Volume 43 Number 2 February 2013

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

www.sseu371.org

SANDY, CONTINUED

As the City examines NYCHAs preparedness for the storm, one thing is certain: SSEU Local 371 members stepped up to the challenge. Story on page 3

A man in hurricane-ravaged Coney Island visits a water lling station near a NYCHA facility.

Caleb Ferguson

CALENDAR
FEBRUARY
19 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 20 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. Advance Realty Building, 235 West 23rd St in Manhattan 21 Next Wave: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 26 HPD: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 27 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Civilians in Law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 15th Floor

Optimism and Unity Lead to Victory

his month we celebrate the contributions and achievements that African Americans have made in this country. We honor the lives of such greats as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, Louis Latimer and countless others from all walks of life. We measure the progress made by celebrating the second Inauguration of President Barack Obama and the leadership of AFSCME President Lee Saunders. One hundred fty years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, 50 years after the 1963 March on Washington and 100 years after the Suffrage March we know there is much more to accomplish.

MARCH
5 7 HPD Chapter: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Committee of Concerned Social Workers: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor

13 Executive Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 14 Womens Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 19 Alumni Association: 2-4 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 20 Delegate and Membership Combined Meeting: 6:30 p.m. 127 E. 22nd Street, School of the Future 21 Next Wave: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor 27 Political Action Committee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor Civilians in Law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 15th Floor

Moving forward, we look at the accomplishments of SSEU Local 371 and realize theres much more to do. We ght back everyday against those who seek to interfere and destroy our ability to put food on our tables. We ght back against those who seek to privatize our jobs, reduce or eliminate our benets and pensions, and deny our rights. It is a tough struggle that requires an agenda and a grand strategy. It requires that we all get involved in the struggle. A united union is vital to our success, while a divided union ensures defeat.

It is...clear that the messages we put out must be positive.

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 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

It is clear that an informed, mobilized and organized membership is the key to any success we hope to accomplish. It is also clear that the messages we put out must be positive. We must see the glass as half full, not half empty. We must continue to add to the glass, not simply stop the outward ow. It is easy to fall into an abyss of sorrow, despair and lethargy. If we do, however, the battle will be over and our future will be bleak. However, we choose a different route, one that says working together results in the passage of an assault bill, and one that says working together results in saving hundreds of jobs when CASA is privatized. We choose a path that says working together results in civil service lists being called and layoffs reduced or eliminated. Lets celebrate Black History Month with pride with what has been accomplished. We stand united and determined to meet these challenges by any and all means necessary. God bless you and God bless the Union. Anthony Wells

The Unionist | February 2013

Recovering in NYCHA
the norm in the future. We still have a lot to learn. I didnt feel that I had the training for it, she said. Its not going to be the last time. This was just a warning of whats to come.

ew Yorkers from Red Hook to Far Rockaway to lower Manhattan to Staten Island suffered immensely from Hurricane Sandy, but New York City Housing Authority residents had it especially bad. In places like Red Hook, which experienced heavy ooding and power outrages in the storm, things are more or less back to normal. SSEU Local 371 members who work in public housing there recall the shock of the storm, and how they managed to respond to residents needs even though there had been no training for an event like this. A few days later, it was a little chaotic, it caught everybody off guard, said Elizabeth Martinez, a Community Associate in Red Hook. This ofce worked really hard to get the food and worked with FEMA.

Helping Out
NYCHA workers who work in buildings that were not affected by the storm are still helping out in other ways. Howard Hemmings, a Community Coordinator since 1998, said he is responsible for gardening projects at NYCHA buildings and will help in the rebuilding effort. Were going to be involved in the rebuilding efforts because many of these sites have been devastated, he said. Most of the people who do this are seniors, youre talking about the people with the least amount of disposable income on property they dont own, yet they take a great deal of ownership over it. Residents groups have protested publicly about NYCHA managements handling of the storm. Some have demanded amnesty on their rent since they were without

A Workout
The hardest part of the job after the storm was the fact that disabled and elderly residents were trapped on higher oors without supplies or heat for days. It was a workout, Martinez said about climbing up and down the stairs several times a day, often working in dark and cold conditions. By the third day, I could conquer all the steps. She added, It was rewarding. Martinez noted how quickly things fell into place in terms of the response. NYCHA workers coordinated with volunteers on how best to respond to residents. But it was largely an improvised effort. We prepared for other emergencies, but not this one, said Community Associate Sonia Brock, who also works in Red Hook.

essential services like electricity and running water for weeks. Hammel Houses resident Nathaniel Darby said during a demonstration at City Hall last month that he did not get his gas turned on until Christmas, but only received a rent abatement for half of one months rent. Between losing wages when we couldnt get to work, having ood water damage our belongings and spending weeks in the cold without power or heat, my neighbors and I have been through enough, he said. This only goes to show you how out of touch NYCHA is with the lives of public housing tenants. Much of this has caused public questioning of the leadership of NYCHA Chairman John Rhea. Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.org said, The fact is, housing ofcials at-footed response to initial ooding not only dragged out the weeks until power could be safely restored, but profoundly worsened the scope of damage to residents homes.
Continued on page 8

Did What They Could

Martinez added, We really pulled together as one. The tenants, they were well fed. We had enough medical teams. We had a lot of local vans providing hot food on a daily basis. For some of the residents it wasnt as fast as they wanted, but at the end of the day we did as much as we could and beyond. Martinez suggested going forward that NYCHA work with other City agencies to develop ways workers can get trained for these types of situations. With more extreme weather facing New Yorkers as a result of global climate change, such storms like this may not be an exception to
February 2013 | The Unionist

Elizabeth Martinez: We really pulled together as one.

3

Ari Paul

Solidarity with Striking Bus Drivers

SSEU LoCAl 371 and unions around the City are in solidarity with the members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, the school bus drivers who are on strike over bidding procedures that would not protect workers current jobs. For public sector workers who have seen many vital City services privatized, the strike is a renewed lesson on why privatization is a bad idea for workers and the public, said Rose Lovaglio-Miller, the Unions vice president of negotiations and research. If the bus drivers are successful in their strike, it will not just be a win for private-sector workers, but unions like ours that are ghting off the prospect of privatization. ATU Local 1181 President Michael Cordiello said in response to the National Labor Relations Boards declaration that the strike is legal that the ruling is further conrmation that Local 1181s effort to protect the jobs of the most experienced and safest school bus drivers and matrons is not only necessary for the well-being of New York Citys school children, but is perfectly legal. He noted that it also validates 1181s longstanding position that the New York City Department of Education, in addition to the bus companies, is a primary employer associated with this work stoppage. As Mark Brenner, the editorial director of Labor Notes, told Fox Business News, the provision to protect workers seniority rewards stability and longevity and keeps a much more stable workforce than youd have otherwise. Brenner also noted that the current predicament proves the awed model
New York State AFL-CIO

In the Right

Striking bus drivers demonstrated outside the Department of Educations headquarters last month.

of outsourcing, saying, In the long run it would be better for the City to be providing these services.

Pointing to Bloomberg
He also pointed out that it was proving to be public relations disaster for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has attempted to absolve himself of responsibility in the matter, while the union is urging the DOE to implement worker protections. Brenner noted that Bloomberg could easily use his power, as he has done to rewrite term-limits rules. He can get things done when he wants, Brenner said. But now hes saying his hands are tied. Its a little disingenuous.

CCSW Scholarship Deadline is April 30, 2013

Applications are now being accepted for the 2013-2014 academic year for the Committee of Concerned Social Workers Scholarship and the Sol Gorelick Scholarship. The one-time grants $2,500 this yearhave been awarded to more than 80 members through the years. In order to be eligible for the scholarships, persons must be Union members in good standing and have completed at least six credits as a matriculated student in a graduate program leading to a Masters degree in Social Work. An application packet must be requested in writing from Yolanda Pumarejo, chair, Committee of Concerned Social Workers, SSEU Local 371, 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. The deadline for submitting applications is April 30, 2013. Scholarships will be awarded at the September Delegate assembly.

Student Certication for Funds Coverage

Full-time student dependents of covered members may continue to be covered for Fund benets up to their 23rd birthday, as long as they provide the Funds ofce with a copy of the bursars receipt or a letter from the educational institution each semester certifying their status as a full-time student. Covered members who have any questions regarding Student Certication should cal the Enrollment section at (212) 777-9000 ext. 3054. It should be noted that the Educational Fund does not provide benets for your dependents. The Legal Services Fund provides for spouse and/or dependent coverage under specic benets.

The Unionist | February 2013

CASA Update: Were Almost There

ast month we reported that the State had accepted several recommendations from City agencies on how to avert layoffs at CASA now that the Governors Medicaid Redesign Teams plan for privatization has been approved. About 300 out of 900 workers are still at risk at CASA and the Lombardi programs. However, SSEU Local 371 has had several discussions with agency leaders on how to avert terminations. Theyre committed to not doing layoffs, President Anthony Wells said. There will probably be redeployments. What that means is that people will have the choice to be deployed into another agency or into another title. The Union is looking at places to put displaced workers.

A year and a half ago the State was ready to send all these workers out the door. Now we adverted some layoffs and have the opportunity to put the other workers in other positions.
President Anthony Wells
and State ofcials, members involvement in pressuring the MRT not to implement layoffs and a public relations campaign that included radio spots and newspaper ads, informing citizens about the negative impact associated with privatizing homecare for seniors. Wells said. The people in power clearly listened. And now were seeing the results. Members who are concerned about this issue should continue to read the Unionist and the Unions website (www. sseu371.org) for more information as the situation develops. We still have some work to do to ensure that these 300 workers dont go unemployed, Well said. Lets be clear. A year and a half ago the State was ready to send all of these workers out the door. Now we averted some layoffs and have the opportunity to put the other workers in other positions. Thats true progress, and it shows the strength of multi-channel organizing, creative thinking and coalition building. Because at the end of the day the one thing that matters for members is putting food on their tables.

People Power
The campaign got a boost in December of 2011, when busloads of members along with our fellow unionists in Local 1549 arrived in Albany and demonstrated inside the MRT meeting, armed with signs declaring that eliminating CASA was an affront to seniors and communities. Our actions sent a clear message to the State that the members of SSEU Local 371, other unions and community advocates werent going to take this issue lightly,

Time Is on Our Side

The state is not pushing implementation of the MRT plan, Wells noted. So we may have more time than we think. The deal to stave off layoffs is the result of a combination of one-on-one meetings Union ofcials have had with City

SSEU Local 371 members made their dissent loud and clear at an MRT meeting in Albany in December of 2011.
February 2013 | The Unionist 5

Clarence Elie-Rivera

on THE fRonT lInEs

Shes the Face of HIV/AIDS Prevention

n her way out of the Department of Health and Mental Hygienes Long Island City ofce Feb. 7, Community Coordinator Bertha Joyner was on her way to the Bronx for Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The next day she would be tabling in Queens at a Chinese New Year Event. Earlier in the week she had been at

a diagnostics center in Brooklyn. Like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, she goes all over. Joyner, who came to the agency in 1985, is the public face of the Citys effort to spread awareness and educational materials about HIV/AIDS prevention. In her role in the Condoms and Material Unit, she goes to community events at colleges, schools,

places of worship and other venues to set up tables with information for the public. I love helping people and then getting their feedback, she said. I work with the seniors, with the youth. I take pleasure in the fact that Im offering a valuable service to the community. Joyner believes that work like this has paid off since the 1980s when the AIDS epidemic began. Theres progress, she said. I think Ive helped some people. As for more people learning, theres a lot of materials out there. More people are using condoms.

A Long Career
Joyners career with the agency began in the Borough Commissioners Ofce, where she received and tracked environmental complaints from the Community Boards. But this is also where she got her early HIV/ AIDS education training, as she helped organize conferences on the subject. By 1994 she was promoted to the HIV Prevention and Control unit, where she monitored and oversaw agency-funded programs. Joyner is also an active member of SSEU Local 371, serving as both a delegate and on the Executive Committee. She recalled that in 2007, a co-worker encouraged her to get more involved in the Union. The way Joyner saw it, the Union does for its members what civil servants like her do for the public. The Union helps members, whatever problems theyre having, the Union listens she said. The Union helps them with their rights.

Ari Paul

Bertha Joyner: Distributing vital information about HIV/AIDS to the masses.

City Wins on Snow Days

An ARBITRAToR HAs ruled that the City was right to dock City workers pay or leave time if they were unable to come to work during the December 2010 blizzard that crippled the ve boroughs for days. Hundreds of thousands of workers all over the City were unable to get to work because roads were closed and mass transit routes were shut down. From the beginning of this storm, for which the Bloomberg administration failed to physically prepare, the City has maintained that it was under no obligation to compensate workers who could not get to work if their ofces were still open. The New York Post reported Feb. 12 that the arbitrators ruling focused on narrow language in the DC 37 contract
6

that spells out the rights of employees who are to be excused for being late to work because of mass-transit problems. Theres no discussion of what happens if theyre absent.

15 Day Election Notice

Ofcial 15-day notice is hereby given that the membership meeting of Wednesday, March 20, 2013, will hold the following nomination and/or election. The meeting will at The School of the Future, 127 East 22 Street (corner of Lexington Ave.) at 6:30 p.m. Nomination of candidates will be conducted for four (4) positions of Trustee of the Welfare and Educational Funds for the two-year term commencing in 2013.

A Narrow Reading
According to the paper, the ruling said Section 16 (h) specically provides that lateness caused by a major failure of public transportation shall be excused The evidence fails to establish that this language is meant to include absence. I am totally surprised by the arbitrators narrow reading of the issue, said Union President Anthony Wells. It is a slap in the face to hard working civil servants all over the City. We are going to look at other ways to improve the situation for our members.

The Unionist | February 2013

Yesterdays Lessons for Today

crowd of SSEU Local 371 members Feb. 5 packed an auditorium at the United Federation of Teachers downtown Manhattan headquarters to hear President Anthony Wells join other labor and civil rights leaders speak on the subject of Blacks in Labor, an event sponsored by the A. Philip Randolph Institute. One of the key messages people like Wells, Hazel Dukes of the NAACP and March on Washington organizer Norman Hill agreed upon was that many of the problems African Americans faced in the Civil Rights Movement are still with us today. That is why it is so important in our political engagement as a labor movement to look upon these past struggles as an inspiration for the future. Hill noted that during the historic march on the nations capital in 1963, the Civil Rights Movement was demanding a program to put unemployed people into good-paying jobs, a national living wage that keeps up with ination and a new labor code that protects all workers. LeRoy Barr, director of staff at the UFT, said that things such as racial disparities in education, the treatment of children of color by police and the school to prison pipeline, called

him to question whether many of us are free. He added, We must be the model of the future we want to have. This is why all the panelists believed it was so critical to organize politically, engage in electoral politics and make the kinds of demands people like Randolph made. While the labor movement is a movement that ghts for all workers regardless of their color, during this Black History Month, it is important to remember that labor struggles affect people of color acutely. African Americans and Latinos suffer from unemployment at a higher rate than whites, and people of color still face discrimination on the job and in hiring.

Collect, Not Just Elect

Thats the message we need to take to politicians. We need to collect from politicians, not just elect politicians, Wells told the audience. We must be solution and resolution oriented. We must nd real solutions to attract people. When he encouraged people to get out to the polls for all elections, not just in the presidential election, participants shouted, preach it! Dukes, an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, told the audience You

need to learn how to follow leadership sometimes. We have not learned how to be good followers. This is an especially powerful and important message since we are now living under President Barack Obamas second term in the White House. While this is substantial progress for the nation, the American Right has redoubled its campaign against him and his character. The country has disrespected the President of the United States, said Donald Afick, the president of the New York City chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Weve been too quiet about this. Hes elected, but he also needs our help. In order for us to do any of this, we need to organize at the community levels. These will be the topics we will discuss in political action meetings down the road. We have important Citywide elections this year that will determine whether this will be a city for the 99 percent or the 1 percent. We will show the City how strong we are politically. That is why we are a mighty, mighty Union. Michelle Akyempong, Vice President of Political Action

Anthony Wells and other labor and civil rights leaders spoke about the need for unity in the labor movement.
February 2013 | The Unionist 7

Ari Paul

Condolences
Condolences are extended to Margaretta Morman, Sup III at MICSA/Quality Assurance and Control Unit, 3330 West 34 Street, on the death of her father, Anthony Morman, who died Jan. 29. Condolences may be sent to Margaretta Morman, 444 Second Ave., #32H, New York, NY 10010. Condolences are extended to Agnes A. Pemberton, Supervisor at LTHHCP, on the death of her grandmother, Mable Pemberton, who died Jan. 28. Condolences may be sent to Agnes Pemberton, 680 Balcom Ave., #8H, Bronx, NY 10456. Condolences are extended to Priscilla Abernathy, SSEU Local 371 Health and Safety Coordinator, on the death of her brother-in-law, Estanislao Otero, who died in January. Condolences may be sent to Priscilla Abernathy, 817 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10003. Condolences are extended to Deborah Williams, SSEU Local 371 Health and Safety Coordinator, on the death of her mother, Mary Frances Williams, who died in January. Condolences may be sent to 285 Riley Road, New Windsor, NY 12553. Condolences are extended to Veronica Mirand-Toomer, Sup I at Kingsbridge HAS, on the death of her father, Rene Mirand, who died Dec. 24. Condolences may be sent to 950 East 221 St., Bronx, NY 10469.
Social Service Employees Union Local 371 817 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10003

Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY

Recovering in NYCHA
Continued from page 3

BULLETIN BOARD
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. SWAP- Caseworker, Home Care at 94 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, would like to swap to 25 Chapel Street-Burial Claims or 330 Jay Street, OCSE, Brooklyn Family Court or 330 West 34th StreetInst. Care Nursing Homes. If interested, please call (718) 637-6737.

Members

And City ofcials have slammed the agencys account of how it prepared. In fact, the Daily News reported last month that Rhea failed to show up to a City Council hearing on the issue, telling the lawmakers that he had jury duty. In fact, he did not have jury duty. Even by NYCHA standards, this is bizarre, said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, according to the paper. [I]t creates the impression that theyre trying to hide something from us. And for some SSEU Local 371 members, management does have something to hide. The Union has fought vigorously to keep social service positions in public housing in order to provide a higher quality of life for the residents.

They came up with this nonsensical idea that the authority was spending too much on social services and so they got out of it, said Juan Ortiz, a Community Coordinator in Brooklyn, noting that many services have been outsourced, What they did is essentially union busting.

Total Fiasco
There have not been layoffs at NYCHA in the social service titles yet, but SSEU Local 371 is against privatization and believes social services are a vital part of public housing, where the bulk of unionized workers are members of Teamsters Local 237. Rhea? Its a total asco, said Ortiz. He was very into dismantling the union in the authority and going private.

Juan Ortiz: Fighting to keep social services in NYCHA.

8 The Unionist | February 2013

Dave Sanders