Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 3

Transcription

1 LONG ISLAND REGI ON ONE President Nick LaMorte Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 3 Written by Richard Popkin, Chairman, Public Relations Committee March, 2014 We are in a fight to maintain services and keep Governor Cuomo from decimating our jobs and benefits by taking more from the middle class and giving more to the wealthy. His budget calls for many bad directives on local government and local schools and other jurisdictions and then offers more credits and tax givebacks to corporations and the rich. Please contact your NY Senators and Assembly members and tell them NOT to approve the Cuomo Budget Proposal!!!! Please look at the following pages for contact information and links to the real story of the Governors budget and not just the HYPE that he wants people to believe. We are fighting Statewide along with Strong Communities Work, Progressive Coalitions and many other local groups. We need each one of you, your family members and friends to rise up and let the politicians know your feelings. They need us to get elected, we need them to listen to our needs too. PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS REQUEST! In Solidarity, Rich THANK YOU BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM REGION ONE FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK THIS WINTER TO KEEP US ALL SAFE AND ABLE TO GET AROUND.

2 V O LU M E 3, I S S U E 3 C S E A R E G I O N O NE NE WS LE T T E R PAGE 2 LINKS TO CHECK OUT, ON THE BUDGET / /cuomo-s-plan-to-freeze-local-propertytaxes-has-lawmakers-confused

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4 CSEA Education and Training Workshops It's always time to learn, so please consider attending these upcoming CSEA Education and Training workshops; coming to a location near you! SIGN-IN REGISTRATION FOR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING STARTS AT 5:30 PM. Please call the Long Island Region Office at to register in advance for any of these workshops. And, if you have any questions about the content or format of these workshops, please call the Education and Training Department at , extension 1363.

5 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 CSEA REGION ONE NEWS LETTER PAGE 5 Union members, apply for a Union Plus Credit Card, which offers eligible cardholders assistance grants for financial hardship. It s just one of the many reasons why over 1 million union members already carry a Union Plus Credit Card. Learn more: Ice Cream Social with Entertainment with the CSEA Long Island Region One Veteran's Committee last night at the Long Island State Veterans Home. About 60 Veterans in the Home came into the Multi Purpose Room to enjoy the festivities. A good time was had by all. CSEA at it's BEST.. Providing needed charitable services and supporting our VETERANS! Pictured on left Long Island Region One Veteran's Committee Chair, Maryann Phelps, serving Ice Cream at the social. Pictured on the right are members of the Region One Veteran s Committee. KUDOS to ALL. Leaders from several CSEA Region One Locals joined Outgoing Region One and Local 880 Treasurer Bob Murphy after 47 years of service, at his retirement party February 25th. (Pictured L-R) Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, Nassau Municipal Local 882 President John Shepherd, Bob Murphy, Town of Hempstead Local 880 President Charles Sellitto, CSEA Region One President Nick LaMorte, Town of Huntington, Unit 8751 President Richard Popkin and Suffolk Educational Local 870 President Maria Navarro. Not Pictured; Suffolk Retirees Local 920 President Millie Lucas

6 V O LU M E 3, I S S U E 3 C S E A R E G I O N O NE NE WS LE T T E R PAGE 4 Last month our Region One Treasurer Bob Murphy Retired. We wish him well in his future endeavors and in his retirement. Upon leaving his office the Audit Committee reviewed the books and summarily turned them over to the new Region One Treasurer Barbara Homburger. We also wish Barbara well in her new duties as the Region Treasurer! Pictured above L-R Region One President Nick LaMorte, Region One Treasurer Barbara Homburger, Retiring Treasurer Bob Murphy, Committee member Maryann Phelps, Committee member Barbara Flanagan, Committee Chair Debbie Trapp and Committee member Sandra Lavenziano Region One President Nick LaMorte greeting Congressman Israel in Syosset at a Labor Luncheon.

7 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 CSEA REGION ONE NEWS LETTER PAGE 7 CALENDAR AT REGION HEADQUARTERS MARCH Education & Training Committee Meeting 5:00PM With the pending closure of Sagamore Children s Psychiatric Center (SCPC) now set for April 2015, representatives of concerned citizen actions groups and elected officials joined with CSEA members as part of a sustained campaign to keep the facility open and preserve its 54 inpatient psychiatric beds. New York State Assemblymembers Fred Thiele, Andrew Raia, Al Graf, and Phil Boyle as well as State Senators Lee Zeldin and John Flanagan attended and spoke in support of keeping the facility open, as did CSEA Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte and Long Island Federation of Labor President Roger Clayman. Local 430 President Pete Marriott was also on hand and was supported by colleagues such as Jerry Laricchiuta from Local 830, Bill Walsh from Local 852 and Maria Navarro. This situation has already drawn a great deal of interest in media outlets and the public is invested in a positive outcome. Media outlets covering this latest rally included Newsday, the Long Islander, Times of Huntington, Northport Observer and Smithtown News. Sagamore is unique on Long Island and irreplaceable to the community, said LaMorte. Our members working there treat the children that other institutions have been unable to help. It is the only place around here equipped to help the neediest children, the ones most a risk of dying or hurting other due to mental illness. 6 Human Rights Committee Meeting 5:30PM 8 Defensive Driving 9:00AM 3:00PM 11 PEOPLE Committee Meeting 5:00PM 12 Safety & Health Committee Meeting 5:30PM 17 Women s Committee Meeting 5:30PM 18 Public Relations Committee Meeting 5:30PM 19 Region I Executive Board Meeting 4:30PM 24 State Discipline & Interrogation Workshop 5:00PM-9:00PM 25 State Discipline & Interrogation Workshop 5:00PM-9:00PM 26 Defensive Driving 5:30PM 8:30PM 27 Defensive Driving 5:30PM 8:30PM 31 Political Action Committee Meeting 5:30PM

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9 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 CSEA REGION ONE NEWS LETTER PAGE 9 Thursday Feb. 20th, Long Island Region One CSEA along with a coalition of other Long Island groups met in front of the NYS Office Bldg. in Hauppauge to protest Gov. Cuomo's proposed budget which will cut our Local Services and potentially jobs. All to help the WEALTHY!! Region One President Nick LaMorte spoke at the event also there were CSEA Members from Huntington, Hempstaed, Oyster Bay, Retirees, NYS DOT, LIDDSO & Suffolk Education locals Hempstead Local 880 CSEA members all across the Town celebrated the 11th Annual National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 07, The American Heart Association, along with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute created National Wear Red Day to raise awareness and illustrate to women that this is not an older man s disease. Heart disease is the number one killer amongst women and this movement was designed to bring that to forefront. Since its inception, 21% fewer women are dying from heart disease and 23% more women are aware that it is their number one health threat. This year, under the leadership of Chairwoman Joni Blenn of Communications and Public Affairs, our members raised $3,000 toward the goal of educating women across the country about the dangers and health risks of heart disease

10 V O LU M E 3, I S S U E 3 C S E A R E G I O N O NE NE WS LE T T E R REGION ONE ACTIVISTS SPENT TIME IN ALBANY THIS PAST WEEKEND AT THE FEDERAL PAL WORKSHOP FOR CSEA. MUCH TO LEARN AND USE PAGE 10 Follow us on FACEBOOK Please click on our link in RED Below When you get there, Please Like it! Activists learned about budgets and political issues from AFSCME and CSEA Political Action Staff Personnel. Flo Tripi Region 6 President chairs the State Committee addressed the group as well as Statewide Executive President Mary Sullivan. Congressman Paul Tonga gave a stirring speech about what is happening in Washington DC and what needs to happen! CseaRegionOnePR NYCOSH TRAINING SESSIONS

11 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 CSEA REGION ONE NEWS LETTER PAGE 11 9 CSEA Participant Attorney Speaks Out On Behalf Of Union Members. Every so often I find some arrogant, self-indulgent politician attack our nation's unions and their hard working rank and file with no appreciation for the immense success than unions have brought to create America's prosperity and work ethics. As you might recall, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had to endure a voter recall on account of his 2011 initiative to permanently eliminate collective bargaining rights for public sector employees. He won. He promised that by eliminating the unions, Wisconsin's economy would thrive! In fact, Wisconsin has fallen from 32nd to 37th in job creation! In light of Governor Chris Christie's recent problems, Walker is now being promoted as a front runner as GOP Presidential candidate. In the past week, however, the greatest affront to unionization was attempted, rather deviously, by U.S. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee. Corker was influential in the early part of 2001 and after to have Volkswagen, a German corporation, build a new plant in Chattanooga. He worked tirelessly to make this happen. Ultimately, Volkswagen created its new manufacturing headquarters in Tennessee and thousands of new American jobs were created. Volkswagen's management in pro-union and there is unionization of its workers in their German facilities. Corker, for some unknown reason, has gone on a rampage threatening that if the workers vote to join the UAW, Volkswagen might not build its new SUV in Tennessee at all. The brashness of Corker's statement is that it is a total fabrication! Volkswagen has actually encouraged UAW affiliation and has issued statements saying that union affiliation will have no adverse effect on their intention to build vehicles and retain these jobs. So, who is Corker looking out for in his vendetta against unions? Certainly not his own constituents or big business! It appears as though Mr.Corker is simply another insidious component of a campaign to destroy what makes us great. Submitted by, Mitchell Birzon, Attorney (Smithtown, N.Y.). Responses encouraged. Visit us at bsb-lawyers.com. We are here to serve you, whether your legal needs be large or small! CSEA REGION ONE ATTENDS LOBBY DAY IN ALBANY!!!