CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
The negotiating team is preparing to return to the table with UCS in May; all other Unions representing court employees also have negotiating dates, however not until June and July. As discussions move forward, we will keep members posted as negotiations progress.
IMPROPER PRACTICE
The Administrative Law Judge assigned to hear the Improper Practice Charges the Court Unions brought against UCS last Fall, consolidated all of the cases and hearings began on April 5th. They will continue on April 12 and 13; additional days will most likely be necessary due to the sheer volume of witnesses from the Unions and OCA respectively. The hearings began with testimony from CSEA’s witness followed by a witness from SCOA. Unlike the court system, PERB case decisions are typically not issued quickly and particularly where issues are complex, as in the Unions’ case before PERB. Again, we will keep you posted as the case progresses.
COURT CONSOLIDATION
As you may be aware, the UCS has gotten both chairs of the Senate and Assembly judicial committees to sponsor their bill to consolidate the UCS. Neither bill insures job security for non-judicial court employees, a big issue for CSEA. In addition to Court Unions objecting to the bills, several group of judges have lobbied in opposition to these bills. As always, we will keep you informed as more information becomes available.
UNVACCINATED EMPLOYEES
53 unvaccinated CSEA members received notice on 3/21/22 that if they did not become vaccinated by 4/4/22, they would receive a final termination notice shortly after 4/4/22. If you did receive a vaccination between 3/21/22 and 4/4/22 be sure to upload that information immediately using the UCS portal on your notification. If you are not planning on being vaccinated, OCA has informed CSEA that you will be receiving a final termination notice and the date of termination will be the close of business the date on the letter provided. Once you receive that final termination notification, please send a copy to your Local President and a class action grievance will be filed on your behalf. For those who are eligible to retire in lieu of being terminated, OCA has indicated that if you provided proof by cob 4/4/22 that you would be retired effective on or before 4/19/22, you would not be terminated—if you did apply by 4/4 please supply copies of your retirement application to insure a smooth transfer from Court employment to retirement. If there is a problem, please contact your Local President.
SICK LEAVE BANK
The CSEA Sick Leave Bank open Enrollment period begins March 17, 2022. If eligible and interested in enrolling, complete the attached enrollment form and scan your submit your application to your local HR department– submission of the original form is not required. Enrollment forms must be received no later than April 13, 2022. If you are already a member of the bank it is not necessary to reapply. The annual contribution charges for 2022 have been waived.
INCREMENTS / LONGEVITY and SLED PAYMENTS
CSEA has been notified that increment payments as well as SLED and Longevity payments will be reflected in the April 27th, 2022 pay advice.
IRVING FLAUMENBAUM SCHOLARSHIP
Every year, our union offers eighteen $1,000 Irving Flaumenbaum Memorial Scholarships to the dependent children of CSEA members who are graduating high school seniors, three in each of our six regions. We also have two additional college scholarship opportunities available through the same application form. You can download this year’s application form at: https://cseany.org/scholarships, where you can also download a poster to print and post around your workplaces. The deadline for submitting scholarship applications is April 15, 2022.
REGION 5 SCHOLARSHIP
Attached is the 2022 Region 5 Scholarship application and flyer to promote across your workplaces. The deadline for applications to be submitted is April 15. These will also be posted on https://cseany.org/r5 this week. You can also view more union scholarships at https://cseany.org/scholarships.
MICHAEL D. CARRAWAY SCHOLARSHIP
It is with great pleasure CSEA Judiciary Local 334 announces the 2022 Lt. Michael D. Carraway Memorial Scholarship Program. Graduating seniors who are a child or legal dependent of a court employee represented by CSEA Judiciary Local 334 and will be attending an accredited institution of higher education are eligible to apply. All applications must be received by April 15th.
*These scholarships are another member-only benefit for belonging to New York’s Leading Union.*