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CSEA Holds Memorial for Stacie Williams
EAST MEADOW- Stacie Williams, Patient Care Assistant in the Labor and Delivery Unit of Nassau University Medical Center, was tragically shot and killed outside of NUMC on the morning of Wednesday, June 16, while outside on her break, in what was an incident stemming from a domestic dispute. Williams was 45 years old. She left behind three sons, Barry King, 27, Frederick King, 28, and Derrick Williams, 29. Frederick was struck by a car soon after hearing about the shooting, and was taken to NUMC, but his brother Barry said that he is doing a lot better now.
Stacie's son, Barry King
Williams graduated from Westbury High School, class of 1983 and studied at Nassau Community College. She worked at NUMC for 23 years, and by all accounts loved her job. “She loved her job, and she worked hard,” Barry King said at a Memorial Ceremony put on by the CSEA on June 25. Her co-workers said the same. Over one hundred co-workers, and union officials joined for the service, where Rev. Reed of the Chaplain’s office at NUMC spoke, along with King, CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, and CSEA NUMC Unit officials Ken Nicholson, Lynne Kramer, and Debra Buonagura.
Everyone in attendance donated a rose to the memory of Stacie.
Co-workers pay their respects to Stacie
Kramer, who knew Williams for over 20 years, said, “She was a class act, always dressed well, and was so proud of her kids.” Kramer said she will never forget how happy Stacie was for her when she delivered her last child. Laricchiuta said at the ceremony, “I meet thousands of people in our union, and when I heard of the tragedy with Stacie, I knew who she was right away. I remember times after meetings when she came up and spoke to me, and just left such a lasting impression. Always such a bubbly personality.”
According to King, her two favorite things in life were working and travelling. He went on to say, “If you are going to say one thing about her, it’s that her motto was ‘Living life like it’s golden.” And there’s no doubt that she did.
Jerry Laricchiuta addresses the crowd
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Laricchiuta Speaks Before Business and Government Leaders
From left, Carolyn Doyle of Lloyd Staffing, Jerry Laricchiuta, and
Scott Klaire of MCL Dental Lab
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta represented CSEA and organized labor at a KIOLI Business Summit Panel at the New Hyde Park Inn on June 11. The event was hosted by the Long Island Press and touted the concept of “Keep it on Long Island.” Instead of spending your money at a national restaurant or supermarket chain, maybe try to go to a local mom and pop store, so your money will be reinvested in the Long Island economy.
Laricchiuta participated in a panel discussion on Hiring, Training and Retraining employees, with Carolyn Doyle of Lloyd Staffing and Scott Klaire of MCL Dental Lab. Laricchiuta discussed the necessity of training and retraining employees that are represented by CSEA, such as law enforcement and medical staff, who constantly need more training and certifications. Laricchiuta went on to say, “The same goes for almost every title we represent, from our Parks and Public Works employees to our clerical staff. New technology comes out whether it be computer software or a piece of hardware that an employee needs to learn how to use. It is a constant learning process.”
Laricchiuta touted the CSEA workforce and all the different jobs they can do. He said, “It’s important to come to a setting like this with some private sector and business representatives and inform them of just how much our civil servants contribute to Nassau County.”
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Vets Committee Honors Members' Families with Flags on Memorial Day
Local 830 Veterans Committee members Debra Buonagura, and Debra O'Connell join the CSEA LI Region One Committee led by Maryann Phelps
On May 29, the CSEA Long Island Region One Veterans Committee with great help from the Local 830 committee, participated in a wreath laying ceremony and placed flags on 120 graves at Calverton Cemetery. Following that, wreaths were layed on 47 more graves for a grand total of 167.
Bob Campo, Joanne Green, Heather Green, Linda DiMonda, her grandchildren, along with Local 830 Veterans Committee Co-Chairs Debbie O’Connell and Debbie Buonagura participated.
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CSEA & County Exec Honors Great Community Servant
From left, Jerry Laricchiuta, Ed Mangano, Mark Logan and wife
and Sandy Gold
Adult Protective Services (APS) is one of the busiest units within the Nassau County Department of Social Services. “Many times, people are left alone, in awful situations, too ill to care for themselves, physically or mentally,” Caseworker II Sondra Gold said. That was the case in a specific situation of an 85 year old Baldwin woman who was living in quite deplorable conditions, until a neighbor came along to help.
Mark Logan has lived down the block from this woman for 37 years, and has witnessed the good and bad of her life from afar. “Up until five years ago, she was mowing the lawn, and cutting the hedges herself,” Logan said. But in recent years, deaths of family members very close to her had a grave impact on her life, and left her with very little strength or desire to care for herself.
Once Logan noticed this, he contacted APS. APS offered to have Meals on Wheels delivered, to have her house cleaned, but the client refused. Finally, Logan was able to convince her to let him clean out the house. “The bathroom was a mess. Flies were everywhere, soup and sardines were all over the floor,” Logan said. But, he spent dozens of hours at her residence cleaning everything up. He even convinced her to see a physician, which she had not done for years.
“If it wasn’t for Mark Logan, I believe this woman would have died,” Gold said.
County Executive Ed Mangano and CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta honored Logan on June 11 with citations. Logan is a MTA Bus Operator for New York City.
Currently, the woman is in the hospital, but she is being cared for, which likely would not have happened if it wasn’t more Mark Logan and Nassau County Adult Protective Services who continue to monitor the health of this woman.
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Golf Outing Awards Four $1,000 Scholarships
From left, Region One Pres. Nick LaMorte, Local 830 Pres.
Jerry Laricchiuta, Freeport Village Mayor Andrew Hardwick,
Local 830 VP Scott Mulholland and Sheriffs Support Unit Pres.
Ken Hamel
EAST MEADOW- CSEA Local 830 honored four members’ children at their 4th Annual Golf Scholarship Classic on June 21. Over 130 golfers took the course that day at the Eisenhower Park Red Course. The day started off with breakfast, then a 12pm tee time, followed by lunch on the course, and a dinner at Savannah’s.
The proceeds from the event were used to give the scholarships to four members’ children. The honorees were Helen Lent, Marisa Schneberg, Alberto Santiago and Brandon Mulholland.
From left, Scholarship winners, Alberto Santiago, Helen Lent,
Marisa Schneberg and Brandon Mulholland with Laricchiuta, center
Lent graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 2008 and has finished two years studying accounting at St. John’s University. She has nearly a 3.6 GPA. She has given back to the community in many instances including volunteering at the South Shore nursing home in Freeport and the Mary Brennan Inn Soup Kitchen.
Mulholland graduated from MacArthur High School in 2009 and just finished his first year at SUNY Cortland. He has a 3.4 GPA and is on the Lacrosse Team. He’s been involved in various community activities as a camp counselor for youth wrestling and lacrosse, and for “Shooting Stars”, which helped teach basketball to individuals with Down Sydrome.
Schneberg just graduated from Plainview JFK High School and will attend SUNY Buffalo in the fall. She had over a 97 average and is very active in extra-curricular activities such as National Honor Society and Yearbook Club.
Santiago just graduated from East Meadow High School. He finished with a GPA of just under 94 helping him get into SUNY Farmingdale where he will start in the fall. He is most proud of his work in building a deck for the Blue Angels in order for them to perform at the Jones Beach Air Show.
In addition, for the fourth straight year, CSEA will use proceeds to send underprivileged children from Nassau University Medical Center to the Paul Newman Hole in the Wall Camp in Lake Luzerne, New York. The children will leave the first week of August.
A special thanks to the golf committee, chaired by Kelvin Lewis and Stephen Cohen for making the event such a great success. CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said of the event, “In 2009, we canceled our golf outing due to the poor economy, which in retrospect was the right decision. I was glad we were able to put on such a great event yet again today, and have the proceeds go to such great causes.”
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AMT's Go Above and Beyond to Save a Dolphin
Nassau County Ambulance Medical Technicians are skilled in providing pre-hospital medical care services. Usually, those services are provided to humans. But on a June 3 day at Gilgo Beach, two AMT’s had to expand their responsibilities.
Ron Kahl and Paul Brodowsky were at the boardwalk of Jones Beach at their normal patrol point when they received a call that there was a young dolphin that washed up on shore and was holding on for dear life. They rushed over to Gilgo Beach where the dolphin was, and a media frenzy ensued. As Kahl and Brodowsky tried to keep the blowhole open and keep the dolphin breathing, helicopters from CNN with live coverage, and reporters from various newspapers came to the area to witness.
After two and a half hours of keeping the dolphin alive along the shoreline with 58 degree water rushing in, the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research based out of Atlantis Marine World Aquarium arrived to transport the dolphin back to safety.
Once the dolphin arrived at the aquarium it was swimming around and appeared quite healthy. However, about 24 hours lately the dolphin suffered a parasite infection to the brain and died.
Despite that, Kahl and Brodowsky were honored by County Executive Ed Mangano for going above and beyond. Coming in July, they will also be honored as the first ever “Top CSEA Member” by the Nassau County Legislature.
When Kahl was asked how they knew how to keep a dolphin alive, as opposed to a human, he said, “Well when you have to keep something or someone alive, no matter who or what it is, we have to get the job done. Saving lives is not a hobby, but our profession.”
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Over 500 Attend Local 830 Info Fair
Jerry Laricchiuta addresses the crowd prior to the raffle drawing
MINEOLA- Over 500 CSEA Local 830 members and 2 dozen union vendors and local business and organizations attended the Annual CSEA Local 830 Information Fair on May 20. Heroes, pizzas, and other refreshments were available for all members, and they were offered numerous discounts from all the participating organizations.
Debbie O'Connell gives Veterans Committee information
CSEA also distributed raffles including an IPod Dock, Bluetooth, Mets, Yankees and Long Island Ducks tickets, among other things. Local 830 has held an information fair at its office each year since President Jerry Laricchiuta came in office in 2005, and this was the most well attended.
John Aloisio gives out hero sandwiches to members
Laricchiuta said, "Thank you to all participating organizations and members for attending. Mildred Carrella was the organizer of the event and did a fabulous job. Our members seemed to really have a great time, and walked away with some valuable information, a full lunch, and even some great raffle prizes."
Bill James of Pearl Carroll and Associates discusses
insurance with a member
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Labor Conference Features Local 830 Pres.
Laricchiuta with Nassau Deputy Labor Relations Director Jason Limson
OLD WESTBURY- On Friday, May 7, the Long Island LERA (Labor and Employment Relations Association) held its Annual Spring Conference at the New York Institute of Technology’s DeSeversky Center. The conference featured a 90 minute panel discussion with CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, Nassau’s Deputy Director of Labor Relations Jason Limson and Moderator Martin Scheinman. The room was filled with hundreds of labor leaders from across Long Island, who engaged in an interesting question and answer session with the panel.
The topic was negotiating a collective bargaining agreement in the public sector during a time period of austerity. Laricchiuta discussed the evolution of public sector contracts over the years. “During a period of austerity, management wants the union to give back, but it’s important to note that you can’t just throw out decades upon decades of collective bargaining,” Laricchiuta said. He also noted that although times are tough, that it’s important for management to realize the concessions from unions over the years, and the current financial constraints on employees who are having a hard time making ends meet as well.
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NUMC Awards Employees at Annual Dinner
Over five hundred staff members of NuHealth attended the 2010 Annual Staff Service Award Dinner at Leonard's of Great Neck, in recognition of their dedication and commitment to the patients of the Nassau University Medical Center, the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility and the various family health centers. Employees were awarded for their many years of service to these facilities.
In addition, Dr. Lyn Weiss, chair of the physical medicine and rehabilitation department, received the Earl Stroughton Award for exemplifying the mission of serving and caring for the residents of Nassau County. Stroughton was the CSEA NUMC Unit President before passing away in 2007.
Group shot of all the awardees
CSEA Unit President Ken Nicholson with Dr Lynn Weiss Chair of the department of Physical Rehabilitation and Medicine and recipient of this years Earl Stroughton Award
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Skin Integrity Team at NUMC is Great Success
The skin integrity team at the Nassau University Medical Center meets on a monthly basis to share new trends and updates in wound care. Skin integrity nurses report data pertinent to specific unit’s performance on pressure ulcers. The team has made a commitment in 2010 to reduce the Pressure Ulcer Incidence Rate to Near Zero.
From left: Therese Laguerre Judith McIntosh, Kathy Skarka, Joann Kurtz, Janice Pateres, Donna Hangan, Faith Grinage, Louis Riina, MD, Lilibeth Acero, Tracy Lyons, Amy Pakes,
Seated from left: Nina Gavan, Carol Scotti, Glenda Thomas, Laura Haufler, and Terri Green
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34 Members Honored at Police Awards Ceremony
34 CSEA Local 830 members were honored by the Nassau County Police Department at their 137th Departmental Awards Ceremony at SUNY College at Old Westbury on April 21. 29 Ambulance Medical Technicians were honored for life saving, as well as 1 Public Security Officer. 2 Communications operators were honored for Excellent Police Duty, and 1 for Meritorious Police Service. AMT Robert Spear received a special medal of commendation and was given a standing ovation.
AMT’s- Lifesaving
Ronald Bagan
Carl Blazevich
Benjamin Butt
Paul Brodowsky
Patrick Coyne
Edward Donoghue
Steven Doucette
Brian Ferrucci, Jr.
Carlos Flecha
Christian Gadowski
Lee Goldman
Richard Gresser Jr.
Jose Hernandez
Kris Kalender
Anthony LoCicero
Lawrence Loiselle
Thomas Mastakouris
Diane McCauley
Robert McEvoy
Michael Papa
Albert Parillo
Daniel Pignataro
Christopher Reardon
David Reed
Joseph Rice
Robert Roper
Thomas Sanginario
Robert Spear
Robert Sutton
Ambulance Medical Technician- Medal of Commendation
Robert Spear
Security Officer- Lifesaving
Timothy Beuth
Police Communications Operator- Excellent Police Duty
Diane Abriola
Catherine Reardon
Police Communications Operator- Meritorious Public Service
Lynn SIngleton
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NUMC Apologizes to Nurses on Disciplines
EAST MEADOW- After an incident on March 31, 8 Nassau University Medical Center nurses were disciplined for various reasons with one of the 8 nurses being disciplined vacation 10 days, 2 of them 3 vacation days each, and the other 5 were issued reprimands. CSEA Local 830 thoroughly investigated this situation for days and weeks, meeting with the nurses present that day, and researching hospital policies. It was determined that the nurses were unjustly disciplined in this case.
Nurses were disciplined for failing to provide patient care, refusing to accept transfer of patient to another unit and permitting the union to conduct union business in an area of patient care. CSEA grieved all of these disciplines, as well as a grievance against a hostile work environment.
After CSEA had filed all grievances and was in the process of creating a rally at the Nassau Legislature, NuHealth CEO Art Gianelli announced on April 28 that it would rescind the disciplines and reprimands on all 8 nurses. Gianelli said that the nurses did not do anything wrong.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta as well as the CSEA NUMC Unit led by President Ken Nicholson were very instrumental in rescinding these disciplines and making all 8 nurses whole in every way. Laricchiuta said, “We are very pleased that Mr. Gianelli has done the right thing to reverse these disciplines. However, it does not take away the fact that these nurses have gone through great duress over the past 4 weeks. We hope in the future that all policies are discussed with the union and the nurses prior to implementation, and that a stronger sense of respect is displayed to our employees.”
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CSEA Honors Nurses on Nurses Appreciation Day
Jerry Laricchiuta and Ken Nicholson speak to nurses
on May 12
EAST MEADOW- Nurses Appreciation Week took place from May 6 to May 12 at Nassau University Medical Center. CSEA honored nurses by having a special Nurses Appreciation Day on May 11 where refreshments were served to nurses on all day and evening shifts. CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was present as well as all members of the CSEA NUMC Unit staff to speak to nurses about various topics.
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CSEA Works to Stop Bed Bugs at 60 Charles Lindbergh
Jerry Laricchiuta at a membership meeting
in April
There have been several sightings of bed bugs at 60 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard in Uniondale, home to over 1,000 Nassau County employees from Social Services, and Alcohol, and various other Health and Human Services departments.
The sightings date back to October 2009, in the lobby area, where bed bug sniffing dogs surveyed the area and identified possible bed bug locations which were then properly treated. No sightings have occurred in this area since, but dating back to February 25, there have been several sightings in the northeast quadrant of the building. Overall, six to seven sightings have ensued over 2 ½ months, and have been limited to this quadrant.
As soon as CSEA was notified of that sighting, the appropriate steps were taken to address it, including notifying PESH (Public Employee Safety and Health Division). PESH visited in April and assessed that there was no infestation. A committee was formed between the CSEA and management and meetings were held in mid-April to discuss the best way to stop these singular sightings of bed bugs.
Three Pack Tite Portable Bed Bug Heaters were purchased that have been placed near the three employee entrances to the building. These units will allow any employee to place their personal belongings in it, which will then be heated to a specific temperature, ensuring extermination of any bed bugs. In addition, glue sticks have been placed throughout the entire building.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta and other union officials had 90 minute membership meetings with Social Services members on April 19 and Senior Citizens and Drug and Alcohol on April 27. Laricchiuta informed the membership of the precautions that have been taken, and distributed pamphlets educating the members about bed bugs.
“This is certainly an unacceptable work environment,” Laricchiuta said of the bed bugs. “We understand that bed bugs are a regional problem and not just limited to 60 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, but we must address this problem to the fullest extent. The last thing we want is employees taking these bugs home. We will monitor if these heating devices and glue sticks are indeed doing the job of eradicating the bed bugs.”
If there are any further bed bug sightings, please contact the Local 830 office immediately at 571-2919, so the union can follow up with PESH and take the appropriate steps to address this issue.
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Laricchiuta Honored as 26th Most Influential LIer
Jerry Laricchiuta with fellow Power Lister
Bill O'Reilly of the 'O'Reilly Factor'
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was honored by the Long Island Press this week as one of the most influential Long Islanders over the past year. This is the fifth consecutive year that Laricchiuta has received this honor. He was ranked #26 on the Top 50 list. Next year he will be inducted into the Power List Hall of Fame, joining nearly 2 dozen other government officials, labor leaders, community activists and CEO's who have been honored five times by the Press.
Laricchiuta was honored at a May 25 dinner.
Laricchiuta with County Executive Ed Mangano
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Nassau County Crossing Guards Dinner is Well Attended
WESTBURY- The Nassau County Crossing Guards held their Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday night, April 22, 2010 at Verdi's on Old Country Road. The event was very well attended, and dozens of guards were awarded for their years of service to Nassau County. Here are some scenes from the event, including an appearance by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano:
8th Precinct Guards
More 8th precinct guards
1st Precinct Guards
Local 830 VP Scott Mulholland with County Executive
Mangano and Crossing Guards Unit Pres. Sue Tirino
Colleen Kiesow and Tara Campione of the 3rd precinct
with County Executive Mangano
Mangano with Lucy Balsamo who received an award
for 25 years of service
The awards
Dancing the night away
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Lactation Center Opens for County Employees
The Nassau County Department of Health has opened a lactation center, a private room for milk expression, as part of its effort to assist new mothers who are returning to work and wish to continue to breastfeed.
The County worked with the Long Island affiliate of the U.S. Lactation Consultant Association (LILCA) to create this secure, safe and clean environment located at 106 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, Uniondale, NY. Funding was provided by The New York Statewide Breastfeeding Coalition.
The County recognizes that mothers are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. workforce (according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor) and that supporting breastfeeding is a “WIN-WIN” for the County and its employees.
Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding lowers the risk of infections and illnesses in infants and children, resulting in lower employee absenteeism rates. Mothers benefit from a faster recovery from pregnancy and childbirth and the satisfaction of knowing she is giving her baby the best start in life possible.
Milk can be expressed during breaks and lunch period. Typically, an employee would require two 15-20 minute breaks (plus time to go to the site) during an 8-hour workday. This expressed milk is then refrigerated and taken home to be bottle fed to the baby at a later time.
Mothers continue to nurse their baby before and after work and on weekends and days off.
One of the first new mothers to use the center said “I’m so glad to be working for an organization that values working mothers and provides
us with such a wonderful facility.”
For more information on the center, please contact Tricia Femminella at (516)227-9460.
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DSS Members Puts Homeless in Good Hands
Patricia Rose
UNIONDALE- After one of the coldest winters in recent memory, we have all gotten a reprieve with record breaking temperatures in April. But, if you think it is a relief for the CSEA membership, and most Nassau residents, then it is even more so for those who don’t have a place to go to at night.
20 year Caseworker from Nassau Social Services, Patricia Rose, knows that firsthand. For the past 9 years, Patricia has been going out three to four times per week with the aid of local police, to parks, parkways, under bridges and boardwalks, looking for homeless people to help. This is part of the Homeless Intervention team, formed in 2002. Part of that team includes her supervisor Dough Pavlak, Welfare Examiner Pat Redmond, and Michael Kilbride of Veterans Affairs.
Patricia’s goal is to inform these people that they are not alone and that there are services available to them at Social Services. She wants to make them aware of housing programs, and welfare programs among other things that they can take advantage of.
“Most of the time they are very grateful,” she says. “The stereotype of the homeless, sometimes wanting to be homeless, I don’t find to be true. They are usually seeking help, and most of the time they go and get it.”
With the economic downturn, Patricia says she has been finding more homeless, and for different reasons. “We find a lot more people now who have a hard time maintaining income, but because of the economy, have no car at all, or have to live in their car,” she says. A lot of homeless stem from drug and alcohol problems, but sometimes those drug and alcohol problems are now as a result of losing a job and a home.
She starts around 8am each day, and a lot of times get referrals from local churches, libraries and supermarkets on where the homeless might be. Things were especially busy this winter. Specifically in February, when she found 80 homeless, approximately 35 of them that she has seen before. She worked with the Office of Volunteer Services, and was able to provide coats for many homeless. Also, in December, with the help of her daughter, they prepared 500 toiletry bags to homeless that came to Social Services.
Karen Garber, in the office of communications at Social Services, calls Rose “a remarkable lady” who puts herself in difficult situations, sometimes in the freezing bitter cold at the crack of dawn. “I don’t know many people who can do her job,” she says. Garber even referred to a couple of times when she found people passed away from the frigid cold. She says after encountering something like that, most people wouldn’t be able to bounce back from it.
Patricia does admit that she has fallen in creeks, gotten tick bites, poison ivy, and hit her head under boardwalks, among other things. But her reason for continuing to do it, she says “I just find it so rewarding to be able to help people.”
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"Good First Step" at Cedar Creek, Local 830 Pres. Says
Aerial Shot of Cedar Creek
MINEOLA- On March 22, the majority members of the Public Works and Parks Committee and the Planning Development and the Environment Committee, completed a twenty-one page report to the County Executive about Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Wantagh. This report comes in response to the February 25 Special Hearing about the facility, as reported in last month’s Express.
The primary findings of these committees were that there was failure to address known issues, failure to perform preventative maintenance, lack of training and certifications in areas such as confined space, inadequate supervision and most importantly to CSEA, a lack of personnel. The committees recommend to restructure plant management, implement mandatory confined space awareness and safety training and going forward to review staffing and implement a continuous hiring program, do periodic legislative review of all sewage operations, and review outsourced service contracts.
Many of these issues are interconnected, such as cutbacks in staffing levels resulting in preventative maintenance activities to be reduced or eliminated, according to the report. As reported last month, there are 81 workers at Cedar Creek with the budget calling for 100. A job for Sewer Plant Maintenance Mechanic Trainee, and Plant Maintenance Mechanic I was posted between March 1 and March 31. County Executive Ed Mangano announced at an April 14 press conference that 10 new hires were in the works and would be implemented in the next 4 to 8 weeks. He also said that $10 million would be used for new equipment at Cedar Creek.
New equipment includes two new belt filter presses, new roofs, and an update to the plant’s odor control system.
“This is a good first step. But there is still a long way to go. We still believe that a change in the management is necessary,” CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said in response to the legislative report and Mangano’s announcement.
He finished by saying, “We do thank the Public Works and Planning Committees for taking their time to thoroughly review the health and safety concerns at Cedar Creek. This is something we have been fighting for 5 years. We look forward to witnessing the improvements at the plant, and seeing further steps take place.”
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Capital Project Plan Creates Jobs in County
From left: Superior Officers Association Unit President Gary Learned, Police Benevolent Association President Jimmy Carver, CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt, County Executive Ed Mangano, Nassau Community College Adjunct Faculty Association President Charlie Loiacano, District Attorney Investigators President Tom Willdigg, and Sheriffs Officers Association President Mike Adams
On April 9, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, Presiding Officer of the Legislature Peter Schmitt and Minority Leader Diane Yatauro, stood alongside the union leaders of Nassau County, including CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta to announce the unanimous passage of the 2010 Capital Improvement Project Plan.
The Plan includes:
· Over $18.5 million in park maintenance and improvements
· $7 million for new 911 call center
· $31 million in road and traffic improvements
· Increased funding for improvements to Cedar Creek and Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plants
· $550,000 for the Nassau County Fire Service Academy
Officials said that this bipartisan agreement will create jobs, benefit residents and stimulate the local economy. It will also benefit CSEA members who work in Parks, 911 Operator Bureau, Sewage Treatment Plants and Public Works in general, as these plans for improvement should make their jobs easier.
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Scenes from the NUMC Information Fair
EAST MEADOW- The CSEA Nassau University Medical Center Unit held an information fair on March 29 at the NUMC Auditorium. Nearly 2 dozen CSEA vendors, local businesses, and charity organizations were welcomed in to give information to CSEA members on what they are entitled to as a CSEA member, and different discount deals available to members through their business. Free snacks, coffee and other items were distributed throughout the afternoon, as well as opportunities for raffles for New York Islanders or Long Island Ducks tickets, and for a boombox courtesy of Caplin/Goldberg Dental Group.
Kelvin Lewis and Guadalupe Johnson of the
Next Wave Committee
Nancy Ianson informs a member on the benefit
of the PEOPLE committee
CSEA Member Benefits Specialist Delores Carter
informs new member Peter Tadros of some
CSEA benefits
The NUMC Auditorium
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CSEA Member from NUMC Helps in Haiti
Landau (left) in front of the medical tent in Haiti
EAST MEADOW- Working 21 hour days, with access to nothing other than Power Bars, and freeze dried food to eat on your infrequent 5 minute breaks … Sleeping in a sleeping bag for the couple hours a night that you actually could sleep… And wearing the same clothes all day, everyday… and barely finding the time or the resources to take a shower. It sounds like a union member’s worst nightmare. But, that wasn’t so for Yuwanna Landau of Nassau University Medical Center. She actually welcomed it when she visited Haiti three weeks after the devastating earthquake that hit on February 12.
Landau, a Nurse Practitioner, in the Division of Infectious Diseases, has been at NUMC for 10 years. She was born in Haiti, and left when she was fifteen, approximately 39 years ago. And she has not been there since. “The country I saw when I got there, was not the one that I left,” Landau said.
In fact, Landau did not get to see much of the country anyway. She went with an organization called Our Chance International (OCI) which was part of a Medishare Project Program out of the University of Miami. She was part of a group of five people which included ER doctors and nurses and herself. When she got there, there was a large medical tent set up at the airport with Intensive Care Units and Operating Rooms, and that was where she stayed for 7 days.
“It was like a scene out of the show M.A.S.H.,” she said. “Except this was real.” And very real it was. Landau witnessed 2 people who died of tetanus because of dirty wounds that were unvaccinated, as well as several others during that week.
“I couldn’t even let that affect me. There were so many other people that needed help and we had to stay focused the whole time,” she said. And she had to work in a number of different areas including Pediatrics, Adult, Paraplegic, Triage, Wound Care and Pharmacy, while translating languages. Landau speaks both Spanish and French, in addition to English.
The strong emotional attachment of the families was something that really hit home, Landau said. Part of the culture is a very tight-knit family atmosphere, and that was exemplified in a situation where a young man was paralyzed from the waist down, and he wasn’t screaming, but his wife was.
As bad as all of this sounds, Landau said the worst part were the spontaneous decisions that had to be made. Whether it be prioritizing whose victim’s injury was worse, and who had to be cared for first, or who had to get the last dose of morpheine. The oxygen was portable, had to be continually switched, and it was only good for one hour at a time. There were just so many variables, and so little time to decide things. Landau compared it to when she started her career working in a hospice.
After spending a week there, and it was finally time to come home, even though Haiti is roughly 3-4 hours away via plane, it took her 16 hours to get home. She got home via a C-17 cargo plane where she sat on the floor the whole time.
Landau still has her father’s sister and a couple of nieces in Haiti, but fortunately none of them were physically harmed from the earthquake. She does plan on going back to help, and wants to visit other countries once per year to help provide medical care to those who don’t have it.
Through all this, Landau is a breast cancer survivor for six years, and runs and walks for different charities on an almost weekly basis, including a recent Run for Haiti in New York City that drew nearly 10,000 attendees. She also ran the New York City Marathon in 2008.
Once she got home, and back with her family, Landau finally got the chance to let the trip sink in, and get an idea of what impact she made there, as well as what impact it had on her.
“I really just realized how people take so many things for granted here,” Landau said. Medical care is guaranteed at places like NUMC, but over there it wasn’t and finding the resources and the manpower to keep people alive was always a challenge.
She finished by saying, “It was definitely a life changing experience, and something I will never forget.”
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CSEA Walks Through Bay Park with Legislator Kopel
Aeration Tanks
EAST ROCKAWAY- CSEA Local 830 officials, including DPW Unit President Bob Campo, walked through Bay Park Sewage Treatment Facility on March 9. Also on the tour were new Nassau County Legislator and Vice Chair of the Public Works Committee Howard Kopel, along with Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino, and local civic association officials.
Bay Park is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week facility that treats an average flow of 70 million gallons per day of wastewater from Queens to the Meadowbrook Parkway encompassing 550,000 people. The effluent of the plant is discharged into local waterway, Reynolds Channel via a 2.3 mile long outfall pipeline. Treatment processes in use are preliminary/primary treatment, secondary treatment, sludge thickening, digestion, and dewatering, disinfection, power generation, and odor control.
Just like Cedar Creek there are approximately 80 workers at Bay Park, with the budget calling for 100. On March 1, a non-competitive job opportunity was posted for both Plant Maintenance Mechanic Trainee, and Plant Maintenance Mechanic I.
Ladders below ground that workers have to use
Odor control is one of the main concerns of the facility according to Kopel and Santino, not just to the workers, but the outlying residents. An RFP for evaluation of all odor controls that are on site should arrive before the legislature within 2-3 months, with a 6-9 month study to follow. At that point, there will be a better idea of if the odors are at acceptable levels, and if they are not, why that is the case.
Grit tanks
During the 90 minute tour, officials were able to see the main control office, grit tanks, effluent building, aeration tanks, and much more. CSEA thanks Bay Park officials for the opportunity to tour the facility, and looks to future hiring to handle the pending issues that remain at Bay Park.
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Alice Rogers Featured on Dr. Oz Show
MINEOLA- Last year, we featured Alice Rogers from the Nassau County Comptroller’s office in the Express as she was lauded by both Nassau County and Newsday for losing 148 pounds as she went from 321 to 173 pounds. Now, Rogers was featured on the Dr. Oz show on February 10 on their 100th show, where they brought on 100 people who lost 100 pounds. None of this weight loss was through gastric bypass or other weight loss surgeries, but through hard work and dedication.
Alice says the key is to always remain positive, and to be happy with what you have accomplished, whether it be losing 5 or 10, or 50 pounds. “People are just so hard on themselves. It takes so many years to get to whatever size you are. It’s going to take more than just a couple weeks to take it all off.”
She says, “I was working out 7 days per week, sometimes 3 times per day. It was all about exchanging one obsession in eating, to another obsession with exercising.” She said it was a great feeling, really helped her self-esteem, and she credits her co-workers and other friends and family for supporting her.
Most of all, Rogers credited her weight loss to the Weight Watchers program that she participated in with her co-workers at the Comptroller’s Office. “It was great for camaraderie, and really helped me,” she says. In January 2010, this program was discontinued as she was unable to get enough people to join with her. If you are interested in joining the program please e-mail Alice at alice.b.rogers@gmail.com.
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CSEA Tours DSS with County Executive
From left, Admin. Asst. Kelly Sheppard, CSEA Local 830
Pres. Jerry Laricchiuta, County Executive Ed Mangano, and
CSEA Local 830 Executive VP Ron Gurrieri
CSEA Local 830 officials, including President Jerry Laricchiuta took a tour for the first time with new Nassau County
Executive Edward Mangano and his staff, on March 11. The tour lasted nearly 90 minutes and went through the entire building. Leading the way was Social Services Unit President Ernie Jackson.
The tour started on the concourse level which inhabits between 60 and 70 employees who all work with finances. Employees in this area have complained of air quality issues in the past, but according to Laricchiuta, and DSS Director of Operations Manny Mosquera, 3 air quality tests have been done in the past nearly 4 years, which have came back negative.
Laricchiuta and Mangano discuss issues on the concourse.
Next the tour hit the rotunda, where it was a typically busy day. According to Karen Garber, Program Coordinator, Office of Consumer and Public Information, an average of 1,000 clients come through the rotunda each day. That number was at 700 when DSS originally moved to 60 Charles Lindbergh Blvd. But Garber says, the computer system at DSS allows for each client to be tracked in terms of what they did, and why they were there.
Laricchiuta and Mangano in the control room.
Mangano and Laricchiuta then went to the control room where a public security officer keeps track of the crowd intake in the rotunda. The tour went through the remainder of the facility which included Medicaid on the main floor, and APS and Senior Citizens on the second floor.
The main concern throughout the tour, and over the five years that Social Services have been at 60 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, is the tight spacing for the employees, including 5 foot by 5 foot cubicles. Mosquera confirmed that there are between 1200 and 1400 employees that work at 60 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, but they all are not in the building concurrently. However, the building was made to handle far fewer than that.
Mangano, and Laricchiuta with DSS Unit President Ernie Jackson
“That is our main concern here,” President Jerry Laricchiuta said. “But for the first time in my nearly 5 years as president, we have been able to get our County Executive here to walk through and see with his own eyes the conditions here. We look forward to working with him to alleviate this problem.”
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Legislature Holds Special Hearing on Cedar Creek Plant
MINEOLA- On February 25, the Public Works and Planning committees of the Nassau County Legislature held a special hearing about Cedar Creek Sewage Treatment Plant. This hearing was called by Republican Majority Leader Peter Schmitt in wake of a report filed by the New York State Department of Labor’s Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau (PESH). This report was issued on February 9, and was regarding a January 7 inspection where 22 serious violations, and 4 non-serious violations were found.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta addressed the committees and spoke about these violations, and the pattern of poor safety conditions that have been at the facility since he came in office in 2005. In October 2005, a special hearing was called by the Nassau Legislature after a feature story in the Long Island Press titled Toxic Offender detailing the safety concerns at Cedar Creek.
There are 81 employees working at Cedar Creek plant, with the budget for the facility calling for 100. According to DPW Deputy Commissioner Joseph Davenport, there were 92 in 2009, but they lost 11 to the Early Retirement Incentive. Legislators, including Dennis Dunne (R-Levittown), who went on a walkthrough the day prior, said that it appears that these safety violations could very well be a result of a lack of manpower. There is a maintenance schedule in place, but it’s unclear if it is being utilized. It was confirmed that confined space training has not been done since at least 2006. Some of the other concerns included broken bar screens, and a broken phone system creating a lack of communication between workers in different areas of the plant.
Laricchiuta said that all these things add up to, “a catastrophe that’s waiting to happen.” CSEA is currently following up with the legislators and county officials to make sure a hiring plan is in place to start re-tooling the plant with the employees they need to create a safe work environment.
 Aerial view of Cedar Creek Plant in Wantagh
Jerry Laricchiuta addresses the Legislature on Feb. 25
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CSEA Partners with Department of Health for H1N1 Vaccinations
The Nassau County Department of Health offered free H1N1 vaccinations to CSEA Local 830 members across Nassau County, the week of February 22. They were offered at 240 Old Country Road, the District Attorney’s office, DPW Headquarters, Bay Park and Cedar Creek Sewer Maintenance Facilities and the Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park. The Department of Health had already administered these vaccinations at Social Services.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said, “We felt it was important to offer this to the members as there is not always enough time to go to the doctor to receive your shot. Especially, we didn’t want any members having to pay for the vaccination when we had a free alternative here in the County.”
Jerry Laricchiuta receives his H1N1 vaccine at the New York Islander game on February 9
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Local 830 Pres. Honored by Sons of Italy
CARLE PLACE- CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was honored by the New York State Sons of Italy at their Seventeenth Anniversary Winter Charity Ball on January 29 at the Chateau Briand. Laricchiuta received the Special Recognition Award.
The Sons of Italy described him as “a dedicated leader that has devoted his life to protecting union members’ jobs and assisting them with any and all aspects of their employment. He is lauded for his staunch support of each and every member of his union, always working with his valuable knowledge of labor issues.”
The event was attended by dozens of Local 830 members and supporters, leaders from other Locals, as well as Region One President Nick LaMorte. The other honorees were Florinda M. Iannace, Ph.D., President of the Worl d Family of Radio Maria, Inc., and National Order Sons of Italy in America President Joseph J. DiTrapani.
Proceeds of the event will be used for special charity programs and the benefit of the foundation.
Jerry Laricchiuta with the other honorees Joseph J. DiTrapani and Florinda M. Iannace, Ph.D.
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NUMC Staff Goes Red for Women to Fight Heart Disease
Heart patient-survivor and Go Red ambassador Ms. Frances Larocca from East Meadow was joined by another heart survivor Ms. Shirley Gough from Uniondale at Nassau University Medical Center with Ms Rodlie Jean, cardiology physician-assistant, and Dr. Rosalind Watman, cardiologist and director of women’s heart health, and other NUMC Staff.
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Guv and AG Take Notice of NUMC Nurses Mandatory OT
CSEA has been working diligently both on a unit and Local level to address the issue of mandatory overtime in violation of the New York State law “Restrictions on Consecutive Hours of Work for Nurses” signed by Governor David Paterson, and effective July 1, 2009. CSEA has brought concerns to both local and state government officials, as well as the New York State Department of Labor and Department of Health about the violation of this law. On October 22, Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta met with Paterson, as previously reported in the Express, to make him aware of numerous violations of this law, as a result of the change to five 8 hours shifts, from three 12 hour shifts.
Now, all of these concerted efforts are beginning to bear fruit, as evidenced by a recent letter from the Governor’s Office. This letter cites a October 30, 2009, field investigation done by the Garden City District Office of the Division of Labor Standards. In the investigation NHCC was found to be in violation in several areas, and was ordered to cease and desist mandating overtime for nurses. According to the letter, “NUMC admitted to at least 29 instances where they mandated overtime in violation of Section 167, Restrictions on Consecutive Hours of Work for Nurses.” The Deputy Secretary for Labor and Financial Regulation has informed CSEA that his office will continue to keep in close contact with our union representatives to monitor this situation. It is now more important than ever to continue forwarding Mandatory Overtime Complaint Forms to the NUMC Unit office which will then be forwarded to the State Department of Labor and the Attorney General’s Office.
In late January, the Attorney General’s office also got involved in this case. The Labor and Social Justice bureaus have met with CSEA and are in the process of investigating the possibility of nurses being mandated for overtime illegally.
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Haitian Relief Drive is Huge Success
From left: Kelvin Lewis, Renee Ortiz, Rudy Bruce,
Kimberly Jean-Pierre, Keith Carman and Fred Lohr
CSEA Local 830 partnered with Haitian Americans United for Change (HAUC) in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, to organize a relief effort for the victims. Between the dates of January 20 and January 27, Local 830 members from across the county dropped off food, clothing, blankets, medical supplies, and much more to the Local 830 office, Assessment, Social Services, and Nassau University Medical Center.
Fred Lohr and Keith Carman of DPW outside
of 240 Old Country Road
When it was all said and done, a truck full of items were loaded on January 29, and driven out to the IBEW Local 25 in Hauppauge. There was a full operation in progress there, led by HAUC Vice President Kimberly Jean-Pierre, and Renee L. Ortiz of the Suffolk County Legislature. Items were in the process of being packaged and ready to be sent out on Wednesday, February 3.
All the items at IBEW Local 25
Local 830 Administrative Assistants Kelvin Lewis and Rudy Bruce helped in transporting the relief items, with the help of Nassau County Public Works who donated the truck, and DPW employees Fred Lohr and Keith Carman. A special thanks goes to Social Services Unit President Ernie Jackson, NUMC Unit President Ken Nicholson, and Assessment Unit President Rich Dopkin, and their board and members for their work in gathering all these items.
Rudy, Kelvin, Fred and Keith unload at IBEW
Local 25
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said, “We are so proud that we were able to organize such a productive relief drive and get it out to the great people at the HAUC who have been working around the clock to ensure that these items get out to Haiti. But once again, it is really a testament to the character and work ethic of our members to come through and provide such a large quantity of goods on such short notice.”
Fred and Keith pickup at Social Services where
over a dozen boxes of goods were donated
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CSEA Works with NCC After Devastating Flood
GARDEN CITY- A pipe burst caused a massive flood on floors 2 through 9 of the tower at Nassau Community College, on January 4, as well as Clusters A through D and E through F. The discharge of water was so severe that all employees were sent home at 2:00pm that day. Floors 2 and 3 suffered the brunt of the damage, as those floors were shut down and employees were relocated. As of press time, the plan was to replace all carpeting on the 2nd floor, but wait for the environmental study to see if that was necessary for the 3rd floor.
CSEA Local 830 officials, led by President Jerry Laricchiuta worked closely with NCC Vice President of Administration Joe Muscarella, and Vice President of Human Resources Fred Downs to rectify this issue. Laricchiuta visited the college to witness the damage, and met with Muscarella, who agreed that any employee not on the 2nd or 3rd floor that was suffering any discomfort would certainly be allowed to temporarily relocate to another building on campus.
As of Thursday, January 7, the pipes were fixed, but fans were still going at full throttle to dry the wet carpets. After visiting the college, Laricchiuta said, “Our members seem to be dealing with this very reasonably. This is certainly a near catastrophic situation, but I applaud the administration for working with us on this to keep the employees safe, but also retain the functionality of the college.”
With the 3rd floor suffering the brunt of the damage, J.C. Broderick & Associates, Inc. was retained to perform a limited visual inspection and moisture sampling on that floor.
The inspection looked at building materials that were identified as being impacted by the flood, to see if there was any visible mold growth and to confirm that the materials have been effectively dried.
According to Edward McGuire of J.C. Broderick & Associates:
- No evidence of visible mold growth was observed on the gypsum wall boards impacted by the water loss event.
- No detectable concentrations of moisture were observed in the sampled gypsum wall boards.
- A test cut was made into the gypsum wall dividing Room 304 and the adjoining common space. No evidence of visible mold growth or residual moisture was observed.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said, “We applaud Nassau Community College administration for their quick work in addressing this issue to assure the safest and healthiest work environment for our members.”
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Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon Honors Members, Awards Scholarships
BALDWIN- The CSEA Nassau Local 830’s Unity Committee hosted its 16th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon at the Coral House on Saturday, January 9. Over two hundred and fifty packed the room and were treated to a wonderful afternoon of musical entertainment, dancing performances, food, and raffle prizes.
CSEA member Concetta Walker sang the Black National Anthem, as well as several other musical selections. Another CSEA member, Fred McFarland from the Sheriff’s Support Unit, sang our national anthem, as well as another selection. The Voices of Victory Alumni provided music throughout the day, and the Dancing Children of God gave some wonderful dancing performances.
The Keynote Speaker was CSEA member Dr. Joseph Volker. Dr. Volker is a social activist, committed to Human and Civil Rights. He was part of the Newark Human Rights Commission, was director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and chaired the initial convention of the New Jersey Ethnic Communities Congress, in addition to many other titles he has held that benefitted civil rights. Volker is an Affirmative Action Specialist III for the Sheriff’s Department and is an Adjunct Professor at Nassau Community College, and holds degrees from Seton Hall University, Kean University and Drew University.
Volker
This year, the Unity Committee focused their awards on education. Honorees were Principal Jean Bligen of Barack Obama Elementary School, Rev. Jannie West-Mays of Roosevelt Middle School, Steven J. Rose, Social Worker from Grand Avenue Middle School, Marc Lupa, Dean of Students at Westbury High School and Judith Bennett Murray, Professor of Nursing at Nassau Community College.
As always, CSEA was proud to award four children with $500 scholarships. All four are either high school seniors or college students with better than a ‘B’ average, and have shown active personal involvement in the advancement of the principles of human rights, within the community. The scholarship winners were Sean O. Brown, Joshua D. Lobel, Adetutu-Adayemi Jones and Michael Seth-Schneberg.
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta and Region One President Nick LaMorte both addressed the crowd and thanked dignitaries, Legislator Robert Troiano, and Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goolsby for attending. Troiano and Goolsby were also nice enough to present certificates to each honoree and scholarship winner.
Laricchiuta, Troiano, Goolsby and LaMorte
with honorees
CSEA is so proud to once again honor the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while rewarding great community activists and young scholars who strive everyday to keep his spirit alive. This event would not be possible without the great work of the CSEA Local 830 Unity Committee and co-chairs Kelvin Lewis and Carol Croston, and the rest of the committee which includes Guadalupe Johnson, Juanita McKinnies, Stephen Cohen, Kathleen Zoeller, Barbara Jones, Tim Corr, Donnie Eng, Michelle Greenblatt, Kirk Fowlkes, Sharon Jackson, Vera McDowell, Valerie Nelson, Ken Nicholson, John Rinaldo, Joseph Volker and Concetta Walker.
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CSEA Adopts 32 Member Families for Holidays
CSEA Local 830 is proud to announce that they have adopted 32 member families this holiday season. Thanks to the contributions of various CSEA units, the Local has been able to donate clothes, toys, and gift cards to these families to make their holiday season a little bit easier. This is up from 23 families that were donated a year ago, and 22 the year before that.
“Despite all that our members have been through this past year, I am so pleased to see that we were actually able to adopt more families than in the past. It truly shows the strong character of our membership,” CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said.
Each family was able to bring home bags full of gifts for their children.
This was the 4th straight year that CSEA has run this program. This year it was behind the guidance of CSEA Womens Committee Chair Debra Buonagura with the help of staff members Felicia Staub, Kelly Sheppard and Guadalupe Johnson. However, the entire CSEA Executive Board held a role in gathering the toys and making the program once again successful.
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CSEA Gathers Hundreds of Toys for Local Children
CSEA Local 830 gathered hundreds of toys for local children at its Annual Holiday Party on December 17 at the Crest Hollow. Those toys were distributed at the Economic Opportunity Commission’s (EOC) Annual Christmas on Jackson Street celebration on December 23, as well as the Uniondale Early Childhood Center’s (UECC) Holiday Toy Event on December 18. Both organizations help provide toys for dozens of local children each holiday season.
This is the second year CSEA is helping donate to the UECC. CSEA has supported the EOC’s Christmas on Jackson Street for four years now, contributing over 1,000 toys during that time.
CSEA Staff Kelvin Lewis, Marla Rowe,
Ken Hamel and Ryan Mulholland at UECC
CSEA Local 830, the UECC and the EOC especially thank everyone who attended the Local 830 Holiday Party and donated a total of nearly 400 toys for these children. CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said, “Despite the poor economy, we are so lucky to have generous members that continue to donate toys, year in and year out. We look forward to making the holiday season a little bit brighter for local children again in 2010.”
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Nearly 800 Members Attend Holiday Party
WOODBURY- Nearly 800 CSEA members, friends, and supporters attended the Annual Local 830 Holiday Party on December 17 at the Crest Hollow Country Club. In what is one of the premiere events of the year in Nassau County, members were treated to a cocktail hour, had plenty of raffle prizes, and of course plenty of dancing, during the 5 hour event. Raffle prizes included several flat screen televisions, DVD players, and gift cards.
New Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano also was present to briefly address the crowd and meet with members, friends and supporters.
Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta thanked all the members for attending, and for all their hard work during 2009. He also emphasized that he appreciates their patience through what has been at times a stressful year for those working for both Nassau County and Nassau Health Care Corporation.
CSEA thanks all vendors and supporters who attended including those from Pearl Carroll & Associates, Davis Vision, Valic, and HIP. The party’s success was certainly due to the great work of the Local 830 Social Committee headed by co-chairs Steve Cohen and Kelvin Lewis.
New County Executive Ed Mangano addresses the crowd
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Bruce LaPlante Honored as NUMC Employee of the Month
At a reception hosted by the employees of the Nassau University Medical Center, Bruce LaPlante, hospital safety officer in the public safety department, was recognized as the November Employee of the Month. Mr. LaPlante has been working at NUMC since 1990, starting as a trainee and working his way up to sergeant in the investigations division. A valuable member of his department, he is an exceptional employee who is very attentive to his job responsibilities and who goes out of his way to assist employees as well as patients and family members.
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NUMC Starts Construction on New ER
Design of New Emergency Room
On Dec. 8, Nassau University Medical Center announced the start of construction for the new emergency department, a centerpiece of the major modernization program for NUMC. The ED construction will be funded through a New York State Department of Health HEAL (Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law) Phase 2 grant.
A Project Labor Agreement with the Nassau Suffolk Building and Construction Trades Council was also announced that will promote a planned approach to labor relations and help to predict labor cost and schedules while promoting productivity and efficiency. The PLA will cover three projects on the NUMC campus: the emergency department, the psychiatric floor renovations and the Veterans Administration outpatient center.This will provide construction employment for as many as 75 union trades workers. The Nassau Suffolk Building and Construction Trades Council is part of the Long Island Federation of Labor, that CSEA also belongs to.
According to Public Affairs Director Shelley Lotenberg, this first floor of the project is slated to be completed by October 2010 with the remainder by late spring 2011. She also says, “Workers will benefit from having a new ED (emergency department) in which to work and to use. Basic operations will not be impacted while construction is going on, but it is possible that, from time to time, some minor inconveniences might occur, but we will take every precaution to ensure our employees, patients and visitors' safety.”
Gilbane Building Company, NuHealth’s construction manager, will oversee and manage the project including construction services provided by Plaza Construction, for the 45,000 square feet emergency department located on two NUMC floors. According to Lotenberg, the entire job will be done by Plaza Construction and will not involve any CSEA members working at NUMC.
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Old Bethpage Village Presents "Candlelight Evenings” During Winter Holidays
If you are looking for an inexpensive holiday activity to do with your family, one of Long Island’s grandest holiday traditions, “Candlelight Evenings” at Old Bethpage Village Restoration (OBVR) will take place December 26 – 30, and began on December 19 and 20. Entrance fees are $7 for children 5 - 12 (those under 5 are free), seniors and volunteer firefighters; and $10 for adults.
Candlelight Evenings takes place inside the Village’s historic homes, along with 19th-century holiday decorations and entertainment, all set within the confines of the darkened property. Among the forms of 19th-century entertainment offered will be the “Magic Lantern” show, featuring displays of hand-colored glass slides of famous persons, places and events.
There will also be musical entertainment, including a brass quartet playing popular seasonal tunes and traditional American dancers, and readings of classic holiday children’s stories in the Manetto Hill Church. In addition, visitors can warm up around the bonfire in the Village’s crossroads and enjoy hot, mulled cider and ginger cookies at the Noon Inn, for a small fee. This year’s event includes a small holiday crafts fair on December 19 - 20, in the Visitor’s Center.
“This is a wonderful family tradition on Long Island that continues to provide a unique holiday experience,” says OBVR Site Director and Local 830 member Jim McKenna. “We encourage visitors to bring their own safe lighting devices, though no open-flame candles or propane devices.” Local 830 members are instrumental in the preparation and success of this event.
OBVR will be closed during its regular daytime hours on Candlelight Evenings dates; it will also be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Village will close for the winter following the Festival, reopening in the Spring of 2010.
OBVR is located on Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage; for more information, call 516-572-8400.
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CSEA Members Give Back to the Community
The difficulty with publicizing the charitable duties of people during the holidays, is that those same people usually do not want any notoriety for it. They do it out of the goodness of their heart, and the great feeling it gives them when they can provide someone else with an enjoyable holiday season. Now, a select few CSEA Local 830 members gave us the opportunity to speak with them about their selfless acts they have been engaging in during the holidays to help out members of the community.
Last year, the Express reported on the Social Services Volunteer Program, which is made up of Local 830 members working for the Department of Social Services. Once again this year, the group led by Lynne Campbell is gathering hundreds of toys for both foster children and children that receive financial assistance. Campbell, along with Vice President of Volunteer Services Colleen Crider, part-time assistant Harriet Rand, Treasurer Mildred Schiafano and Volunteer Barbara Ware have been preparing upwards of 200 bags of toys this year.
That goes without mentioning the dozens of boxes of coats they have for anybody in need, and the Dress to Impress program which provides suit jackets and pants for those going on job interviews or just starting a new career.
The past 3 years, CSEA Local 830 has paid for underprivileged children to go to the Paul Newman Ranch in Lake Luzerne, New York, each August. CSEA member from NUMC Linda Walsh, of Therapeutic Recreation, leads that trip. During the holidays, she is once again helping out in the community. She is part of the NUMC Kiwanis’ annual tradition of asking the employees of NUMC for their help in helping the needy families of “Our Community” make the holidays a little brighter.
Starting December 2 there was a window display outside the employees’ cafeteria decorated with angels. Each angel has the name and age of a child that you can “adopt” for the holiday.
Those interested in helping “adopted” an angel from the window, purchased a gift, and return the wrapped gift with the gift tag attached. Carla Vultaggio and Laurie Haufler of Pediatrics also assisted in this program.
Lastly, CSEA Local 830’s Adopt a Family Program was more successful than ever this year. Members donated enough clothes, toys and gift cards to provide for 33 CSEA member families. This is thanks to Women’s Committee Co-Chair Debra Buonagura who ran the program, and all CSEA units that adopted families.
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Chris Mancuso, NUMC RN, Honored by LI Business News
Long Island Business News honored nurse winner, Chris Mancuso, RN, nurse manager of the NUMC as one of their Health Care Heroes, breast center at a breakfast sponsored by the Long Island Business News and HofstraUniversity. This was a celebration of exceptional individuals on the front lines of patient care who were recognized for their commitment to high quality care for all our patients.
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Office of Legislative Budget Review Completes Analysis on NUMC Nurses Shifts
At a special hearing of the Health and Social Services committee of the Nassau County Legislature on Sept. 29, the Office of Legislative Budget Review said they would do a complete analysis of the nurses’ shift change at NUMC and how much savings it has produced.
On November 12, that analysis was completed. They compared total salaries and full-time equivalent data from May 2009 to September 2009, with the same data from the year before. The document says, “After analyzing the financial statements and nursing salary expenses provided by the hospital administration, we could find no definite savings in the four months following the schedule change. Salaries have remained close to the salaries at the same time last year and for the months May 2009 through September 2009.” Administration admits they have not seen significant savings in salary yet, but expect to now that the training of the 34 newly hired nurses ended in October. It also says that this new model allows for an increase use of per diem nurses, which is against the collective bargaining agreement between the Nassau Health Care Corporation and CSEA. The analysis also says to expect to see an increase in use of sick and vacation days as nurses struggle to get used to and get through this schedule. They do say that the desire to save money “needs to be tempered with concern for patient care.”
Though there is very little visible savings in relation to the bottom line, according to the document, the shift change creates savings in 2 ways, as far as productivity is concerned. First, is not having an overlap in shifts for outgoing nurses to brief the incoming nurses, which used to be 40 minutes. Second, is two hours of savings is achieved through lunch hours. The document says, “Lunch times are not covered by overtime, per-diems or any other additional type of nursing. If a lunch is taken, it is covered by others on the same shift.”
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said in response to this analysis, “This pretty much proves what we have been saying all along since the shifts changed on June 7. It is creating unnecessary havoc for our members, and not even creating a visible savings for the hospital. We plan on continuing to fight this and get our nurses back on their industry standard 12 hour shifts.”
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CBTU Honors Member from Nassau CC
Rudy Bruce hands award to Delores Smalls
The Long Island Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and President/Local 830 member Rudy Bruce, held its annual Gala and Awards Dinner on Oct. 22 at the Chateau Briand. This year, two of the award winners were Delores Smalls of Nassau Community College, and CSEA Local 882 President John Shepherd. Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was honored a year ago.
Smalls has a long and distinguished history of service and volunteerism locally, nationally, and internationally. Currently, she serves as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Family and Children’s Association- the largest private social service agency on Long Island. For over 30 years she has been involved with community service, social action and social change with organizations, including leading a delegation of 6 women to the United Nations NGO Forum on Women in 1995, being founding president of the L.I. Chapter of the Association of Black Women in Higher Education, and several more affiliations with organizations.
She is a Full Professor and Coordinator of Educational Counseling in the Department of Student Personnel Services at Nassau Community College. There she is active with Nassau CC’s Women’s Studies Project, the Women’s Faculty Association, Women’s Center, and the college-wide Affirmative Action Committee.
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Fire Marshals and ACIM Honor Local 830 Pres.
Jerry Laricchiuta and the Fire Marshals
Executive Board
CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was honored by both the Nassau County Fire Marshals Benevolent Association on October 21 at Oheka Castle, and the Nassau Chapter of the American Committee on Italian Migration on November 1.
Laricchiuta was honored by the Fire Marshals honored along with Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg, New York State Assemblyman Rob Walker and Tom Mitchell of Sirina Fire Protection Corp, for his great work in helping the Nassau Fire Marshals in efforts such as receiving their 25-year retirement bill.
Jerry Laricchiuta with Tony Panzarella
The ACIM breakfast awarded Laricchiuta for his great labor work as well as recognizing his Italian heritage. Attendees at the breakfast included County Executive candidates Tom Suozzi and Ed Mangano, Former County Executive Tom Gulotta, Town Supervisors John Venditto and Jon Kaiman and many more dignitaries.
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CSEA Local 830 Fights to Retain Rights for DPW to Work on Project at 400 County Seat
CSEA Local 830 members from Nassau County Public Works have been working since the summer on a project at 400 County Seat Drive in Mineola, where they are constructing a brand new work area for the Nassau Probation Department. The 15,000 square foot area will have several brand new rooms for Probation officers to interview clients and a wide open new office space. As of the end of October this project was near completion.
However, on Wednesday, October 14, union representatives from the Nassau-Suffolk Building Trades Council showed up in front of 400 County Seat with a 15 foot inflatable rat. Representatives standing next to the rat said that they felt Nassau DPW should not be doing this work because it was outside their jurisdiction, despite the fact that it is county workers doing a county job. “We have the carpenters, the masons, the electricians… all the people that are needed for a job of this size,” President Jerry Laricchiuta said. “It actually saves the county money to keep the job in house, and not contract out to a private contractor.”
After meeting with union officials from the Nassau-Suffolk Building Trades on Thursday, October 15, they agreed to take the rat down. And by looking at the great job done by the CSEA members, it appears that keeping the job with the county workers was the right move.
Vincent Monteforte
Bob Pantina
Frank Caiazzo
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Laricchiuta Meets with Gov. Paterson on NUMC Nurses
On October 22, CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, along with officials from the Long Island Federation of Labor, met with New York State Governor David Paterson at Local 338 in Mineola. Long Island Fed President John Durso organized the meeting to discuss various labor issues with the governor, including his initiative for statewide budget cuts.
Laricchiuta got a chance to grab the Governor’s ear on a topic that has been very prevalent to Local 830 members at Nassau University Medical Center. That has to do with the change in nurses’ shifts which has created the need for management to issue mandated overtime, which is against a July 1 law signed by Gov. Paterson. Laricchiuta informed the governor of CSEA’s work in contacting the Department of Labor and Department of Health, but Paterson said this might be a job for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Currently, out of approximately 100,000 registered nurses in New York State, only 40,000 are working. Paterson said that the purpose of the law instituted July 1 was to increase that number, but that mandating overtime would actually be going against the purpose of this law.
CSEA Local 830 and its NUMC Unit are in the process of contacting the Attorney General’s office in the hopes of opening a possible investigation of this. Stay tuned to www.csea830.org for more information on this developing situation.
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CB Operator Awarded for Work in Pursuit of 4 Armed Suspects
It’s not everyday that a Communications Bureau Operator for the Nassau County Police Department is involved in a highly contested gun shooting pursuit. But that’s what happened on an early Sunday morning in April around 3:30am, when CB Operator Keri Wilkinson was working 911 radio dispatch for the 4th and 5th precincts, and all the sudden found herself in the middle of directing police officers during a high speed chase of four armed suspects.
A man called 911 after his parents were tied up during a burglary at their Elmont home. Most police units in the area responded to the call, but before they even arrived at the home, they found themselves in pursuit of the vehicles. The armed suspects fired back at the police with several semi-automatic rifles. Eventually, after approximately 6 minutes, the pursuit ended in Queens, with all 4 suspects being arrested, with assistance from New York City police. In the end, no police personnel were injured and all victims in danger were free from harm due to the great work of all involved.
During the firing of rifles and high speed pursuit, Wilkinson was on the radio the whole time with the police officers, running license plates on the suspects’ vehicles, typing, and answering the officers’ requests accordingly. This was while she was 7 ½ months pregnant, with her daughter that is now over 4 months old. “I couldn’t have done it without all my co-workers who helped out that night,” she said. She worked closely with her supervisor Jan Kimbrough-Lewis, 2 other CB operators and coordinators.
Wilkinson, of Levittown has been with the Communications Bureau for 6 years, and was awarded by the department as their Operator of the Month. Operators work 3 tours per week, spending 2 nights working 911 radio dispatch, and 1 night taking 911 calls. But during high stress calls like this one, they work as a team in order to get the job done as efficiently and safely as possible.
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Local 830 Installation Dinner is Well Attended
CSEA Local 830 held its Installation Dinner on October 8 at the Crest Hollow Country Club. Local 830’s newly elected Executive Board, led by President Jerry Laricchiuta, was sworn in by Long Island Region One President Nick LaMorte. Unit Presidents were also sworn in by Laricchiuta, during the 4 hour event that included dinner, dancing and cocktails.
Jerry Laricchiuta addresses the crowd
Nearly 300 people including members, friends and supporters attended the event which is held every 4 years. That includes an impressive list of dignitaries: Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Nassau Legislators Kevan Abrahams, Denise Ford, Dennis Dunne, Ed Mangano, Dave Mejias, and Wayne Wink, as well as Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper.
Jerry Laricchiuta gets standing ovation
Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley
Secretary Nancy Ianson and
Alternate Delegate Ana O'Gorman
The NUMC Crew.
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NUMC Holds Annual Employee Appreciation BBQ
Unit Official Ken Nicholson and
Felicia Staub work together
On October 9, the CSEA Nassau University Medical Center Unit held its Annual Employee Appreciation Barbecue, in the Building G courtyard at NUMC. Union officials cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs and offered refreshments for over 1,000 employees between 11am and 3pm.
Linda Dimonda hands out literature
to members
The annual event gives CSEA an opportunity to thank employees of NUMC for all their hard work, while building camaraderie within the membership.
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CSEA Blitzes NUMC with Help from Unions Across LI
CSEA Local 830, in conjunction with the CSEA Long Island Region, Statewide CSEA, and with help from sister unions IBEW, Teamsters and many others from across LI, as well as the Long Island Federation of Labor, blitzed Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow on Wednesday, September 30. Union officials scoured the premises of NUMC handing literature to the members to inform them of the poor managing practices that Nassau Health Care Corporation administration have been doing this year.
The purpose of the blitz was to both inform members of all the issues, and to encourage them to call their County Legislator and County Executive to let them know that the practices of NHCC Administration are unacceptable, and need to be looked at.
CSEA is asking for members to attend the next full Legislative hearing on October 5, 2009 at 10:00am at 1550 Franklin Avenue in Mineola, and let the legislators know first hand the poor working conditions and lack of staffing that is being endured by CSEA members.
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Laricchiuta and Gianelli Address Special Legislative Committee
On September 29, CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, NUMC Unit President Ken Nicholson and NUMC VP and Registered Nurse Linda Dimonda addressed the Health and Social Services Committee of the Nassau County Legislature regarding the ongoing issues in the Nassau Health Care Corporation.
Specific incidents were cited, as well as a background of the overall issues including the nurses' shift change, mandation of overtime, lack of staffing, and refusal of management to cross-train nurses who were moved to other areas of the hospital. Nicholson also emphasized that NUMC is within the perview of the Nassau Legislature, which Committee Chair, Legislator Dave Mejias agreed with and said, "this is within the perview of this body. We do pay $18 million to the hospital every year."
NHCC CEO Art Gianelli got a chance to present an update on the NHCC. Mejias had the opportunity to ask Gianelli about the nurses shift change and how that is affecting the hospital. According to Gianelli, the shift change will save between $6 and $8 million on an annual basis, and is more efficient than the three 12 hour shifts. He also said he doesn't believe overtime has increased since the shift change.
That is strongly disputed by the union, as paperwork distributed to the legislators clearly showed the increase in overtime, including mandated overtime, which CSEA still claims to be illegal, according to a July 1 law signed by Gov. David Paterson. Gianelli says the law gives them 3 months after October 13 to work out a schedule that would cater to less mandatory overtime. Again, CSEA strongly disputes that claim.
Office of Legislative Budget Review Director Eric Naughton said he would have an analysis of how much money the NHCC is saving by going from 12 to 8 hour shifts, within a week.
Mejias also emphasized a stronger communication between the administration and the union was necessary, as Gianelli admitted not speaking to the union, and using his point person to do so. Laricchiuta said during the hearing, "If we had open lines of communication, we wouldn't have to be here today at a county budget hearing, speaking about NUMC."
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Local Meets with State and Region Officials on NUMC
On September 8, Local 830 officials met with both CSEA State and Region Officials at the LI Region One Headquarters in Commack, regarding the continuous labor issues at Nassau University Medical Center. Pictured here are Region One President Nick LaMorte, Region One Office Manager Jennifer Nagy, Region One Director Ron King, Labor Relations Specialist Bob Brooks, NUMC Unit President Ken Nicholson, NUMC VP’s Debra Buonagura and Linda DiMonda, NUMC Treasurer Lynne Kramer, Local 830 Exec VP Ron Gurrieri, Local 830 VP Scott Mulholland, Labor Relations Specialist Rigo Predonzan, Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta, CSEA Inc. Director of Research Don Kelly, CSEA Inc. Mobilization Specialist Karen Carpenter, CSEA Inc. Health and Safety Specialist Jeff Hyman, and Region One Political Action Coordinator Gretchen Penn.
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Alice Rogers, Comptrollers, Shares Amazing Weight Loss Story
CSEA member Alice Rogers, a messenger in Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman’s office, was recently featured in Newsday’s health section, spotlighting Alice’s amazing weight loss of 148 lbs. In December 2008 Alice was cited by Nassau County Tom Suozzi for being one of the "Biggest Losers" in the County as part of the County’s “Healthy Nassau” program. The goal of the program is to make the Nassau County workforce the healthiest in the nation.
In April 2007, at 321 lbs., Alice suffered from diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, kidney damage, glaucoma and sleep apnea. She decided to join the Weight Watchers program with co-workers in the Comptroller’s office and is one the program’s most enthusiastic members. Since losing the weight Alice is a lot healthier and much more active. She swims twice a week, walks five times a week, bikes and does yoga.
“You have to believe in yourself,” Alice said. “If I can do it, so can anyone!”
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CSEA Addresses Legislature on NUMC
As negotiations continue on a new contract between CSEA Local 830 and the Nassau Health Care Corporation, for over 3,400 employees, CSEA continues to turn up the heat on a NHCC management team that has been unreasonable with union members. The contract expires December 31, 2009.
“The rat was just the beginning,” CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta said of the rat displayed throughout the month of August in front of NUMC. “We have plans to let the public know of all the irresponsible actions of this NHCC management team, and the consequences that they might very well cause.”
These actions include changing nurses shifts from three 12 hour shifts to five 8 hours shifts, which includes mandated overtime, which CSEA believes to be illegal for nurses according to a July 1 law. At least 350 layoffs have been proposed for January 1, 2010, as well as a Request for Proposal on the health care provided to inmates at the jail, currently done by NHCC employees. “We intend to stop any plans for that in the Nassau Legislature,” Laricchiuta said.
Laricchiuta spoke at the Legislature on August 10 and outlined these concerns, and how they are and could continue to affect patient care. He also called for a special hearing to be held about NUMC. Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro has granted CSEA’s request to bring in witnesses for public comment in a Health and Social Services committee hearing coming some time in the fall.
“We need people to stop turning their head whenever NUMC is brought up,” Laricchiuta said at the Legislature. “Otherwise we could be dealing with much greater consequences.
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Paterson Signs Bill Extending Health Insurance Coverage for Children
On July 29, Governor David A. Paterson signed into law three Governor’s Program bills that will make health insurance more affordable and improve access to health care for New Yorkers. The first extends the period of time for COBRA coverage from 18 to 36 months; the second permits families to cover their young adult dependents through age 29 under their job-based insurance; and the third enacts a series of managed care reforms to make health insurance work better for consumers and permit timely access to necessary health services.
The law extending health coverage to age 29 for children under group plans, requires insurers to allow unmarried children through age 29 – regardless of financial dependence – to be covered under a parent’s group health insurance policy as long as the child lives, resides and works in New York, is not covered by another policy and is not eligible for Medicaid.. According to the governor’s office, young adults ages 19 to 29 represent 31 percent of uninsured New Yorkers. They often become ineligible for coverage under their parents’ policies at age 19 or upon high school or college graduation. Under the new law, premiums will be paid for by families, not employers, but would cost less because coverage is under group policies rather than individual policies. The law also requires insurers to offer employers an option to purchase coverage that includes young adults as dependents in family policies through age 29.
According to Nassau County Comptrollers Director of Communications Carole Trottere, this part of the bill will likely not be implemented by NYSHIP until January 1 when the new plan year begins. The availability and cost of the coverage to an employee has not yet been determined by NYSHIP. The expansion of COBRA coverage began on July 1.
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Longest Tenured Public Employee in State Retires
Robert Davis walked on the scene of the County Executive Building in Mineola back on August 16, 1950, as a new employee for the Nassau County Department of Public Works. He had just graduated from SUNY Farmingdale with a 2-year degree in Highway and Bridge Construction. Nassau County was under the leadership of its first ever County Executive Russell Sprague, and the Nassau County Sewer System Project just began.
“After we graduated, 3 or 4 of my college classmates took the test for the county,” Davis said. “I thought of it as an interim job.” Little did he know, nearly 59 years later, he would still be working for Nassau County, and would be lauded as the longest tenured Public Employee in New York State. Davis, 78, retired on July 30, as part of the Early Separation Incentive, just 2 weeks short of his 59th anniversary.
When asked why he kept the job so long, and didn’t opt for retirement decades ago, he said “I loved the job and I miss it very much. But it’s a young man’s job now.” After spending his first 25 years in Road Maintenance, Davis went into Engineering in 1975. He’s worked out of Hicksville for the past 25 years, the last 24 as Superintendent.
Davis’ retirement party was held on Sept. 9, and dozens of former co-workers, and even several past commissioners of Public Works attended to honor a remarkable public servant.
Now, after getting up and going to work for all these years, how does he plan to spend his retirement? “I’m just planning to take it easy,” the Oyster Bay resident said. After 6 decades of county service, he sure deserves to.
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NUMC's Dr. Silecchia Retires
Dr. Bella Silecchia recently retired as director of pediatric ambulatory care services at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) East Meadow, New York, and director of the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Evaluation Center also at The Nassau University Medical Center. She is also the former director of pediatric emergency services at NUMC. She received her medical degree from the University of Bologna, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Italy, and her undergraduate degree from The College of Mount Saint Vincent, New York.
Dr. Silecchia was instrumental in founding and organizing the SCAN program at NUMC, and has been the director of the unit from its inception. The SCAN program has served as a model for the detection, evaluation, treatment and education in child abuse and neglect for the past 20 years, and is a referral center for both Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York State. The program was recognized as a Center of Excellence by then First Lady of New York State, Matilda Cuomo, who presented Dr. Silecchia with the NYS Decade of the Child Award in 1992.
Dr. Silecchia serves on the advisory board of the CHAMP Network (Child Abuse Medical Provider Network), and as a task force member contributed to the formation of the “New York State Department of Health & Department of Social Services “Child and Adolescent Sexual Offense Medical Protocol” (1997). She works closely with the prosecutorial & law enforcement agencies in Nassau County investigating cases of child abuse, as well as with the Nassau County Child Protective Services and the NC Coalition against Child Abuse and Neglect, where she has been the director of medical services for their child advocacy center since its formation. She has frequently testified in court as an advocate for the abused and neglected child & was appointed to the NC Family Violence Task Force in 2003.
Following her retirement from her present duties at the Nassau University Medical Center, Dr. Silecchia plans to continue with her advocacy role for abused and neglected children in Nassau County, New York.
Dr. Silecchia enjoys reading, photography, travelling with her husband Dominick Sabatino, M.D., director of pediatric hematology-oncology at NUMC and looks forward to spending more time with her three grandsons.
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CSEA Fights Against Inmate Work at County Exec. Building
After several years, Nassau County implemented the use of inmates from the Correctional Center to do work such as pulling weeds at the County Executive Building at 1550 Franklin Avenue in Mineola. This initiative was put in place on August 12, and was immediately fought off by CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
The CSEA Local 830 contract with Nassau County reads in Section 32-1 that, “The County shall make good faith efforts to avoid the unnecessary assignment of CSEA unit work to persons not in the CSEA unit.” In Section 32-3, it reads, “The County shall provide notice to CSEA stating the County’s needs and CSEA may, within ten (10) days thereafter propose alternatives to satisfy the county’s needs, and if CSEA proposes alternatives, the County and CSEA shall meet and confer with respect to CSEA’s proposals.”
Laricchiuta said, “None of those things respective to our contract occurred in this case. We were notified the morning of the day the inmates were scheduled to do work at the County Executive Building.” This work would normally be done by CSEA members working at Public Works.
After conferring with the County following August 12, CSEA has agreed to let the inmates do any menial work that would not be otherwise done by DPW employees.
This is one of many subcontracting cases that Local 830 continues to deal with on a daily and weekly basis. The battle is usually against private contractors however, as numerous contracts go before the Nassau Legislature bi-weekly for private contractors to do work in the County, and CSEA reviews them all before any vote is done by the legislators. If it is determined that CSEA members can do the work outlined in the contract, then the Local will ask for the contract to be pulled. If it’s determined that the work is outside the scope of CSEA members’ job specifications, then the Local will let the contract go through.
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CSEA Members Team Together to Save a Life
EAST MEADOW- On Friday, March 27, the softball team, made up of employees from Nassau University Medical Center and other county departments, had a typical practice at Eisenhower Park to get ready for their upcoming season. Maintenance Painter at NUMC John Calderone was making his return to the softball field for the first time in 15 years, and was pitching some batting practice to his teammates.
As is the leisurely nature of batting practice, players were taking their time as they took turns between hitting and playing the field. But, out of nowhere, something happened that would turn leisure into a frantic state of affairs. Calderone, 51 years old, would collapse on the mound as the result of a heart attack, prompting all the players on the team to rush to him.
Teammate and anesthesiologist Jimmy Feretti administered CPR to Calderone, while CSEA NUMC Unit President Ken Nicholson flagged down Public Security (also CSEA members) as everyone else on the team helped out in their own way. Public Security officer and licensed EMS Timothy Beuth was the first person not on the team to arrive. “The first person to help is just as helpful as the 11th or 12th,” Calderone said. “Everyone had their own job at that time.”
Luckily, a Nassau County Ambulance, driven by AMT and CSEA Member Ronald Bagan, had been in the area and within minutes arrived at the scene along with Nassau County Police. “It took the whole team to put John on the stretcher and bring him over to the Ambulance because it was so muddy that day,” NUMC Public Safety officer Bruce LaPlante said.
The short drive to Nassau University Medical Center ensued, and Calderone arrived at the Emergency Room to ER Nurse Lynn Ranskill, a 26 year veteran of NUMC. She was amazed at the shape Calderone was in considering the incident that happened just moments earlier. He had a pulse, and was breathing slowly. “I thought at that point, if anyone stands a chance to make it through this situation right now, it is John,” Ranskill said. “To be on a team of medical personnel and have Public Security at the park show up right away and an Ambulance driving by, was incredible.” NUMC Cardiologist Dr. Freeman said that if he would have had the heart attack at home, or someplace where medical personnel was not present, the prognosis would not have been nearly as well as it turned out to be.
Once he was stabilized he was sent to the Coronary Care Unit where he stayed for 2 weeks. “He had more visitors than anyone I can remember. Employees, administration, everyone,” CCU Nurse Melissa Eichele said. John Meyer, another CCU Nurse, was also very helpful in the time Calderone spent there.
Calderone emphasized that this really was a community effort, not just between Public Security, AMT’s and NUMC personnel the day of the incident, but all the support since then. “I just thank God that I have great health benefits through CSEA to help me with this. I found out that fellow employees have donated time to help me out. Also, cards and letters of support have been never-ending.”
Calderone is hoping to return to work by the beginning of July, and said he is feeling great now. “This is just a wake up call for everyone. Even if you take care of yourself, these kind of things can happen.” He emphasized that everyone should get regular checkups and stress tests. He finished by saying, “If it wasn’t for faith, and prayer and my family, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
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After State Senate Drama, Nassau Incentive Goes Through
The CSEA Local 830 has received an interim award July 9 from the arbitrator who retains jurisdiction over the “No Layoff/No Furlough Agreement.” The award stated that all employees taking part in the Early Separation Incentive will be paid their incentive and termination payments, as per the original agreement. That means incentive monies will be paid within 60 days of separation, and termination pay within 90 days. Although the Senate had not resolved their issues, the county had decided to let employees leave on their scheduled separation date. CSEA then requested an interim award, stating that all employees would receive the benefit as laid out by the original agreement, which the arbitrator granted. Members left county service between July 10 and July 30.
After this incentive deal was signed on March 30, there were 3 steps that needed to be attained in order for it to be completed. First, CSEA members needed to ratify the agreement, which they did with a 90% rate. Second, more than 325 people needed to take the Early Separation Incentive, which was fulfilled with a total of 364. Lastly, the Nassau and State Legislatures needed to approve bonding for the payouts for those taking the Incentive. CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta and the political action team in Albany first lobbied State Assembly members to get the bill through the Ways and Means committee, which was done successfully. Then came the Senate standoff. Laricchiuta and PAC stayed in close contact with Senator Dean Skelos’ office to help get our bonding bill passed Eventually, the Long Island delegation was able to pull through in helping make our bill a priority, and getting it passed.
All remaining members now have the lag payroll which is currently in effect. Remember, the amount of your bi-weekly paycheck will not be affected. You will receive your lag paycheck upon separation from Nassau County, at the rate of pay you are making at that time.
Below is the lag payroll schedule:
Full-Time Employees
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Pay Period
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Original Pay Date
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Lag Payroll Date
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1. 7/17-7/30
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7/30
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7/31
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2. 7/31-8/13
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8/13
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8/17
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3. 8/14-8/27
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8/27
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9/1
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4. 8/28-9/10
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9/10
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9/16
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5. 9/11-9/24
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9/24
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10/1
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6. 9/25-10/8
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10/8
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10/16
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7. 10/9-10/22
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10/22
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11/2
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8. 10/23-11/5
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11/5
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11/17
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9. 11/6-11/19
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11/19
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12/2
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10. 11/20-12/3
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12/3
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12/17
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*Resumption of Normal Non-Lagged Schedule will be the pay period of 12/18-12/31. You will get paid on 12/31.
Part-Time Employees
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Pay Period
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Original Pay Date
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Lag Payroll Date
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1. 7/17-7/30
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8/10
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8/11
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2. 7/31-8/13
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8/24
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8/26
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3. 8/14-8/27
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9/4
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9/10
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4. 8/28-9/10
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9/21
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9/25
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5. 9/11-9/24
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10/5
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10/9
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6. 9/25-10/8
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10/19
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10/27
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7. 10/9-10/22
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11/2
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11/10
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8. 10/23-11/5
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11/16
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11/25
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9. 11/6-11/19
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11/30
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12/11
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10. 11/20-12/3
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12/14
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12/28
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*Resumption of Normal Non-Lagged Schedule will be the pay period of 12/18-12/31. You will get paid on 1/11/10.
ATTENTION MEMBERS WITH PEARL CARROLL INSURANCE
Due to the lag payroll, employees with CSEA insurance coverage(s) with Pearl Carroll will continue to have the same deduction taken out of their paycheck each pay period. However, by the end of the lag payroll period, you will effectively be missing one paycheck, and thus one payroll deduction. To avoid a break in your CSEA insurance coverage you will be mailed a bill for that one missing pay period. Once you receive this bill, please make this payment directly to Pearl Carroll and Associates as soon as possible.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Pearl Carroll and Associates at 1-800-697-CSEA (2732) or email us at www.PearlCarroll.com.
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Laricchiuta and Team Re-Elected to 4-Year Term
On June 8, Incumbent CSEA Nassau Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta was re-elected to another four years in office, after receiving 91.3% of the vote from the membership. 3,489 members casted votes with 3,185 voting for Laricchiuta, and 304 voting for the challenger.
Laricchiuta led a slate of 18 officers which includes an Executive Vice President, 11 Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and 3 alternate delegates. All 18 elected officers received at least 89% of the vote. The new 4 year term begins on July 1, 2009 and runs until July 2013. This is will be Laricchiuta’s 2nd term as president after defeating the incumbent in June 2005.
“I would like to thank all those members who voted,” Laricchiuta said. “To have such a strong percentage of the membership return ballots, and for such a large percentage to vote for our team, it truly shows that we are on the same page moving forward.”
Unit Elections were also held in late May and early June. The new list of Unit Presidents is on Page 2 of this newsletter. Official swearing in for all Local and Unit officers will be July 14.
Your CSEA Local 830 Elected Officers (July 2009-June 2013)
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NAME
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POSITION
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BACKGROUND
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Jerry Laricchiuta
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President
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Starting his 2nd term as CSEA Local 830 President. Was previously Unit President of Sheriff’s Support Unit.
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Ron Gurrieri
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Executive Vice Pres.
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Continues his role as Executive Vice President. Comes from Ambulance Medical Technicians Unit.
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Scott Mulholland
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1st Vice President
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Starting his 2nd term on the Local 830 board. Comes from Sheriff’s Support Unit.
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Lynne Kramer
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2nd Vice President
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Starting her 1st term on Local 830 board. Has been the Treasurer for the NUMC Unit, and will continue that role.
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Kenneth Nicholson
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3rd Vice President
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Starting his 2nd term on Local 830 board. He is the NUMC Unit President.
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Debra Imperatore
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4th Vice President
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Starting her 2nd term on Local 830 board. She is the Unit President for Police Civilians.
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