Chief Judge Janet DiFiore is trying to convince the state legislature to amend the state constitution to consolidate and restructure the state’s court system.

Under this proposal, the state’s 11 trial courts would be consolidated into three: the Supreme Court (consisting of Family, Probate, Criminal, State Claims, Commercial, and General divisions), a Municipal Court (consisting of the NYC civil / criminal courts, Long Island District Courts, and the 61 Upstate City Courts), and the Justice Courts (town / village courts that wouldn’t see a change).

It is said that this proposal will result in savings to the court system. In reality, what this means is that as courts are consolidated, fewer staff will be tasked with more responsibility, further stressing a workforce that has already shrunk by at least 12% since 2009.

Use this form to send a letter to legislators to tell them to reject the Chief Judge’s proposal.

Governor Hochul signed legislation to allow speed cameras to be placed in active work zones to make our roads safer for workers and drivers, and to ensure that the dedicated CSEA members that make our roads safe for travel get to go home safe at the end of the day.

A major CSEA/VOICE priority was signed in 2021! Governor Hochul signed legislation to require all counties to offer child care providers the option to be paid by direct deposit!

The Governor has signed legislation creating a statewide standard for hours of care for nursing home residents. Please read this fact sheet for details and how it will affect CSEA members that work in nursing homes.

In 2021, legislation was signed into law to require the formation of staffing committees in every hospital in the state. The committees will work to determine how many nurses (including RNs, LPNs, and CNAs) are required to be in each unit. This will help better staff our facilities and give patients better quality care.

Governor Hochul Signed legislation to ensure that all honorably discharged veterans are eligible for additional points on civil service examinations in recognition of their service. Previously, only veterans who served during specific times and theatres of war were eligible for these credits.

Legislation was enacted in 2021 to continue, for three additional years, OPWDD Care Pilot programs. These programs offer state operated community based programs for the developmentally disabled. These programs include community habilitation, in-home respite, pathways to employment, supported employment, and community pre-vocational.

After years of fighting, the Governor finally signed legislation to grant DMNA firefighters a performance of duty disability benefit. This law grants firefighters employed by DMNA a 50% final average salary pension if they are physically or mentally incapacitated because of a disability caused by an on-the-job injury.

This new law creates a new classification for public safety dispatchers as “first responders in communications.” For too long, emergency dispatch operators have not been viewed as first responders, even though they are usually the first person someone speaks to when reporting a health or safety emergency. This law will begin the process of ensuring that we view these workers as first responders and will allow us to begin having a broader discussion around what we can do to recruit and retain additional workers in this field.

Probation officers play a vital role in keeping our communities safe. While facing many of the same risks and threats as other law enforcement personnel, Probation officers are not eligible for the same medical and wage protections that other law enforcement and first responders are entitled to. This bill would allow, at local option, counties to offer full pay and benefits for county probation officers who are injured on the job.

Click here to write your legislators in support of this bill

The New York State Legislature is considering legislation (A.1962 – Barrett / S.5477 – Benjamin) that would make it easier for counties to eliminate staff at county correctional facilities.

These decisions would be made at a time when it is impossible to distinguish the impact of COVID-19 on jail populations from any general decline in the inmate census.

Write to your legislator today and tell them not to put workers out of a job and hurt our communities!

The state legislature is considering legislation to allow builders to self-certify their own documents.

Allowing this legislation to move forward would take away from the checks and balances needed to make sure buildings comply with safety standards and codes. Public safety is a fundamental government purpose, and builders shouldn’t be responsible for certifying their own work.

Click here to tell your legislator to oppose this legislation.

Under current New York State Law, part-time teaching assistants can be fired for any reason and have no rights to a hearing, unless it is specified in a union contract. All other educational, municipal, and state employees, regardless of job, have discipline rights written in state law.

Click here to ask the legislature to support A. 6978 / S. 6206 which will guarantee part-time teaching assistants the right to a hearing if they are facing termination by a school district or a BOCES.

Under current state law, counties must pay only an additional 5% per child if they require non-traditional hours of care or come from a family that is homeless. Unfortunately, that is not enough to incentivize provides to offer care to children in these categories and leaves families requiring services with few legal and licensed options.

Legislation strongly supported by CSEA/VOICE would require that all counties pay a 15% rate differential for children in these categories, which will better compensate providers and encourage more providers to provide care to these children.

Contact your state senator and assembly members today and ask them to co-sponsor and support this legislation.