Flanagan ‘goes above and beyond’ for high school athletics LONG LAKE — No matter the weather or the season, CSEA Long Lake Central School District bus driver Jerry Flanagan is dedicated to student athletics. That is why he was recently honored with the Excelsior Award, which honors a CSEA member who displays extraordinary dedication to school athletics. The award is jointly sponsored by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association and our union. Flanagan received the award during the association’s Football Championships at Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome in late November. “Jerry Flanagan represents the very best in CSEA — he is dedicated to his work, cares about the young people he works with, and contributes to the quality of life in his school district,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “It is great to partner with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association because it helps ensure people like Jerry are recognized for their outstanding character and service.” Flanagan is a Western New York native who grew up vacationing in Long Lake with his family, a tradition he continued with his own four children. A U.S. Army veteran with a strong work ethic, Flangan also has six grandchildren. In 2000, he moved to Long Lake as a permanent resident and began working for the Long Lake Central School District as a cleaner in 2001. Over the next two years, he earned his commercial driver’s license and became a district bus driver in 2003. In the spirit of the award, Flanagan exemplifies “going above and beyond.” Flanagan recently received the New York Public High School Athletic Association’s 2016 Excelsior Award. He soon incorporated his new job with his love of sports, driving students from Long Lake and other Mountain Valley Athletic Conference schools to their soccer, basketball and baseball games, regardless of weather. While North Country winters can often lead to tough driving conditions, that hasn’t stopped Flanagan from giving his all. In addition to driving students to and from the games safely, he keeps score and records statistics for the teams. Flanagan said that he loves the community and that the kids are fantastic. He marveled that despite the students’ dedication to athletics, all put academics first and are “scholar athletes.” For his efforts, he was nominated for the Excelsior Award by two separate district athletic directors. When asked about the award, Flanagan noted that “he gets more than he gives.” — Therese Assalian CSEA legal corner Editor’s Note: Your CSEA Legal Department is a team of 10 in-house attorneys and regional attorneys who represent members across New York state. The department handles more than 1,000 cases each year, including grievance arbitrations, court actions and administrative proceedings. Here are some recent victories your legal team secured for CSEA members. Abuse charges tossed In this state Justice Center case, a state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) employee was charged with abuse for allegedly falsifying a report of physical intervention that was performed on an individual, and for making false statements during an investigation on the intervention. CSEA represented the employee at a hearing before an administrative law judge, who found that it could not be concluded that the employee’s statements were intentionally false. The judge ordered that the report of alleged abuse be amended and sealed. Unlikely conspiracy theories During a disciplinary case, the state sought termination of an eight-year Office of Mental Health employee and CSEA member. State officials claimed the member had pushed residents, used inappropriate language and gestures, and allegedly failed to perform his overall job duties. State officials interviewed 25 other staff members present at the scene of the alleged incident, none of whom stated that they saw any of the alleged abuse take place. CSEA represented the member before a neutral arbitrator, who found it highly unlikely that there was “a widespread conspiracy among 25 people to cover up the truth.” The arbitrator found the member not guilty of the charges and returned him to work with full back pay and benefits. Proper equipment training is not optional CSEA alleged that the Town of North Castle violated the CSEA contract when town officials did not properly train union-represented employees on using a new front end loader, potentially putting members in danger. The contract specifically states: “When new or unproved equipment of a type similar to or normally used by employees within their classification is acquired, they will be instructed and given reasonable training in the use of such equipment.” CSEA argued that the new loader had different capabilities and features and employees never received training on it. The arbitrator agreed and ordered the town to train employees on operating the new equipment. 12 The Work Force January 2017
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