CHEMUNG COUNTY DINNER MEETING – JANUARY 24TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Thursday, January 24th, 2019, at Lib’s Supper Club, 106 W. 5th St., Elmira. The meeting is open to ALL members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to Tammy Witteman, twittema@nycourts.gov, by January 16th. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, meeting to start at 5:45.

SAVE THE DATE – LEWIS COUNTY:

Lewis County Dinner meeting at Steak-N-Brew, Turin, Thursday, February 28th. Details to follow.

LOCAL DELEGATE BARB TRACZ

Best wishes to Local 334 Delegate Barb Tracz from Onondaga County, who will be retiring next week. Thank you, Barb, for your many years of dedication to the Local and to our members. We have enjoyed working together and will miss you and that contagious laughter and smile!

DO YOU KNOW YOUR CSEA ID NUMBER:

Every CSEA Member Number begins with “123.” If you do not know your membership number, you may obtain it through the CSEA web site, www.cseany.org, by clicking on “Look up your CSEA ID” at the top of the home page. Once a month, we randomly insert a member’s ID number somewhere within the text of a Receiver Notice. If you see your member ID number, contact me within 48 hours and you will receive a check for $20. (Our last two winners from the Dec. 13th Receiver Notice were from Delaware and Seneca Counties. Neither claimed their money.)

CSEA MEMBER BENEFITS – KEEP MONEY IN YOUR POCKET!

CSEA Member Benefits has prepared an email full of ways to put/keep money in your pocket – from NYS Safety Program (defensive driving course online), student scholarships and a whole array of other ways to save money and get discounts. (Note: Our Local sends out scholarship information typically late February/early March on other scholarships, also.) I’ll be forwarding that entire email to all Receivers under separate cover today. Look it over and find dozens of different ways to save.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday with your loved ones and all the best in the New Year!

Your CSEA Local 334 Executive Board ~ Don, Ian, Tammy, Rosanne, Sheila and Catrina

AFSCME FREE COLLEGE BENEFIT

The AFSCME Free College benefit provides an opportunity for you and your family to learn an on-line degree at no cost to you. The program recently has expanded to include certificates and/or degrees in Cyber Security, Data Science, Digital and Social Media Marketing, Advertising, Hospitality-Event management and more, as well as the previously existing programs that include, among others, Criminal Justice, Business Management, Early Childhood Education, Paralegal, Accounting, etc. Another CSEA members-only benefit. Go to https://freecollege.AFSCME.org/ or call 1-888-590-9009. Classes start January 14th.

CHANGES TO HEALTH INSURANCE CO-PAYS, ETC.

Be certain to review changes to your NYSHIP (New York State Health Insurance Program) benefits prior to changes that will take place effective January 1st. Enrollees were mailed a pamphlet a few weeks ago setting out the upcoming changes.

NEW CHOICE NEW YORK

As we have been telling members that attended our dinner meetings, there are organizations that exist solely to convince members to quit their union. I’ve been speaking about the “Freedom Foundation” over the last year. Now, there is another organization called New Choice New York that has been passing out literature at homes and in workplaces, encouraging people to quit their union. But you already know the value of having a Union on your side during an interrogation, counseling or disciplinary matter. You know the value of having a contract to rely on to determine your working conditions and policies. You know the value of having good health benefits, dental, vision, co-pay reimbursement and legal benefits. You know that membership must be maintained above 50% or no contract will exist. Our members are educated and know that union-represented employees on average make 27% more in wages and make 28% more in retirement pension benefits. Our members won’t be fooled.

DEFERRED COMPENSATION – BROOME & CORTLAND COS. – DEC. 18TH

On Tuesday, December 18th, Deferred Compensation Rep. Daniel Kain will be in the Broome County Courthouse, 65 Hawley St., from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Attorney Office, and in the Cortland County Courthouse, 46 Greenbush St., 1st Floor Grand Jury Room from 1:00-3:00 p.m. You may schedule a 15-minute appointment to enroll or review your account without charge to your own leave accruals, based on the operating needs of your court. Please discuss your availability with your supervisor prior to trying to schedule an appointment. Appointments are first-come first-served. Bring a paystub if you plan to enroll. See the link below to view the flyer for more information. Click on the links below to make an appointment:

Deferred Comp Flyer, Dec. 18, 2018

Binghamton appointments – http://binghamtoncourt.myRetirementAppt.com

Cortland appointments – http://cortlandcourt.myRetirementAppt.com

DO YOU KNOW YOUR CSEA ID NUMBER?

Every CSEA Membership Number begins with “123.” If you do not know your membership number, you may obtain it through the CSEA web site, www.cseany.org, by clicking on “Look up your CSEA ID” at the top of the home page. Once a month, we randomly insert a member’s ID number somewhere within the text of a Receiver Notice. If you see your member ID number, contact me within 48 hours and you will receive a check for $20. (Our September winner was from Cayuga County.)

NEW CSEA REGION 5 PRESIDENT

With the recent retirement of CSEA Region 5 President Colleen Wheaton, our new Region President is now Ken Greenleaf, a long-time activist who has held positions as a Local President in Oswego County, Local 838, Region Exec. Vice President, as well as various positions on statewide committees. We wish Kenny well in his new leadership position. You can read Kenny’s welcome message at www.cseany.org/r5.

FINAL REMINDER – POLAR PLUNGE – SPECIAL OLYMPICS

It’s time to go out and “freeze for a reason” again at the Polar Plunge this Sunday, December 2nd , plunging into Oneida Lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. The money raised will help send athletes to compete in the games. Please consider donating – any amount helps, large or small. You can click on the link below to go to my fundraising page or to make a donation to one of our other Local Officers or fellow members on the CSEA Region 5 team. Better yet, sign up to join us. Many thanks to those that have already contributed. Thank you!!

http://events.nyso.org/site/TR/Plunge/POLARPLUNGE?px=1001775&pg=personal&fr_id=1613

CSEA-UCS SICK LEAVE BANK INFORMATION

The Sick Leave Bank (SLB) was established through contract negotiations to cover illness, injury or disease that would require the employee to be out of work for an extended period of time while maintaining their pay status and health insurance.

Once an employee becomes eligible (having eight days of accrued sick leave on the books by open enrollment period, usually in April of every year), they would be eligible to draw from the bank for an illness, injury or disease, once they have exhausted all other leave accruals. Approval of said time is required by the SLB Committee. The SLB Committee consists of one management representative and one union representative. A unanimous vote on each grant is required, and there is no appeal process. Once your grant is approved, it can be renewed for additional periods of time as needed, up to a maximum of 229 days or 1603 hours. Each renewal also requires SLB Committee approval.

Though you may be a member of the SLB, it is important to note that not all situations will qualify for a grant, which is why it is so important to save your accruals, especially sick leave. Sick Leave can also be used at retirement to help offset health insurance premiums and add to your service credit. Please also note that minor illness, injury or disease requiring a short period of absence from work are generally covered by your personal accrued leave. Travel is not permitted during the SLB grant time unless it is related to the injury/illness/disease (ex: obtaining a second opinion or seeing a specialist from another area).

The SLB exists to help those who encounter unforeseen illnesses, injuries or disease and, to that end, the Committee has an obligation of making sure grants are given to the members it was created to help while also looking out for the interests of the other bank members.

We strongly encourage all members to join upon eligibility as the SLB acts as an insurance policy, hopefully one that you will never have to use, but if you do, it will be there.

CIVIL SERVICE – “OPT OUT” PROGRAM – ERRONEOUS NOTIFICATION

CSEA was recently informed by UCS that “the Department of Civil Service has generated notices confirming enrollees’ ‘Opt-Out’ for the 2019 Plan year, which are erroneous as the 2019 Option Transfer Period has not yet occurred.

“As we are not yet sure whether Civil Service will be sending anything out to enrollees notifying them of this error, please ensure that your members are aware that they must re-enroll in the ‘Opt-Out’ Program for 2019 even if they received one of these letters.

“Any questions regarding health benefits should be made to your local Health Benefits Administrator.”

CSEA NIGHT – LIGHTS ON THE LAKE – LIVERPOOL

Lights On The Lake is Central New York’s premier drive-through holiday lighting show, with two miles of breathtaking displays proudly setup and maintained by our CSEA Local 834 members working in the Onondaga County Parks Department. It’s always fun for the whole family!

For one night only, on Monday, December 3 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, CSEA members and their families throughout Central New York can get advance sale admission at the special discount rate of $4.00 per car, a member-only savings of $6.00 off the regular rate!

Come see our CSEA logo in lights and join us for a free family holiday party with refreshments and Santa visiting and taking pictures with the kids from 5 – 8 pm at the Salt Museum at Onondaga Lake Park.

Advance sale tickets are available through Onondaga Local 834 by calling (315) 446-0330 and will also be available for purchase that night at the Salt Museum. Show a copy of your CSEA membership card or download your digital membership card on the My CSEA smartphone app as evidence of your CSEA membership. We’ll also be collecting donations for the Food Bank of Central New York, so please help us by bringing your generous donation of non-perishable food to the Salt Museum.

Happy holidays from CSEA and enjoy Lights On The Lake!

BROOME COUNTY DINNER MEETING – DECEMBER 4TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Tuesday, December 4th, 2018, at The Doubletree, 225 Water Street, Binghamton. The meeting is open to all members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to Tammy Witteman, twittema@nycourts.gov, by November 27th. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, meeting to start at 5:45.

REMINDER – POLAR PLUNGE – SPECIAL OLYMPICS

It’s time to go out and “freeze for a reason” again at the Polar Plunge on Sunday, December 2nd , plunging into Oneida Lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. The money raised will help send athletes to compete in the games. Please consider donating – any amount helps, large or small. You can click on the link below to go to my fundraising page or to make a donation to one of our other Local Officers or fellow members on the CSEA Region 5 team. Better yet, sign up to join us. Many thanks to those that have already contributed. Thank you!!

http://events.nyso.org/site/TR/Plunge/POLARPLUNGE?px=1001775&pg=personal&fr_id=1613

UNIFORM & EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE

UCS has notified CSEA that the Uniform and Equipment allowance will be paid out on December 12, 2018.

HOLIDAY RECESS – WORKING UP TO TWO DAYS

A reminder that we have a side letter (similar to a pilot program) to our 2017-2020 contract that contains the language “During the 2017, 2018, and 2019 court recess periods, employees may report to work up to two (2) days and shall not be required to charge leave credits.” This gives you the option to not have to charge the four days of AL based on Article 9.2(l) but rather you may work two days and only have to charge two days of AL.

SAVE THE DATE

Mark your summer calendars for August 17th, 2019, for the Syracuse Mets Party Deck event. More info to follow in the Spring!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Your Local 334 Executive Board – Don, Ian, Tammy, Rosanne, Sheila and Catrina

VOTE

Your VOTE is your VOICE. Every Vote counts. Your Union has negotiated a full day off from work for most members, so that you can do just that. Keep your own best interests in mind and exercise your right to Vote on Tuesday, November 6th!

BROOME COUNTY DINNER MEETING – DECEMBER 4TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Tuesday, December 4th, 2018, at The Doubletree, 225 Water Street, Binghamton. The meeting is open to all members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to Tammy Witteman, twittema@nycourts.gov, by November 27th. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, meeting to start at 5:45.

POLAR PLUNGE – SPECIAL OLYMPICS

It’s time to go out and “freeze for a reason” again at the Polar Plunge on Sunday, December 2nd , plunging into Oneida Lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. The money raised will help send athletes to compete in the games. Please consider donating – any amount helps, large or small. You can click on the link below to go to my fundraising page or to make a donation to one of our other Local Officers or fellow members on the CSEA Region 5 team. Better yet, sign up to join us. Also, a huge shout out to the members that attended the Syracuse Retirement Dinner Presentation – we collected $850 in donations towards our Local 334 team’s contribution. Thank you!!

http://events.nyso.org/site/TR/Plunge/POLARPLUNGE?px=1001775&pg=personal&fr_id=1613

DON – OUT OF OFFICE

I will be out of the office without access to phone/email from Thursday, November 8th through and including Friday, November 16th. Emails/calls sent to me will not receive a response during that time period. Please contact a Local Officer or Grievance Rep as listed on our website if you need anything during that time frame.

LOCAL OFFICERS

With Brenda Leone’s retirement last month, our Local Officers are now as follows: Executive Vice President, Ian Spencer; 1st Vice President, Tammy Witteman; 2nd Vice President, Rosanne Wicks; Treasurer, Sheila Sears; and Secretary, Catrina Leone. Rosanne was approved to fill the 2nd VP position by unanimous consent of the Executive Committee of the Local. Welcome to our team, Rosanne.

QUESTIONNAIRES – ASSOCIATE & PRINCIPAL COURT CLERKS

UCS has informed us that job analysis questionnaires regarding job responsibilities have been sent out to those in the Associate and Principal Court Clerk positions. We do encourage our represented members to complete the surveys and return them prior to the deadline.

NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES

When new employees are hired, it is sometimes months before a new employee orientation is scheduled and we, the Union, finally get to meet the new employees. We are notified of new hires and send them a welcome letter, encouraging them to sign up with CSEA for all of the obvious reasons. As a new employee, there are many things to address and learn about, and sometimes filling out the CSEA application doesn’t happen. So we need your help – when you see a new employee within your office, please remind them that they should go to www.cseany.org, click on “Join CSEA” and fill out a membership application – otherwise, they cannot be represented in any matters, Counseling, Disciplinary, etc., cannot vote on their contract, elect their representatives, participate in union dinners or social events, etc. In the last month, we have new employees in Ithaca City Court, Elmira City Court, CAP Parts in Syracuse and Oneida County, Oneida Family Court, Utica City Court, Oswego Family Court, Herkimer Family Court, Syracuse City Court, Broome Supreme and County, and Onondaga Family Court. If you work in one of these locations, please introduce yourself to the new employee and encourage them to take 60 seconds to fill out a membership application online, if they haven’t already done so, and let them know how important it is that they become a member.

CENTRALIZED ARRAIGNMENT PARTS – IMPROPER PRACTICE CHARGE

(Kathy Guild, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Administration)

CSEA and UCS Labor Relations attended a hearing at the Public Employment Relations Board on October 22, 2018, regarding an Improper Practice Charge filed by CSEA. The charge was filed when a Centralized Arraignment Part (CAP) in Onondaga County, which conducts arraignments seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., included Syracuse City Court arraignments along with the Town and Village arraignments. UCS hired private security to cover the CAP, even though they hired two part-time CSEA-represented Court Assistants to work in the CAP. CSEA’s position is that CSEA-represented employees have exclusively handled Syracuse City Court arraignments in the past and it is our bargaining unit work.

A second hearing day will be scheduled sometime in the future, as UCS did not come prepared to present any testimony at the hearing. We will continue to keep you updated regarding this issue.hearing. We will continue to keep you updated regarding this issue.

OTSEGO COUNTY DINNER MEETING – OCTOBER 16TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018, at The Otesaga, 60 Lake Street in Cooperstown. The meeting is open to all members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to don@csealocal334.com by 4:00 today, October 9th. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, dinner meeting to start at 5:45.

REMINDER – DINNER & NYS RETIREMENT SYSTEM PRESENTATION

For those that RSVP’d, our Local dinner/Retirement Presentation will be held on this Thursday, October 11, 2018, at the Embassy Suites Syracuse at Destiny, 6:15 p.m.

CSEA DISCOUNT – THE YMCA

CSEA will save you the “joiner’s fee” at any of the participating YMCAs list on the attached flyer, a savings of up to $100. Click the link below for complete details.

YMCA – Click Here

BRENDA’S RETIREMENT HAPPY HOUR

Our former Executive Vice President, Brenda Leone, retired at the end of September. We will be holding a Happy Hour celebration in her honor on Thursday, October 18th at Aquavino Restaurant in Utica. Please join us in celebrating Brenda’s retirement after 41 years with the courts! Click the link below for details. RSVP by Monday, 10/15 at noon.

Brenda’s Retirement Flyer – Click Here

OTSEGO COUNTY DINNER MEETING – OCTOBER 16TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018, at The Otesaga, 60 Lake Street in Cooperstown. The meeting is open to all members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to don@csealocal334.com by October 9th. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, dinner meeting to start at 5:45.

BRENDA’S RETIREMENT HAPPY HOUR

Our former Executive Vice President retired last Friday. We will be holding a Happy Hour celebration in her honor on Thursday, October 18th at Aquavino Restaurant in Utica. Please join us in celebrating Brenda’s retirement after 41 years with the courts! Click the link below for details.

Brenda’s Retirement Happy Hour – Click Here

UNION PLUS/AFSCME FREE COLLEGE PROGRAM

The Union Plus/AFSCME Free College program begins its next round of classes on October 15th. You and your family are eligible for a free college degree – choose online programs from seven associate degrees and two certificate programs. Call 888-590-9009 or go to www.freecollege.afscme.org for further information.

BJ’S DISCOUNTED MEMBERSHIP

Enrollment in the discounted BJ’s Membership program is available October 1 through October 14. Please visit www.cseany.org, sign in and click on the “For Members” tab to locate enrollment instructions.

CONNOR’S WAY

Many thanks to everyone that reached out to me/my family the last two months, following the tragic loss of my nephew, Connor Lynskey. It meant a great deal to receive support and words of comfort from so many members. Our family is honoring Connor’s memory with a 1st Annual Memorial run/walk on October 13th, 2018, in Hinckley, where Connor lived and loved to go running with his brother. The proceeds will be utilized for a memorial and scholarship program in his memory. Go to www.facebook.com/connorswaymemorial or www.connorsway.com for further information. Again, heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you that reached out…

Connor’s Way – Click Here

SENECA/CAYUGA COUNTY DINNER MEETING – SEPTEMBER 26TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Wednesday, September 26th, 2018, at Deerhead Inn, 2554 Lower Lake Rd., Seneca Falls. The meeting is open to all members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to brenda@csealocal334.com by end of business today. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, dinner meeting to start at 5:45.

OTSEGO COUNTY DINNER MEETING – OCTOBER 16TH

We will be holding an informational dinner meeting on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018, at The Otesaga, 60 Lake Street in Cooperstown. The meeting is open to all members of the Local (from any county). Please RSVP to don@csealocal334.com by October 9th. Vendors have been invited to attend and will be available from 4:30-5:45, dinner meeting to start at 5:45.

BEING THANKFUL

One of our members sent me the following message last week, so I thought I would share it with everyone. Just another reason to be thankful for what our Union provides:

My husband and I both had eye appointments this week, and we both got a new pair of eyeglasses FOR FREE. It got me thinking .. how much would one pair of eyeglasses cost if we did not have vision coverage through our union? I don’t think my union dues don’t even equal one pair of eyeglasses.

In addition, in the number of years I have worked here, I have not paid one penny for any of my dental work (cleanings, fillings, crowns, partial denture).

Just thought you might want to pass this along

DO YOU KNOW YOUR CSEA ID NUMBER?

Every CSEA Membership Number begins with “123.” If you do not know your membership number, you may obtain it through the CSEA web site, www.cseany.org, by clicking on “Look up your CSEA ID” at the top of the home page. Once a month, we randomly insert a member’s ID number somewhere within the text of a Receiver Notice. If you see your member ID number, contact me within 48 hours and you will receive a check for $20. (Our July winner was from Oneida County. Our August winner was from Onondaga County but did not respond.)

SAVE THE DATES

• Happy Hour celebrating Brenda Leone’s Retirement, Utica – Thursday, October 18th, 2018. More info to follow.
• Broome County Dinner Meeting – Tuesday, December 4, 2018
• Utica Comets Hockey Night – March 1, 2019