Spencer
Editor’s Note: This feature is the fourth in a series that will highlight CSEA members employed at the New York State Unified Court System. The Work Force’s Jill Asencio recently spoke with Ian Spencer, a court officer and president of our union’s Region V Judiciary Local, to learn more about his work and activism in CSEA.
What is your position, and what do you do in that position?
I have been a court officer for 19 years. Our basic job duties are to secure the courthouses across New York state. We secure the front doors and run the magnetometer, otherwise known as metal detectors like what you see at airports. We also have an x-ray machine and make sure no weapons or illegal substances are brought into the courthouses.
We monitor everyone’s health and safety throughout the building and make sure nothing is going on in the facility, for example, domestic disturbances or any criminal activity while the court handles city, criminal, family court, supreme and civil defense cases in our building.
Something that most people don’t know is that we also ensure the public is taken to the correct place or directed to the correct location within the courthouse.
What is rewarding about your role?
I think a court officer can get up in the morning, go to work, put on a uniform and know that when the public walk through the doors, they’re going to be safe and healthy to be able to conduct their business and move on with their day.
As court officers, we interact with the public on a personal level every day. We can show the public, especially in today’s times, that we can empathize or sympathize with you in your situation. We can walk you through your day and make sure you’re comfortable.
Most people who come through our doors are going through a really difficult situation for them. They interact with the judge and interact with their attorney, but if they have questions, you know, really down to earth questions, they can come to one of us and we’ll walk them through it.
Court officers that I’ve worked with and known for years are excellent at that. They can sit and talk to a person quietly and really help to calm them.
Can you tell me a little about yourself and your role in CSEA?
I have been a union representative since 2009. The former Local President, Don Lynskey, had me labeled as one of the malcontents, you know – someone who is always asking, “what is the union doing for me?” He brought me in as a grievance rep and said, “If you want to make a difference, this is how we do it.”
I went through the training and he took me under his wing at that point. I came up through the ranks and when he retired three years ago this past October, I was asked to take over the local and there it was. At that time, it was a shock [because the local covers]20 counties and 1,200 to 1,300 members. I ran and won re-election unopposed. I’ve been doing this now for three years total. We deal with a multitude of issues, but it’s 100 percent satisfying.
Why you think it is important to be in CSEA?
Our latest contract passed with an overwhelming approval rating. I think this shows the bargaining power that’s behind 250,000 members. It’s an amazing thing to see, when your president can call the governor’s office and say to her what we want, and she knows there’s 250,000 people saying that’s what we want — that’s bargaining power. That’s strength in numbers. That is why it’s important to be in CSEA.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to say, we need to reach out to new people and young people who are faced with the choice and say, “Hey, join the club, you know, get in on this because it’s your torch to carry for the next 30 years.” The members are the union and the union is the membership. We need to keep building membership and ensure everybody is on the same page and working together. It’s about us as a whole and our strength in numbers.
