ciprian said. Some of them give you the run around. She continued, Thats the hardest part, when the companies dont want to cooperate. My concern is when the claim gets denied.
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But the rewarding part, Ciprian said, is when she is able to finally get the claims processed. In fact, just this month she had an insurance company that denied a claim she submitted, and when she followed up,

various company representatives told her erroneously that they had no medical records to back up the claim. Everybodys dropping the ball, one after the other, she said. Finally, the company called her to tell her that it would process the claim. Ciprians persistence got the job done, in the end. Thats the good part, she said.

Hiro Ciprian and her co-workers make sure insurance company payments come through to the hospital.
The Unionist | January 2012

Pat Arnow

eeo lAwS

Job Discrimination and How to Confront It

ederal, State and City laws provide all City workers with important legal rights to protect against workplace discrimination and hostile work environments, commonly known as Equal Employment Opportunity laws (EEO). You may not be discriminated against, which means suffering an adverse employment action such as discharge, demotion, denial of overtime, denial of promotion etc., solely because of your race, gender, national origin, age, religion or disability that does not prevent you from performing the essential duties of your position. It is unlawful for any management staff, your supervisors or co-workers to make unwelcome sexual advances toward you, or to require any sexual favor from you as a condition for your obtaining any benefit at work or maintaining your present position. In addition, neither your supervisors nor any co-worker may engage in any discriminatory conduct (such as making racial or religious slurs, posting sexually offensive pictures or other images, etc.), which creates a hostile work environment for you. A hostile work environment is one that a reasonable person would find to be offensive. You can file a lawsuit to make it stop. If you are a victim of discrimination or of a hostile work environment, there are many available legal avenues you may pursue. Moreover, you may not be retaliated against by the agency or

the perpetrator for availing yourself of these remedies. If anyone attempts to retaliate against you, that is a separate violation of law for which you may obtain legal vindication. Complaints of discrimination or retaliation may be made initially to your agencys Equal Employment Opportunity office. Please bear in mind that such complaints must be based upon the type of discrimination referred to above (race,

with the State or City Division of Human Rights, you must file within one year from the date of the discrimination or retaliation. If you file a lawsuit in court, it must be filed within three years from the date of the discrimination or retaliation.

Keeping Notes
If you have been, are or may become the victim of discrimination or retaliation for complaining about it, you should keep a diary or other notes to which you can refer later, recording the dates, times and individuals involved and witnesses, as well as detailing exactly what has occurred. You should also keep all documents that support your case. These records will become an important part of your case. And you should keep all of these materials at home. Your workspace belongs to the City, not you, and it can be searched and materials can be seized without your knowledge or consent. If you are successful with your discrimination complaint, you may obtain monetary damages for any financial loss or emotional distress you have suffered. You may also obtain an Order prohibiting further discrimination or retaliation and placing you back in the position you were in prior to the unlawful acts. As always, you should contact the Grievance Section of the Union with any questions you may have regarding these or any other legal matters, or for assistance in pursuing corrective action to protect your rights. Dont be a victimassert your rights to be free of discrimination, hostility or retaliation in your workplace. Lloyd Permaul, VP of Grievances and Legal Services

Ways to Seek Help

gender, national origin, age, religion, disability, hostile work environment). If your complaint is not addressed to your satisfaction, you may file an administrative complaint with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYSDHR), or the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR). In addition, instead of filing an administrative complaint, you may file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. If you file an administrative complaint with the Federal EEOC, you must file within 300 days from the date of the discrimination or retaliation. If you file

2012 Holiday Schedule

The holiday schedule is out, and members should take note: New Years Day, Observed: Martin Luther Kings Birthday: Lincolns Birthday, Observed: Washingtons Birthday: Memorial Day: Independence Day: Labor Day:
January 2012 | The Unionist

Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 Monday, May 28, 2012 Wednesday, July 4, 2012 Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

Columbus Day: Election Day: Veterans Day, Observed: Thanksgiving Day: Christmas Day: New Years Day:

Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012 Monday, Nov. 12, 2012 Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012 Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012 Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013

Condolences
Condolences are extended to Shirley Gray, Executive Assistant to President Wells at SSEU Local 371, on the death of her sister, Dorothy GrayClarke, who died in December. Condolences may be sent to: The Gray Family 41 W Railroad Street, Jacksonville, North Carolina 28540 Condolences are extended Roberta Sowell, Fraud Investigator at BFI 151 West Broadway in Manhattan, on the death of her mother, Bessie Sowel,l in December. Condolences can be sent to the Sowell Family: 9 Tapscott Street, Apt 1A, Brooklyn, New York 11212. Condolences are extended to Family and Friends of Harold Greene, Caseworker at The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) in the Brooklyn office, who died on December 20. Condolences may be sent to The Office of Child Support Enforcement 481 Hudson Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11201. Condolences are extended Lois GillenwaterGreen, Child Welfare Specialist in Manhattan on the death of her father, William Lee Gillenwater, who died on December 16. Condolences can be sent to: Lois Gillenwater-Green. 79 Woodruff Avenue, Apt 1C. Brooklyn, New York 11226 Condolences are extended to Victoria Aikhuele, Sup I at HRA CASA Homecare in Jamaica, Queens, and her brother, Caseworker Benedict Aikhuele, on the death of their father, Chief Rius Aikhuele, who died in December. Social Service Employees Union Local 371 817 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10003

Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY

Sydney Weiss Retires After A Half Century of Activism, Service

SYDneY weiSS, who became active in the Unions early days, retired from his Sup II job at HRA, ending a 48-year civil service career. Weiss started his career in April of 1963 at a Brooklyn welfare office, where he met Stuart Leibowitz, who was leading the emerging Social Service Employees, which would later become SSEU Local 371. Weiss began his Union activism by signing up workers for the Union, and worked out of the Unions Broadway officewhich he described as a beehive of activityprinting leaflets that he and others distributed at City work locations. There was very good involvement, he recalled. Everyone was concerned, interested, spending time in the effort. Very spirited. He said of the leaflets, They were fast and furious, and explosive, had a lot to say about the Citys inefficiency and its hostility to the Union. Weiss fondly remembered how members

BULLETIN BOARD
for sale- An Admiral washing machine for sale, heavy duty, 8-cycle, 2-speed, combination white/blue, used once, under warranty. $325 or negotiable. If interested, call (347) 499-0223. sWaP- Caseworker at HHC at 3424 Kossuth Avenue in the Bronx would like to swap with Caseworker in Manhattan or Brooklyn. If interested, call (718) 642-7451 sWaP- Sup I at Long Term Home Healthcare Program at 30 Rockwell Place in Brooklyn would like to swap with Sup I, no field positions, in lower or midtown Manhattan. If interested, call (718) 330-2293. sWaP- Bronx/CASA Caseworker at 530 West 135th Street would like to swap with Caseworker in Brooklyn even if not CASA position. If interested, call (347) 510-0136. sWaP- Community Assistant at 78 Catherine Street would like to swap with Community Assistant at 300 Skillman Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. If interested, call (212) 877-4434. sWaP- AJOS at (Center 67) 45 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn, NY would like to swap with AJOS at (Center 54) 165-08 88th Street, Jamaica, NY. If interested, contact (347) 995-6127. sWaP- Caseworker at OCSE in Manhattan would like to swap with Field Caseworker in HASA in Brooklyn or any non-field position in Brooklyn or Manhattan. If interested, call (917) 723-0956. sWaP- Caseworker at HASA in Manhattan Homemaking Unit non-field position. Would like to swap with Caseworker in Queens. If interested, contact (212) 620-9817. sWaP- AJOS worker at (Center 99) in Richmond, Staten Island would like to swap sites to 109 East 16th Street, New York, NY. If interested, contact (347) 398-4891. sWaP- Caseworker at HASA Queensboro Office located at 33-28 Northern Blvd, LIC, would like to swap to HASA/Greenwood or HASA/ Brownsville. If interested, call 917 226-5931.

MEMBERS

Sydney Weiss: A founding brother.

were active in Union demonstrations, and how many of them volunteered to take part in the Civil Rights Movement. He also noted that the Unions roots were in advocating for welfare clients, not just the workers. The Union had a two-pronged approach for social justice and employee betterment, Weiss said.

Remembering Rodney Carroll, Union Activist

RoDneY CARRoll, a former member of SSEU Local 371, passed away Nov. 19. He worked at the Union office as an Organizer from 1998 to 2004, and was dedicated to fairness in City service. He will be remembered as an energetic and exuberant fighter for workers, said Union President Anthony Wells. He was committed to helping people in any way he could. He spoke fast but was not a fast talker. Carroll was well known for being a Harlem community activist, working closely
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with the neighborhood children. He enjoyed electoral politics, and ran for City Council in 2005. A cancer survivor who was dedicated to both his Union activity and career in social services, he was known for being passionate about helping others and creating a more just society. He was married to Shirley AldebalCarroll, a former Union Executive VP. Rodney was a great community and Union activist and a wonderful human being, said long-time SSEU Local 371 member Shirley Gray. He will be missed.
The Unionist | January 2012