Page 16 - Work Force July-August 2020

New union membership records platform features user enhancements and increased security
CSEA Legal Services Program
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS / LEGAL SERVICES PLAN
Providing quality legal representation to members and their families at pre-negotiated, discounted rates for personal matters such as a will, health care proxy and power of attorney to protect your legal rights. Illness or disability requiring long-term care can happen at any time to you, your spouse, child or parent, and threaten savings or your home ownership. This provides you access to attorneys who specialize in these areas.
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
If you are injured at work or you have a work-related medical condition (such as a repetitive stress injury like carpal tunnel syndrome) or an occupational disease, notify your employer and see a physician who accepts Workers’ Compensation.
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS
If your physician says you have medical conditions that prevent you from working for at least a year, if you are under retirement age, or even if you are collecting a pension or ready to retire, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDB).
PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM
If you have been injured in an auto accident outside of work, or from a dog bite, from a non work-related slip and fall or due to a malfunctioning product, you may have a personal injury claim.
VETERANS DISABILITY CLAIM
If you are a veteran and have been denied a service-related medical disability for medical issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, effects from Agent Orange or other chemicals, you may have a veterans disability claim.
The CSEA Legal Department oversees the Legal Services Program.
One component of that program is the Taking Care of Business / Legal Services Plan which is a members-only benefit program that provides quality legal representation at pre-negotiated, discounted fees for personal non-injury related matters. For more information, call the CSEA Legal Department at 1-800-342-4146, ext. 1443. A second component of the Legal Services Program is the injury-related legal plan. For over 25 years, CSEA has endorsed the statewide firm of Fine, Olin & Anderman, LLP (FOA) to provide quality attorney representation to members for injury/illness related matters at little or no out-of- pocket costs. For further information, call the CSEA Legal Department at 1-800-342-4146 or FOA directly at 1-800-522-9001.
WE CAN HELP!
ALBANY — CSEA members logging in to our union’s website at cseany.org will now have access
to new features and enhancements, thanks to a recent upgrade of our union’s membership system.
Our new online platform, MemberLink, is powered by UnionWare, a software company specializing in software solutions exclusively for unions. The platform combines multiple computerized systems our union staff uses to offer enhanced functionality on behalf
of union members.
Union members
won’t notice any big changes right away. The primary difference will be
Sullivan said she is pleased to finally see the new system implemented.
“We are always seeking to make sure we can deliver the best services to CSEA members, and our new UnionWare system will allow us to do that in many ways, mostly behind the scenes,” Sullivan said. “I thank our Information Technology team and all our union staff for working
so hard to get this system up and running.”
Enhancements to the system for users include easier log in, the ability
the new
MemberLink
account
page
members
will see
when they
login to
their user account. All registered users should have received an email with a personalized link to set their MemberLink password and link their old and new accounts.
“We are excited to upgrade our systems to make them more secure and offer improved operations for our union staff and members,” said CSEA Chief Information Officer Amritpal Singh.
The upgrade to CSEA’s computer systems has been a multi-year process involving all CSEA departments. CSEA President Mary E.
to update your job information, the ability to view union trainings you’ve completed, a copy of your current union contract (where available) and easier event registration.
Singh noted that
a small portion of CSEA members who
had previously established online recurring dues payments through the union’s website — primarily Associate members, VOICE/CSEA Local 100A members, and Retiree Division members — would need
to set up new dues payment arrangements under the union’s new secure payment processing system. These users were also sent written notice to notify them of the change.
— Mark M. Kotzin
16 The Work Force
July-August 2020
A screenshot of the new MemberLink webpage.