Page 19 - Work_Force_February_2018

TODAY
News briefs from around the state
CSEA statewide scholarship applications now available
Applications for our statewide college scholarships are
now available. Each year,
our union awards 18 $1,000
Irving Flaumenbaum Memorial Scholarships (three in each region), along with one-time, $2,500 scholarships sponsored by Pearl Carroll and MetLife. Graduating high school seniors who are dependents of our active members are eligible for the awards. Filing for a Flaumenbaum scholarship automatically puts an applicant
in consideration for the Pearl Carroll and MetLife scholarships. Download the 2018 application from our website at cseany.org. Application deadline is April 15, 2018. PLEASE NOTE: Please do not use applications from previous years. Using an older application will disqualify a candidate.
School unit members help make the holidays warmer through Angel Tree Project
BROCTON — Of all the charitable
activities and events placed on CSEA
member Barbara Buck’s holiday
calendar, the one initiative that
brings her the most pride and joy
comes from her CSEA team at work.
A cleaner at Brocton Central School
District in Chautauqua County, Buck
helped organize her unit’s “Blankets for Kids” drive this holiday season that delivered more than 33 blankets to local disadvantaged children. Buck said the effort’s major goal
was to add donations to the school’s Angel Tree Project and help local residents in creating positive holiday memories
for area children and families. The Angel Tree Project effort was a labor of love for Buck and her co-workers, who decided to collect blankets for the school project after realizing
how harsh the winter weather can be in Western New York. Buck and other unit members spread the word throughout the district’s schools. Soon, the project became a school effort, for which students, administration, faculty and CSEA staff came together for a singular cause. Buck said she is extremely happy with the results of the drive.
New contracts ratified
Coat donations help keep community warm
General Services Unit members A
officers knew that many area residents W
lbany County Department of
ith winter here, Orange County Local
would be lacking basic winter weather necessities. To meet that need, local officers organized a winter coat drive, advertising
at CSEA-represented work sites and within
the community. Local President Glen Arnold credited a local florist, Lisa Procak, for
offering her shop in the Village of Florida as an additional drop-off site. With the bitter winter temperatures thus far, the coat drive was timely.
have a new agreement that runs through December 2021. The pact includes annual salary increases, a health insurance buyout and several benefit enhancements, including increased clothing allowance and vacation carry-over ... The clerical and aides units at the Greater Amsterdam School District have new contracts. The clerical unit’s agreement runs retroactively
from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019 and includes four annual salary increases as well as an increase
in longevity. Aides unit members ratified an agreement that is retroactive to July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018, that includes salary increases and a new step schedule.
New contract at Monroe- Woodbury School District WOODBURY — Monroe-Woodbury School District Unit members recently ratified a four year contract deal with a nearly unanimous vote. The agreement, retroactive to July 1, 2016, includes wage increases
in each year of the contract and
a minimal increase in health insurance premium contributions toward the end of the contract term.The ratification comes after protracted negotiations, during which members employed at the school district in Orange County committed to a well-organized contract campaign that included solidarity days, informational picketing and community outreach.
J.J. Kelly Memorial Scholarship awarded to members’ son
onathan Abreu, the child of two Long Island Region
members, recently received CSEA’s J.J. Kelly Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to qualifying students who are the children of CSEA members who were killed or permanently disabled as a result of their jobs, or who died while an active CSEA member. This is the fourth year that Abreu has been awarded the scholarship, which is renewable every year up to four years. His father, Ramón, was permanently injured as a result of his job. J.J. Kelly had served as CSEA’s counsel during the 1950s. After Kelly died unexpectedly, leaving a widow and five young children,
the J.J. Kelly Memorial Scholarship Fund was created to help the children of members who are deceased or have permanent disabilities pursue higher education.
In this 2015 Work Force file photo, Ramón Abreu, left, and SUNY Stony Brook Local member Rosa Abreu, right, beam with pride over their son Jonathan Abreu, center, receiving our union’s J.J. Kelly Memorial Scholarship.
February 2018
The Work Force 19