Jay Schneiderman, CSEA Southampton Unit Vice President Kathy Dineen and Maura Foreman discuss town affairs.
HAMPTON BAYS — At a time when unions are being aggressively attacked by corporate interest groups, it is important to have politicians like Jay Schneiderman on CSEA’s side.
Schneiderman, who is pursuing his third two-year term as Town of Southampton Supervisor, has been community engaged for more than 20 years.
Schneiderman’s father was a teacher and a union member, so you could say that unionism is in his blood.
“Because of my father, I’ve known about bargaining units and the plight of working people, before my political career began,” said Schneiderman.
When Schneiderman served as Town of East Hampton Supervisor, he was shocked when he found out how little money workers in the town were making. He immediately decided to do something about it.
“What union members in East Hampton were making at the time would put them at the poverty level,” said Schneiderman. “It was embarrassing that in a place like the Hamptons, we were paying our workers so little.”
Schneiderman made the decision to make wage adjustments.
“My first year in office, I handed out $1 million in salary increases,” said Schneiderman. “I paid for those increases by taking the town’s taxes and putting them in interest-bearing accounts. Members of the workforce were in tears because they were so happy that someone cared enough to do something to help them.”
During Schneiderman’s time as a Suffolk County legislator, he put procedures in place that brought a tremendous amount of financial resources back to Southampton through sales tax revenues.
“The procedures I put in place allowed the town to expand its workforce significantly,” said Schneiderman. “I believe the town is still receiving $3 million more in sales tax from Suffolk County than it had been prior to my tenure as a Suffolk County legislator.”
By the time Schneiderman became the Town of Southampton Supervisor, he already knew CSEA Town of Southampton Unit President Laura Smith from his days serving in the Town of East Hampton. Both were former residents of the Town of East Hampton and became acquaintances while Schneiderman was serving in his former position.
It was Smith who approached Schneiderman about the inequities that existed in the Town of Southampton at the time he became town supervisor.
As a legislator in Southampton, Schneiderman has worked with CSEA to effect change by paying retirees for up to 45 days of unused sick time, the acquisition of an additional personal day for workers and the elimination of health care contributions for retirees.
“I also worked to make sure that titles that should have been union positions were brought into CSEA’s bargaining unit,” said Schneiderman. “Those titles rightfully belonged to CSEA.”
“I believe strongly in people’s right to be represented by a union,” said Schneiderman. “I didn’t ask for one concession.”
As for his plans for the future, Schneiderman says he will continue to work hard to serve the people of Southampton. “If I can make a difference, I think my time is well spent,” said Schneiderman.
— Wendi Bowie
