Page 2 - Work Force March 2025

Photo of the Month
New state Executive Branch longevity system begins April 1
From left, CSEA Field Mobilization Specialist Mildred Garcia places a Labor Luncheon entrance wristband on Capital Region 2nd Vice President Susan Watson-Amos at the CSEA event table during the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian (NYSABPRHAL) Legislative Caucus 54th Annual Legislative Conference, which was recently held in Albany. (Photo by Jill Asencio.)
Starting April 1, 2025, CSEA members employed in the state’s Executive Branch will see a long-sought change in their longevity eligibility.
Longevity payments, a negotiated benefit, is extra money for years of service.
Currently, to receive a longevity payment in the state Executive Branch, a CSEA member must work in their title for 12 years (seven years to complete the steps and then remain for five years at the “job rate”).
If a member then stayed in that
title for 17 years, they received a second longevity payment. However,
if a member took a promotion, which generally caused them to receive a pay increase (salary grade increase), the longevity was lost, until they once again hit job rate and stayed there for the requisite amount of time.
For many CSEA members, this acted as a disincentive to take a promotion. For decades, CSEA fought the state
on what qualified an individual for longevity. The state always wanted it to be tied to years in title, while our union advocated that longevity should be based on years with the State Executive Branch.
Many members have worked for the
state for 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years, and still have not received longevity because they received promotions along the
way and were never at job rate at any position for the requisite five years.
Through hard-fought negotiating sessions over months that included long nights and weekends, the CSEA Negotiating Team in the 2021-2026 negotiations secured a major victory.
Starting this April, longevity will be based on years of CSEA state executive branch service. Longevity eligibility will no longer be tied to years in title and no longer are members going to lose their longevity if they take a promotion.
This is a tremendous victory for our union and members.
Some CSEA members employed in the Executive Branch have never once received a longevity because they may have been with the state executive branch for 22 years but may have taken three promotions during that time.
As of April, those members with 12, 17, or 22 years of CSEA state Executive Branch service will receive appropriate longevity payment based on their service time.
This is a great example of our union continuing to fight to improve wages and benefits for members.
Amid unauthorized strikes, CSEA advocating for DOCCS members
CSEA members employed at state Department of Correctional Services and Community Supervision
(DOCCS) facilities have faced a challenging last few weeks as some correction officers have engaged
in a wildcat strike at multiple correctional facilities.
Due to worker unrest over
issues including safety concerns and understaffing, correction officers began on February 17 an unauthorized strike at two facilities. The state’s Taylor Law strictly prohibits public employee strikes and violations can result in serious penalties, including loss of pay, disciplinary action or termination.
As strikes at correctional facilities grew, CSEA leaders stayed in direct contact with members employed at DOCCS. While CSEA members were urged to report to work as scheduled to avoid any penalties associated
with the wildcat strike, safety is
our union’s top priority. CSEA DOCCS local officers and union staff encouraged members to immediately alert our union if they were directed to perform unsafe or out-of-title tasks. CSEA has continued to work with the state to address safety concerns during this fluid situation.
CSEA negotiated with Gov. Kathy Hochul an emergency overtime
rate increase of 2.5 times pay for all DOCCS members. This Executive Order applies to all overtime— scheduled or not—retroactively from 7 a.m. on Feb. 17, 2025, and will remain in effect until the governor deems a return to normal rates appropriate.
As this issue went to press, the Governor’s office was in mediation with NYSCOBA to resolve the issue. CSEA will keep members updated on the situation as details unfold.
2 The Work Force
March 2025
Medicaid cuts could have strong impact on New York
The Trump administration’s ongoing push for Medicaid cuts poses a serious threat to the health and well- being of millions of New Yorkers.
As one of the largest Medicaid recipients in the country, New York stands to lose critical funding that supports working families, seniors, children, people with disabilities and mental illness.
These proposed cuts could force hospitals and clinics to reduce services such as doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription medications and long- term care while increasing costs for patients. It is not just cuts to hospitals that are threatened; the state’s Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and Office of Mental Health (OMH) would be greatly impacted, as a majority of the agencies’ funding comes
from Medicaid.
Any reduction in federal funding
would shift costs to the states. This could result in New York making tough decisions that could result in budget cuts, service cuts and job loss, which would add greater financial strain
on working families who already are struggling with continued high costs.
CSEA is working with other unions, including our international union, AFSCME, to push back against these cuts. This is an ongoing and fluid situation.
CSEA members are encouraged to stay informed by signing up for CSEA’s Legislative and Political Action’s weekly newsletter, This Week In Albany. Watch The Work Force, as future editions will feature Medicaid’s impact on our union members.