Page 2 - Work Force October 2019

Photo of the Month
New laws help public employees who responded to 9/11 attacks
Hassan Bias, a SUNY Stony Brook Local activist, stands union strong as he prepares to march in the New York City Labor Parade. Our members from the Long Island, Metropolitan and Southern Regions recently joined together to march in the parade. See pages 6-7 for more images from all of our Labor Day events. (Photo by Jill Asencio.)
On the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the following legislation into law:
• S.5898-D (Gaughran) / A.8278-C (Weprin): This legislation grants a 3⁄4 disability pension to any member of the State and Local Employee Retirement System or the Teachers’ Retirement System who becomes sick or disabled due to an illness connected with their work during the rescue, recovery, or cleanup at the World Trade Center site.
• S.5890-A (Gounardes) / A.7819-A (Pheffer-Amato): This legislation makes it easier for volunteers at the World Trade Center site who now work for the state to file claims for sick leave by providing a process for public authorities and municipal corporations outside of New York City to obtain reimbursement for line of duty
sick leave granted to their employees and allowing certain municipalities and authorities to use sick leave for qualifying World Trade Center conditions. This legislation also provides new protections for public employees who use this time from facing any adverse action from their employer.
CSEA supported these efforts
to recognize the service of those who stepped up when it was
most needed. Thousands of
CSEA members and other public employees were among the responders to the attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, including five of our brothers and sisters employed at the state Department of Taxation and Finance in Manhattan.
For more information or resources for members who responded to the 9/11 attacks, visit cseany.org/osh/wtc.
Workshops are being held to help you study
for the upcoming office assistant 1 – keyboarding and beginning office assistant exams
The CSEA WORK Institute will be offering workshops covering topics on these exams at the following locations:
Oct. 23 & 24 Oct. 29 & 30 Nov. 5 & 6
CSEA Western Region Office, Amherst
CSEA Metropolitan Region Office, Manhattan New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), Latham
Seating is limited, so sign up now by visiting:
csealearningcenter.org/learncenter/wregister.cfm
Please remember our booklets and FREE online courses are available 24 hours a day from any computer and cover all topics on this exam. Check out our courses at: csealearningcenter.org
For more information, contact the CSEA WORK Institute at 866-478-5548.
Remember to vote
Tuesday, Nov. 5
NYS General Election
Time Allowed for Employees to Vote
New York now allows any • registered voter to take “up to”
three hours to enable them to vote
on Election Day on November 5,
without loss of time or pay. However, there are some important details to • know.
• The employee must be registered to vote.
The employee will be allowed time off only at the beginning or end of their working shift, as the employer designates or is mutually agreed to.
The employee must notify their employer two working days prior to Election Day.
2 The Work Force
October 2019