Rochester– On October 24, CSEA Attorney Jennifer Zegarelli addressed area retirees with respect to pending litigation against Monroe County and informed them on upcoming health insurance options at a Rochester Area Retirees Local 912 membership meeting. Photos by Ove Overmyer, CSEA ©2017.
Rochester— On October 24, CSEA staff and vendors, members from the CSEA Legal Department and special guests attended a general membership meeting for the Rochester Area Retirees Local 912 held at the Lodge on the Green, 2888 Ridgeway Avenue. More than 200 retiree members from the Counties of Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Wayne and Ontario attended the luncheon.
Topics of discussion included a presentation discussing the status of pending litigation with regard to unilateral changes to diminished health care benefits negotiated with Monroe County. CSEA Attorney Jennifer Zegarelli educated members about new developments with respect to their health care benefits and on the status of CSEA’s legal proceedings.
Over time and without advanced notice, previously negotiated health care benefits earned by retirees from Monroe Community College, the retirees from the Sheriffs Command and Support Staff and the retirees from Monroe County Unit 7400 have been significantly altered. The retirees believe the changes violate good faith bargaining and do not meet the intended spirit of the insurance language provisions set forth upon when employees retired under their workplace contracts.
CSEA Western Region President Flo Tripi has fielded hundreds of calls and letters from upset retiree members who are just looking for some straight answers to why the County of Monroe would so blatantly violate the language of previously negotiated collective bargaining agreements. In a letter sent to Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo dated October 20, President Tripi requested a face to face meeting as soon as possible to discuss what she termed, “a quick remedy and a reasonable path forward.”
In recent years, CSEA filed legal papers challenging these actions on behalf of members to hold them harmless. Since 2009, CSEA has filed several grievances and improper practice charges against Monroe County leading up to these court proceedings. Many of the attendees at the October 24 meeting were signatories to pending litigation and were thankful for the meeting update.
In light of more recent actions by Monroe County regarding unannounced unilateral changes to health insurance coverage, another informational meeting is slated for Tuesday, November 21 at the Workers United Building, 750 East Avenue, Rochester, NY. The County is requesting retiree members make deadline decisions by December 7. At the November 21 meeting, staff from CSEA Western Region, the CSEA Member Benefits Department, the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund and the CSEA Legal Department will be on hand to answer any and all questions.
The CSEA Legal Department is now in the process of filing one appeal with the NYS Appellate Court, 4th Department and has other proceedings in lower courts.
Rochester– Monroe County retiree Jeane Kennedy (left) chats with CSEA Attorney Jennifer Zegarelli at a membership meeting October 24.
-Ove Overmyer
