(Kathy Guild, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Administration, October 24, 2018)

CSEA and UCS Labor Relations attended a hearing at the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) 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.

MEMBER vs. NON-MEMBER

(Don Lynskey, CSEA Judiciary Local 334 President, July 31, 2018)

A number of people have contacted me to discuss and comment on “membership” versus “non-membership” in our Union. The reasons for maintaining your membership are voluminous, but here are a few important factors to consider:

As one of the largest unions in New York State, CSEA IS strong and we need to keep it that way. Remember, if our membership drops even one person below 50%, the employer can decertify the Union – which means no representation, no “table” to sit down to discuss matters or negotiate a contract. As a matter of fact, no CONTRACT at all in that situation, which means all terms and conditions of employment are subject to the whims of the employer, including hours of employment, salaries and percent increases, health insurance rates, accruals, use of annual/sick leave, etcetera. This, alone, should be reason enough to Stay Union and Stay Strong.

As a member of your Union, you are able to elect your representatives, vote on your contract, attend Union meetings and events. If you have reason to be formally counseled, encounter disciplinary charges or an investigation by the Inspector General’s office, you will be able to count on Union representation throughout these type of proceedings. Remember, no one ever plans on running into these issues, but if/when you do, we have your back and also have access to our Labor Relations Specialists and our Legal Department, if needed. Non-members have no access to Union representation in these type of matters unless it involves a “contract” issue and they will need to hire and pay for their own counsel – who typically do not have the familiarity with dealing with the employer and its agencies and policies. Non-members are not able to attend our meetings/events or access the information we provide. And we do have a list of members and non-members that we check before providing our services or information.

Our members also have access to Pearl Insurances, our CSEA Health Benefits Department, Membership Benefits and Contract Administration Departments – all staffed by experts to help you get clear and concise answers to any issue you may have.

The list goes on and on as to the benefits of membership versus not being a member. If you want more information, let me know. Or you can call CSEA Headquarters and speak with a representative there, 1-800-342-4146. It’s OUR Union – let’s keep it Strong!

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

The portal to apply for the negotiated UCS Welfare Fund Benefit was closed as of March 15, 2018 at 5 p.m.

The information is being processed for payment and checks will be sent out within four to six weeks. The amount that will be distributed to each applicant is $271.38.

(Kathy Guild, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Administration, March 19, 2018)

CSEA recently received new Cancer Screening Policy language from OCA (see below). In addition to the information provided, please note that the Cancer Screening Leave must be pre-approved and employees must provide documentation to substantiate their absence for cancer screening upon return to work.

“Currently, Civil Service Law provides for 4 hours of paid leave, without charge to leave credits, for New York State employees to undergo breast and/or prostate cancer screenings. Effective March 18, 2018, the specific references in the law to ‘breast’ and ‘prostate’ are replaced with ‘cancer’ screening, generally.

“This change in law broadens the scope of the existing Court System leave benefit by covering all cancer screenings. The Court System will continue to provide employees with up to 4 hours of paid leave to undergo screening for breast and/or prostate cancer. This means that employees will be entitled to up to 12 hours of paid leave annually to undergo cancer screenings – 4 hours for breast cancer, 4 hours for prostate cancer and 4 hours for any other type(s) of cancer. Part-time employees are also entitled to 4 hours of paid leave for each type of screening. Travel time is included in the 4 hours. Any absence beyond the 4-hour maximum must be charged to the employee’s leave credits.

“Leave for cancer screenings is provided on an annual basis and does not carry over from one calendar year to the next. However, the 4 hours may be used all at once or in increments over the course of the year. For example, if an employee uses 2 hours of paid leave to undergo breast cancer screening and the employee’s doctor requires the employee to undergo further screening/testing in the same year, the employee is entitled to 2 more hours of paid leave for this purpose. Employees who undergo cancer screenings outside their regular work hours do so on their own time and are not entitled to receive compensatory time.”

(Kathy Guild, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Admin., March 15, 2018)

The 2018 negotiated 2% pay increases will be paid out beginning in the May 2nd, 2018 paycheck. Those eligible for Longevity Payments will also see that payment reflected in the May 2nd paycheck.

(Lisa McNeil, CSEA Contract Administration Specialist, January 29, 2018)

CSEA received notification of training opportunities being offered this Spring for Court Clerks and Clericals. Information regarding trainings and sign up can be found on the UCS intranet site under HR/Training and Professional Development. (Note: Some of the trainings are by invitation only).

WELFARE FUND

All CSEA Judiciary members will be mailed out a letter today or tomorrow from Headquarters regarding enrolling in the Welfare Fund. The enrollment period will run from 1/15/18 through 3/15/18. Follow the instructions in the letter carefully and be certain to get a confirmation.

(Kathy Guild, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Administration, November 28, 2017)

UCS Court Reporters:

Please see the information provided below from the Office of the Production of the Record, from Michael DeVito, CSR, Manager. This information was previously sent to supervisors/management. Note that you must:

• get permission from your supervisor prior to registering for the December 20th Court Reporter training sessions
• bring with you your NCRA Membership ID if you are requesting CEU credits for the 2:30-3:30 class. (The 3:30-4:15 workshop is not eligible for CEUs.)
• the “Professional Development” link provided below will only work when utilizing a UCS computer, so if this message is being viewed on a private email, please forward to your court system email in order to view that information. The registration link will work from within any email by utilizing “control and click” to access the registration form.

With this email, I am providing updated information for the court reporter webinar to be held on December 20, 2017. I am happy to report that we were able to procure CE credit from NCRA for those in need. Before planning to attend, BE CERTAIN TO ADVISE STAFF THAT THEY MUST GET PERMISSION AND THEN REGISTER UTILIZING THE LINK TO THE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION FORM. Should you have any questions in this regard please don’t hesitate to contact me at your earliest opportunity so that this process goes as smoothly as possible.

Below are the SharePoint links to the HR Training and Professional Development Office Fall 2017 training opportunities.

Employees who are interested in attending one or more of the training sessions must first obtain permission from their supervisor before registering.

Once permission is granted, registration may be submitted by completing the electronic registration form. The form must include the employee’s and supervisor’s email and the session name and date.

Links to the Fall 2017 Training Opportunities:

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Michael J. DeVito, C.S.R.
Manager, Office of Production of the Record
Hall of Justice
99 Exchange Blvd. – Rm. 161-B
Rochester, NY 14614
mdevito@nycourts.gov
(585) 371-3273