ALBANY — When CSEA members have a question or concern, they can easily get the help they need through our union’s Member Solutions Center.
Based in our union’s headquarters, the center and its staff can help CSEA members in numerous ways, including updating contact information, answering questions and directing members to the right place for help on anything from benefits to worksite issues.
Launched in 2018, when CSEA anticipated a high volume of member calls in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 opinion, the Member Solutions Center was an “all hands on deck” working environment. Every CSEA department was represented in the call center to maximize our union’s resources as calls came in.
Now, the center has permanent staff who are all trained to not only help solve members’ concerns, but also have conversations with them on many union topics.
While members can also get many of their questions answered through our union’s Contact Us form on CSEA’s website at cseany.org, the call center holds value for members who may lack online access or prefer to speak with a live person.
“In the wake of automated technology that grew even more rapidly during the pandemic, we know that there is still an appetite for our members to speak to a live person,” said CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan. “When members have a pressing issue that needs attention, the last thing they want to hear on the other line of the phone is a recording. Our union continues to prioritize ways to engage our members and the call center is one of these resources.”
“No issue is too small for the call center,” said CSEA Director of Membership Charisse Seneres. “We have a seasoned staff who really knows what is going on in our union, and the staff is available to solve anything from accessing email to addressing membership status inquiries.”
Engagement is key
As our union continues to face threats and scam attempts from out-of-state groups (see page 3 for more), the call center is a key part of our union’s team to engage members and give them accurate information in a timely manner.
“One of the obvious threats we are hearing are these groups, attempts to get members to opt out of our union,” said Seneres. “The scammers use divisive issues to get attention and get our members to click on a link that may compromise their device for their contact information and more. CSEA members are not fooled. They know that free-riders only weaken unions. People need to remember that no legitimate company or organization is going to ask you to quit your union.”
Member Solutions Center staff are also trained on listening for potential topic trends.
David Sanchez, a member solutions specialist, logs data after assisting a member.
“We personally assess a situation by finding out what’s going on,” said David Sanchez, a member solutions specialist. “The way we keep track is if we get multiple calls from the same local or unit involving the same issue, we will follow it up with the region.”
Sanchez noted that the center staff are also trained to engage members who may be frustrated and unsure who to contact to resolve a problem.
“Sometimes, members may be frustrated because they didn’t find a solution to their issue and may not know where to go next,” said Sanchez. “I try to walk them through a ladder of union contacts, including labor relations specialists or region directors. Many times, they feel better and reassured when we tell them there are resources for help.”
Staff also draw on their own experience to engage CSEA members.
“We all have our perspectives and backgrounds with other CSEA departments, so we use that to answer members’ questions,” said Sanchez, who previously worked in our union’s State Operations, Research and Member Benefits departments before joining the Member Solutions Center in 2019.
Sanchez is also bilingual in Spanish and assists members who speak Spanish as a primary language.
“We get a good amount of inbound calls from Spanish-speaking members,” said Sanchez. “A significant number of them come from child care [VOICE Local 100A] and downstate.”
Many of the inquiries that Member Solutions Center staff handle include questions from members about dental and vision benefits, as well as insurance questions.
Call center staff also have at hand a list of potential contacts for inquiring members, including contact information regarding union benefits or union representation.
Sanchez noted that CSEA Retiree members also frequently contact our union for questions.
“Retirees have questions about their benefits and have a lot of questions about health insurance,” said Sanchez. “They also ask about their pensions.”
If you have a question, need help or want to discuss our union with a specialist, we are here to help. Call us today at (800) 342-4146.
— Janice Gavin
Helpful phone numbers:
Member Solutions Center: 1-800-342-4146
Employee Benefit Fund (Dental & Vision): 1-800-323-2732
Health Benefits Department: 1-800-286-5242
Pearl Insurance: 518-640-8234
WORK Institute: 1-866-478-5548
New York State and Local Retirement System: 1-866-805-0990
NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training: 1-800-253-4332
AFSCME: 202-429-1000
