the unionist november 2012

8/13/2019 The Unionist November 2012

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Volume 42 • Number 10November 2012

Ofcial Publication of Social Service Employees Union Local 371-DC 37 AFSCME, AFL-CIO www.sseu371.org

Teaching Robotics Solving Homelessness Leading NYCHA Seniors Page 5 Page 6 Page 7

A S CASA CASEWORKER Trevor Gibbs went door-to-door in the Rockaways Nov.4 with ofcials from FEMA and otherresponse agencies, he had a sinking feelingthat he was going to see the worst. Gibbs

and other CASA workers were searchingfor elderly clients who were unaccountedfor after Hurricane Sandy made landfallOct. 29. He was nervous that he was going

RESPONDING TO SANDY

Social Service Workers Save the Day

Continued on page 3

Four More Years

T he nation spoke this month, andit spoke clearly: President BarackObama was re-elected. He will havefour more years to nish what he

started in 2009. The stakes were big in this election,

as the Republican opposition made clearthat if elected it would eliminate the social

Continued on page 4



2 The Unionist | November 2012

NOVEMBER

19 Black Heritage Committee: 6:30 p.m.Union Ofce, 12th Floor

20 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. AdvanceRealty Building, 235 West 23rd Street inManhattan

21 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce,12th Floor

28 Women’s Committee/Political ActionCommittee: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce,12th Floor

Civilians and Law Enforcement: 6:30 p.m.Union Ofce, 15th Floor

29 SSEU Chapter: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce,12th Floor

DECEMBER

3 BCW Chapter: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12thFloor

5 Executive Committee: 6:30 p.m. UnionOfce, 12th Floor

12 Women’s Committee/Political ActionCommittee Holiday Party: 6:30 p.m. UnionOfce, 12th Floor

13 Committee of Concerned Social Workers 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12th Floor

18 Alumni Association: 2:00 p.m. Union Ofce,12th Floor

19 Delegate Assembly: 6:30 p.m. AdvanceRealty Building, 235 West 23rd Street inManhattan

20 Next Wave: 6:30 p.m. Union Ofce, 12thFloor

CALENDAR

Published monthly except for a combined issue in July/ August and a Supplement in January by the SocialService Employees Union Local 371, District Council 37,

AFSCME, AFL-CIO. Subscription Price $2.00 annually.Periodical postage paid at New York, N.Y.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: TheUnionist, SSEU Local 371, 817 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. 10003.

USPS# 348990 (212) 677-3900ISSN# 0041-7092

President Anthony WellsExecutive Vice President

Yolanda PumarejoSecretary-TreasurerJoe NazarioV.P. Negotiations & ResearchRose Lovaglio-MillerV.P. Organization & Education

Armenta WeekesV.P. Grievances & Legal ServicesLloyd PermaulV.P. Publicity & Community RelationsPatricia ChardavoyneV.P. Legislation & Political ActionMichelle AkyempongTrustees

Vincent Ciccarello Yolanda DeJesusMelva ScarboroughEditor

Ari Paul

Visit us on the web at www.sseu371.org

Devastation, Hope andSolidarity

We are in the midst of recovering from thedevastation of Hurricane Sandy and her little sister,Nor’easter Athena. Without question, it has beenone of the most difcult times in the City’s history,

given the loss of life and property, and the disruption of ourdaily routines. Our heartfelt prayers go out to all of those whohave suffered during this terrible tragedy.

Even during the bleakness, there are many stories of hero-ism and hope. Workers went to work in Emergency Sheltersand facilities that operate 24 hours. Workers at the ACS StatenIsland eld ofces collected money for displaced colleagues and workers at the ACSQueens eld ofces collected money to provide lunch for workers in the Far Rockaway Job Center living in darkness. There are many more untold stories of workers support-

ing each other, their families and communi-ties. On behalf of this local, I thank you forall that you do, even under the most tryingconditions.

In the middle of all of this, there was the wonderful re-election of President BarackObama. While his re-election means that he will continue to lead this country in the rightdirection, this victory means even more. First,the role of labor and particularly the leader-

ship of AFSCME President Lee Saunders were crucial to the President’s re-election.Labor supporters and our organizing skills were some of the determining factors. Pres-

ident Saunders committed the resources of the International to getting the Presidentre-elected, and it worked. Furthermore, he committed himself personally, crisscross-ing the country and appearing on many programs to state our message. He provided ablueprint for leadership: educate, organize and have a clear, consistent message.

In the end, there was devastation, hope and solidarity, all in the span of a few weeks.Now we can get back to some sense of normalcy. And yes, we will ght like hell to getour leave time back. Our agenda has not changed: ght layoffs, protect our benetsand get a contract that meets our needs. Together we continue to move forward. Godbless you, and God bless the Union.

–Anthony Wells

During the bleakness,there were manystories of heroismand hope.

“

”

The Educational Fund wil l offer a CivilService Examination Preparation Course forSSEU Local 371 members for the JuvenileCounselor Exam #3000, scheduled for theweek of January 7, 2013. The course will con-sist of three sessions. Please sign up for oneof the sessions by going to our website (www.sseu371.org) and submitting your informationonline.

For any questions, please call (212) 777-9000ext. 3065.

The sessions will be held on the followingdates:

Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Location: SSEU Local 371, 817 Broadway,12th Floor, New York, NY 10003

EDUCATIONAL FUND/PREP COURSE



November 2012 | The Unionist 3

in evacuation shelters.“I gured someone could use

my assistance,” she said, noting

that she had worked in sheltersafter the 9/11 attacks.Grifth performed a variety

of duties at the shelter, rst atP.S. 5 and then later at HunterCollege. She did intake, es-corted clients, assigned peopleto beds, monitored fooddistribution and checked tosee if people needed medicalattention.

With many City workersgoing without a raise for yearsand with toxic rhetoric on theairwaves blaming public-sector workers for budget problems,Grifth hoped that the service workers like her providedduring the disaster would helpchange the perception of public workers.

“Residents said they were ap-preciative,” she recalled.

Grifth added that sheencouraged other co-workers who couldn’t make it to theirlocations to go to shelters,and several of them did simi-lar work at Lehman College.

But she noted that it was justas important for social service workers who could get to workto keep those services going inthe week after the storm.

Unfortunately, this Unionand other unions will have toaddress a major problem withleave time, as many workers who physically could not get totheir locations could face a lossof leave time.

Going Forward The Union will keep mem-

bers updated on this matter as

things go forward.“In this time of unbelievable

devastation, public servantsexhibited extraordinarydedication to public service,”President Anthony Wells said.“Too often, the City and themainstream press do not rec-ognize the work that we do. And sometimes, we forget thatit is not our civil service titlethat denes us, but rather the value of the service that weprovide. Let’s hope that thisexperience serves as a teach-able moment.”

to nd a client who died in thestorm.

“I hoped that didn’t happenand it didn’t,” he recalled.But it was a traumatic experi-

ence nonetheless. Gibbs saidthe devastation in the neighbor-hood was beyond what he hadexpected or saw on the news.

“It was very overwhelming,”he said. “I didn’t know it wasthat bad.”

Bringing Assistance Along with the other re-

sponders, Gibbs found severalCASA clients who were in direneed of help, including oneelderly man stranded on the25th oor; responders wereable to bring him down to theground and Gibbs helped himget food and shelter. In othercases, CASA workers helpedstranded clients receive theirpublic benets.

As for the other unaccountedfor clients, many of them werehelped out by family membersand found shelter elsewhere.But the thought of clients who were without family or otherassistance shook Gibbs to hiscore. He said that after go-ing to the Rockaways he hadtrouble sleeping.

Gibbs was just one of manySSEU Local 371 members whodisplayed civil service heroism

simply by doing what social service workers are trained to do.Our members worked alongsideother unionized workers in theevacuation shelters, and if they were able to get to work, theykept social services running forpeople who can’t afford to missthem for even a day.

Senior Fraud Investigator Ro-mania Grifth could not get toher downtown Brooklyn HRAcenter the day after the storm, soshe took it upon herself to work

RESPONDING TO SANDY

Social Service Workers Save the Day

Romania Grifn took it upon herself to work in the shelters.

HRA workers gathered with FEMA responders in the Rockaways.

Continued from page 1

D a v e

S a n d e r s




services millions of Americans dependon and keep people like SSEU Local 371members at work. As Lee Saunders—theleader of our parent union, the Ameri-can Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees— said after theelection, “Working families re-electedPresident Barack Obama, giving himadded strength in the ght to create jobsand opportunity. The voters have givena mandate to protect vital programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid,and strengthen the middle class.”

Labor’s RoleIn fact, the New York Times credited

major labor leaders like President Saundersfor mobilizing efforts in states like Ohio. The paper reported, “Sixty percent of vot-ers from union households in Ohio votedfor Mr. Obama, higher than the 50 percentthat Mr. Obama received over all fromOhio voters, according to exit polls that hadnot been completed. Union households ac-counted for 22 percent of Ohio’s voters. In

Wisconsin, voters from union households

made up 21 percent of the electorate, andthey voted for Mr. Obama over Mr. Rom-ney, 66 percent to 33 percent.”

There’s no doubt about it: Labor madethis election and our votes were not for sale.

“We also faced and defeated a greatchallenge to voting rights this year,”said Vice President of Political Action Michelle Akyempong. “Conservativeactivists sought to suppress voters fromlow-income communities and people ofcolor with dubious voter ID laws. Despitetheir efforts in swing states that wererich in electoral votes, President Obamacarried 27 states and 332 electoral votes,handing him a decisive victory.”

President Obama’s rst term had manynotable achievements for labor and work-ing people, including the historic health-care reform bill and the rescue of the American auto industry. At the AFSCMEconvention this summer in Los Angeles, Vice President Joe Biden was on handto address the delegates, noting that theright has been waging a war on public-

sector workers. His presence signied a

What a Second Term Means for Labor

Vice President J oe Biden spoke at the AFSCME convention this summer in Los Angeles.


President Barack Obama: Working for labor.

promise that he and President Obama would spend another four years defend-ing workers from this attack.

Member Involvement“We are hopeful for more positive change

for workers in both the public and privatesectors,” said President Anthony Wells. “We will continue to work with our parent unionon how to best press for new Federal policiesthat will help working people.”

But most of all, we need members tokeep their commitment going. We wonthis election because union members tooktime out of their lives to knock on doors,call up voters and work the polls.

Come to political action committeemeetings on the fourth Wednesday of eachmonth at the Union’s headquarters. Learnabout political issues that affect members.Bring suggestions and ideas. Together, wecan hold politicians accountable.

Labor can’t do this work without themembers’ active involvement. The mem-bers are what make SSEU Local 371 a

mighty, mighty union.

W h

i t e H o u s e P h o t o

C l a r e n c e E l i e - R i v e r a




F or the last year and half, Albert Da- vis, a Community Resource Coordi-nator at the Zimmerman Center for

Recreational Robotics in the Bronx, hasbeen teaching robotics to school childrenin hopes of raising a new generation ofscientists and general experts in the worldof gizmos.

An SSEU Local 371 member and De-partment of Parks and Recreation workerfor the last 12 years, Davis currentlyteaches 60 public school children betweenFourth and Eighth Grades, teaching thembasic robotics skills and lets them ex-periment in building their own machines. There are currently two other programssuch as this in the city, one in Manhattanand one in Staten Island.

‘Perfect’“I saw the value of it pretty quickly,

teaching kids,” Davis said when he movedinto his facility in a small, quiet Bronxplayground. “I came over and saw it and Isaid, ‘Perfect.’”

Davis, who worked as a computer pro-grammer in the private sector before com-ing to the civil service, said that his program

is part of a general effort to increase educa-tion in “STEM,” which stands for Science,

ON THE FRONT LINES

Teaching Robotics for the Next GenerationDavis currently teaches 60 publicschool children between Fourthand Eighth Grades, teaching thembasic robotics skills and lets themexperiment in building their ownmachines...“I saw the value of it prettyquickly, teaching kids,” Davis said...

Technology, Engineering and Math.“It’s a nice buzzword, but what does it

mean?” Davis asked rhetorically when hespoke about his teaching program.

He noted that bringing in the childrento play and explore with robotics gives

Albert Davis: Training young minds.

them the opportunity to discover theirskills outside of a purely academic setting.Davis noted that when children enjoy thisand excel at it, he can explain that this isactually the type of work scientists do,hoping that maybe they’ll pursue thistype of education in a more serious way.

Helping Schools What’s more, his program is giving the

schools a chance to see how importantthis program is in hopes that the Depart-ment of Education might enhance itsrobotics training.

“The schools get to see this. They comehere for free,” Davis said. “They see the

value of it and then they want to expandthis in schools.”He added that the Parks Department

was committed to the program, and thatfunding for his program came directlyfrom the budget and wasn’t a part of agrant process.

“To their credit, the agency is promotingeducation,” Davis said. “They’ve put in asignicant investment.”

A Sense of CommunityDavis comes from the private sector, but

he enjoys this work more.“I have a strong sense of community,” he

said. “The private sector was fun, but I wasmissing something.”

That “something” was the feeling ofpride he gets when school children are working collaboratively on projects,putting their minds to work on robotics, without a teacher pressing them on to doso just for a good grade.

“When a bunch of kids are around thetable, fully engaged, you’re just like ‘Yeah,

this is good stuff,’” he said.

A r i P a u l

The officers and staff of

SSEU Local 371 wish all of our

members and their families

a Happy Thanksgiving.




George Gomez

THE HOMELESS CRISIS

Shelter Staff See the Problems,and Know the Solutions

T here is no question that with theeconomic downturn in New YorkCity, which has brought about an

increase in unemployment and a reduc-tion of social services for people in need,there has been an increase in homeless-ness, both in terms of how long peoplestay in City shelters and how many clientsthere are.

City leaders don’t seem to understand what the problem is. Mayor MichaelBloomberg, when questioned about theissue, trivialized the crisis saying, “We havemade our shelter system so much betterthat, unfortunately, when people are init—or fortunately, depending on what yourobjective is—it is a much more pleasurableexperience than they ever had before.”

Say What? That’s right: The Mayor, the city’s rich-

est resident, blames the shelters for beingtoo luxurious. But the people on the frontlines know what the real issues are.

For many SSEU Local 371 members

working at the Department of HomelessServices, xing homelessness isn’t so muchabout conguring the agency, but solvingissues of affordable housing, unemploy-ment and social services in general.

For many, getting residents out of theshelter will mean more public housing andeasier ways for shelter staff to move home-less people in places like Single RoomOccupancy hotels.

“There’s no movement out,” saidGeorge Gomez, a Program Coordina-tor at the Barbara S. Kleiman shelter in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “I can’t call up anSRO and say, ‘Hey, I got a good guy, getme a room to rent.’”

Olwen DeSouza-Glen, a Social ServiceDirector at the shelter, noted that a reduc-tion in staff has made it harder for shelterto address clients’ needs, pointing out thatin 2003 there were eight Caseworkers, andthere are now only four. The shelter has200 clients.

“When you have Caseworkers, you havemore time to give intensive consulting toeach client,” she said.

DeSouza-Glen added that the social service component to homeless care was criti-cal. It is one thing to give someone a bed fora night, she said, but the system needs moreprograms to get people help with substanceabuse or help getting an education.

Staff Needed“We need the social service staff to

maintain this as a program,” she said. Ted Baker, a Community Assistant at the

shelter and a Union Delegate, reiteratedthe need for more affordable housing to

reduce the strain on the homeless shelters.He added that some things have improved.“It’s changed,” he said of the shelter popu-lation. “The ghts have gone down.”

Council Is InvolvedSSEU Local 371 members who work

in DHS are not the only people whorecognize the problem. In September,City Council Members questioned DHSCommissioner Seth Diamond at a publichearing about homelessness, in whichlawmakers pushed the issue of more socialservice programs and the ability to moveclients into affordable housing.

A City Council report noted that in just less than a year, “the number of adultfamilies with children increased by 8.34percent from 8,277 to 9,030; the numberof adult families increased by 18.18 per-cent from 1,341 to 1,639; the total numberof families increased by 9.85 percent from9,618 to 10,669...and the total number of

Ted Baker

In September, City Council Membersquestioned DHS CommissionerSeth Diamond at a public hearingabout homelessness, in whichlawmakers pushed the issue ofmore social service programs andthe ability to move clients intoaffordable housing.

P h o t o s : A r i P a u l

Continued on page 8




I t was years in themaking, but for FloydCohen, an SSEU Local

371 member and Director ofFrederick Douglass Houses, it was only the beginning.

A ribbon-cutting ceremonytook place Oct. 24 at the New York Aquarium in Coney Islandfor an installation of ceramic work by seniors at the center, who are residents of New YorkCity Housing Authority fa-cilities. Cohen had collaborated with arts groups to help seniorsat the center create the art work.

An Idea with History The idea came four years

ago when seniors worked on asimilar project where ceramic

crafts were sent to childrenin India and China. WhenCohen saw how popular the

project was, he knew it wastime to get seniors togetherfor another project that wouldbe on display. This time, the work with its aquatic creaturetheme has found a homearound the real sea creatures, which Aquarium goers will seeon display when they venturetoward the outdoor arena.

“It seemed like a goodt,” Cohen said before theceremony.

It isn’t just the joy of seeingsomething like this that makesCohen proud, but the joy theseniors got from working onan art project over time.

“It gave them a great feelingof self-esteem,” Cohen said.“It keeps them going. This

prolongs their quality of life.It’s a psychological boost forthem.”

Doing His JobLike many SSEU Local 371

members in community titlesin NYCHA, this is his role: tofoster a sense of communityamong residents. This is whythe Union values the socialservices at these facilities.

Cohen said that the Aquar-ium has agreed to work withhim again on other murals andcollages in the future.

“This is only the beginning,”he said.

MURAL OF HONOR

Seniors from the Frederick Douglass Houses celebrated the ribbon cutting for their mural.

Like many SSEULocal 371 membersin community titlesin NYCHA, this ishis [Cohen’s] role:to foster a sense ofcommunity amongresidents.

A r i P a u l




Social Service Employees UnionLocal 371817 BroadwayNew York, N.Y. 10003

Periodicals PostagePaid at New York, NY

The Homeless Crisis

CondolencesCondolences are extended to Nancy Ruiz,Receptionist at SSEU Local 371, on the death ofher Mother, Cruz Gonzalez-Mendez, who diedNov. 7. Condolences can be sent to Nancy Ruiz,817 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10003.

Condolences are extended to Shirley Gray,Executive Assistant to President AnthonyWells at SSEU Local 371, on the death ofher brother, Tony M. Gray, who died Nov. 6.Condolences can be sent to Shirley Gray, 817Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10003.

Condolences are extended to Jose Negron,Fraud Investigator, at HRA/BEV in LIC, NYon the death of his father, Mr. GumersindoNegron, who died Oct. 3. Condolences canbe sent to Mr. Jose Negron HRA/BEV, 45-2232nd Place, Long Island City, NY 11101.

Condolences are extended to Denise Barrof the SSEU Local 371 Welfare Fund, on thedeath of her uncle, Walter E. Phifer, who diedOct. 23. Condolences can be sent to DeniseBarr, SSEU Local 371 Welfare Fund, 817Broadway, 15th Fl., New York, NY 10003.

Condolences are extended to Kirby Lindell,Sup II at FIA/Employment Services at 109E. 16th St. in Manhattan, on the death of hisaunt, Mary Lewis. Condolences can be sent to226-10 88th Ave., Bellerose Manor, NY 11427.

CongratulationsCongratulations to Rodney Williams, Clericalstaff at SSEU Local 371, on the birth of hisson, Jevon Carter Washington Williams, Nov. 5.

SWAP- Job Opportunity Specialist at CrotonaJob Center #46 in the Bronx would like to swapwith Caseworker at Queens Center #53, 43-00Northern Blvd, LIC or Queens FSCC Satellite, 34-00 Northern Blvd, LIC or East River Queens #37,

One Honeywell Street, LIC. If interested, pleasecall (718) 901-4583.

BULLETIN BOARDMEMBERS’

children increased by 10.87 percent from15,964 to 17,911.”

City Council Member Brad Lander notedthat the average length of stay in a DHSshelter is 356 days, up from 241 in 2010.

“It’s galling for New York City to have thisincrease,” Lander said.

He made sharp remarks to the Commis-sioner: “You’re putting your head in the sandat about it.”

Caroline Nagy, a policy associate for hous-ing and homelessness at the Citizens’ Com-mittee for Children, testied to the City

Council, making several recommendationsfor creating alternatives to shelters, includ-ing “granting homeless families prioritizedaccess to [New York City Housing Author-ity] public housing units,” and to increasethe supply of supportive housing.

She also called for creating a new housingsubsidy for homeless families.

“While housing subsidy programs mayseem expensive, they are more cost-effectivethan shelter,” Nagy said. “The cost ofshelter is $3,000 per month compared to thecost of a rental subsidy, which would be ap-proximately $1,000 per month.”


Olwen DeSouza-Glen (right) spoke about the need for social services in the homeless shelters.

Crisis Intervention UnitIn the September issue of The Unionist wereported on the Union’s new Crisis InterventionUnit, available for members in their workplaces.

Since then, workers around the City havebeen facing a devastating crisis: the after-math of Hurricane Sandy.

In response to Hurricane Sandy, CIU servicesare available. For referrals and outreachservices, contact Alexis Davis at (212) 777-9000, ext. 3068.

the unionist november 2012

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