State closure plans raise concerns CSEA was blindsided by the Cuomo administration’s recently announced plans to close four state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities campuses, including Brooklyn, O.D. Heck, Broome and Bernard Fineson between December 2015 and March 2017, affecting more than 1,700 workers. On the same day, the governor also announced plans to close several correctional facilities” Butler, Chateaugay, Mt. McGregor and Monterey. Despite the administration’s claims that the closure will not result in job losses, CSEA is skeptical. On this page are features about members’ concerns about the plan at several of the affected facilities. OPWDD services in jeopardy BROOKLYN — Faye Wilkie-Fields worries about the fate of individuals who will be uprooted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plans to close four state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities campuses by 2017, including her own campus, Brooklyn DDSO. “We have been caring for these individuals since 1974 when Brooklyn DDSO was opened,” said Wilkie-Fields, president of CSEA’s Brooklyn DDSO Local. “In many cases, we are all the family they have.” As with other state agencies, the administration has been moving rapidly and, many fear, often with inadequate planning, to downsize and/or privatize agencies and job functions throughout the state. State officials maintain that no workers will be laid off by this closure. But with the list of workers from facilities that are being closed growing, Brooklyn DDSO workers wonder how there can be enough jobs to fill, especially with Bernard Fineson in Queens also on the closure list. Brooklyn DDSO, is the only facility that has the Developmental Disability Secure Care Treatment Aide (DSCTA) title. Once Brooklyn DDSO closes in December 2015, Wilkie-Fields wonders Brooklyn DDSO Local members listen to CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Joel Schwartz explain some of the changes coming to the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities at a recent Office of Mental Health/OPWDD Road Show meeting. where and how will some 50 DSCTAs be reassigned. She’s also worried about other titles, including housekeeping, maintenance, food service, power plant and clerical positions that may be privatized with workers losing many of the rights and protections they’ve fought for and enjoyed during their careers. There’s also concern about placing the courtmandated individuals, such as sex offenders and pedophiles, in these secure facilities in the community. “These individuals will now be in the communities where our families live,” said Wilkie-Fields, a DSCTA since 1995. Nearly 600 workers and their families will be affect by the closure of Brooklyn DDSO and many, Wilkie- Fields suspects, may be placed at distant facilities. “The mood and morale is extremely low,” said Wilkie-Fields. “They say no layoffs, but we don’t have a clue where workers are going to end up.” The financial sacrifices workers made in recent contracts to avoid layoffs combined with the workload they’ve had to endure due to low staffing, is not lost on these workers. “We have done our part and kept our end of the bargain, and this is what we get,” said Wilkie-Fields. “It feels like another form of unionbusting.” At O.D. Heck Developmental Center in the Capital Region, 229 direct care and clerical employees fear losing their jobs. The Niskayuna campus offers many types of services and treatment options, and an autism program that local families rely on. The Cuomo administration has made no commitment to a future for state developmental disabilities services in the community. — David Galarza and Therese Assalian “The mood and morale is extremely low. They say no layoffs, but we don’t have a clue where workers are going to end up.” How many CSEA workers are affected? Brooklyn: 581 O.D. Heck: 229 Bernard Fineson: 415 Broome: 484 TOTAL: 1,709 Mt. McGregor employees fear for their futures under Cuomo closure plan WILTON — About 55 CSEA members employed at Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility in Saratoga County are among those to be affected by the state’s recent prison closure announcement. Many Mt. McGregor workers recall the same battle four years ago when the facility was targeted. The “camp” portion was shuttered, but downsized corrections operations continued. For workers in this rural area, relocation options are limited, especially for those in uncommon job titles. CSEA Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility Local President Scott Dussault has been coordinating with CSEA Capital Region President Kathy Garrison to galvanize the work force and to bring union resources to workers. The region is also working with the local to develop a campaign to inform elected officials and the public about the impact of job losses in the community. Plant Utilities Engineer Mike DeVenuto relocated his family to the area earlier this year. He has been on the job working in the powerhouse for only five months when the closure notice came out. DeVenuto said he is concerned about the effect the closure will have on his family and worried about where he will work next. “We are in trouble,” he said. — Therese Assalian 6 The Work Force September 2013
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