CSEA Albany County Local 801         
      
Local News

 This Week in Albany

County Budget

The entire Albany County Budget book is available in PDF format.

Individual sections from the introductory portion of the budget and individual budget reports will be made available shortly.

COMPLETE 2016 ADOPTED BUDGET BOOK [296 pages, 8 Mb]
This is a large file and may take some time to download completely.

The complete budget book is a digital image of the printed version.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES

Contract Now

With over 1,000 bargaining units and 110,000 members there are always issues in Local Government. This is where you can find the resources, facts and arguments to fight back against the big challenges to County, Town, City, Village and School District members across the state.

On this page you will find information on the most current topics and challenges that our members in Local Government are faced with today.

  • Nursing Homes County nursing homes across the state are fighting to stay open. County Executives and Legislatures have been convinced by the Governor and others that this is the time to get out of the nursing home business. Many of our counties have been fighting to keep their public nursing homes open. Hundreds of workers are at risk and thousands of New York’s elderly will be better served by our fight to keep public sector nursing homes thriving.
  • CSEA Nursing Home Summit CSEA hosted a Nursing Home Summit in October and November of 2102 at Albany and Rochester…
  • read more…
  • Nursing Home Campaign Updates As was discussed at the Nursing Home Summits, updates will be provided from time to time in an effort to ensure everyone has as much information as possible to help them with their own battles to keep their county nursing homes public. Click on the county for updates.   
  • Orange County, Chautauqua County, Saratoga County, Steuben County, Wayne County Nursing Home

 

NEW — FALL ISSUE OF THE CAPITAL REGION NEWSLETTER

fall_leaves

Catch up on the latest news with the Capital Region’s fall newsletter. Lots of information on events and issues facing the membership, including a letter from Capital Region President Ron Briggs.

Print and share your copy now. fall2016r4news

 

CSEA Capital Region President Ron Briggs joined host Susan Arbetter today on WCNY’s The Capitol Pressroom to discuss the Child Protective Services Safety Act. Briggs stressed CSEA’s support for the legislation that would cap caseloads at fifteen. Speaking from personal experience as a former CPS worker, Briggs also discussed the ...

Read more...

 

 

Support ​42 UAW Union Members Locked-out by Corporate Monster Honeywell since May 9, 2016

If there ever was a time when we should be supporting our union brothers and sisters, that time is NOW.  We will be at the picket line at the Main Gate, 50 Cohoes Avenue (Cohoes Blvd. Exit on 787 N) tomorrow night between 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Join us and know that you are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with courageous working class comrades in this crucial struggle which is our struggle as well.  All time spent on 24/7 picket line welcome.

We are mourning the loss of St. Lawrence County Retirees Local president Joe Cosentino, 89, who passed away on Aug. 10. A World War II veteran and a longtime activist in veterans affairs, Cosentino was recently featured in the Retiree News for his recent installment in the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame. Our thoughts are with his loved ones. Read more about Cosentino's life and service to our union:https://cseany.org/in-memoriam.

Timeline Photos

 

 

Week ending March 18, 2016


 One House Budgets Released
The Senate and Assembly released their one-house budget proposals last weekend. These proposals lay out each house’s priorities as negotiations over the final budget ramp up.

The Senate’s budget proposal shows strong support for CSEA’s priorities regarding the Office of Mental Health and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, while also rejecting Governor Cuomo’s proposal to increase health care costs for those retiring from the state on or after October 1.

The Assembly’s proposal also rejects the Governor’s retiree health care proposal and promotes a fairer tax structure.

CSEA will continue to fight for the rights and benefits of our members as negotiations toward a final budget agreement move forward.

Supreme Court Nomination

President Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Republicans who control the U.S. Senate have indicated that they will not take any action to confirm any nominee until a new president is elected.

Voter Registration Deadline

The last day to register to vote in the the April 19 Presidential Primary / Special Election is March 25.

Don't forget that you must be a registered Democrat or a registered Republican to vote in that party's Primary Election.

To see if you're already registered, click here. To download a voter registration form, please visit our website.

Help Us Help You

The Legislative & Political Action Department will be expanding our use of online webinars to keep CSEA members informed of the issues that matter to them. In order to help us offer these webinars in the most effective way possible, we need your help.

A minute of your time will help us determine the best time to hold our webinars and let us know the topics that interest you the most. 

Week ending March 11, 2016

Budget Update

 On March 1, CSEA participated in AFSCME's Legislative reception in Albany. A number of legislative leaders were in attendance along with leaders and activists from other AFSCME councils in New York State. CSEA stressed the need for the state budget to ensure that the state meet its fundamental obligation to provide care for those who need it the most and to protect retirees.

Additionally, CSEA members from the OMH and OPWDD advisory committees were in Albany this week to reinforce the message that more needs to be done within those agencies to provide critical services. 

The Senate and Assembly are expected to release their one-house budgets over the weekend. Once each house has laid out its priorities, negotiations will ramp up with the goal of having a completed budget before April 1.

Register to Vote


The last day to register to vote in the the April 19 Presidential Primary / Special Election is March 25.

Click on the above banner to register to vote using Rock the Vote's registration tool. Once your information is filled out, you will need to mail the completed application to the Board of Elections. You can also click here to download and print a voter registration form.

Constitutional Convention Webinar

The Legislative & Political Action Department will be hosting another webinar on the upcoming constitutional convention ballot question on Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30PM. 

We hope that you will take the time to join us to discuss this very important issue. 

There are still spots available, so click here to register for the webinar.

Week ending January 22, 2016

School Tax Cap

According to Comptroller DiNapoli’s office, property tax levy growth for school districts will be capped at 0.12% for the 2016-17 fiscal year. This means that school districts outside of New York City and the “Big Four” city school districts (Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo) will have roughly $308 million less in levy growth than they had in 2015-16.

Villages and library districts are facing a similar 0.12% tax cap this year, while counties, towns, fire districts, and many cities are facing a 0.73% cap.

While Governor Cuomo repeatedly refers to the property tax cap as a two percent cap, the reality is that the cap has been much lower in recent years and municipalities and school districts are further restrained in the level of services they can provide.

Court of Appeals Has a New Top Judge

Janet DiFiore, the former Westchester County District Attorney, was confirmed as the Chief Judge of the State Court of Appeals by the State Senate this week. DiFiore replaced Jonathan Lippman, who was required to retire at the end of 2015 when he turned 70.

 Legislative & Political Action Budget Briefing

The Legislative & Political Action Department will be holding a budget briefing video conference with region Political Action Committees next Tuesday. The briefing will be recorded and will be made available for viewing on our website. Stay tuned for more information.

Constitutional Convention Webinar

Thank you to everyone who participated in Wednesday’s first-ever CSEA webinar and helped to make it a great success. Please stay tuned to “This Week in Albany” for information when new webinar sessions are scheduled and become available.

At a Glance

The legislature will conduct joint legislative budget hearings on the topics of health/Medicaid, local governments, elementary and secondary Education, and environmental conservation next week in addition to being in session for two days.

CSEA will testify at the Workforce Development joint budget hearing on Wednesday, February 3.

 

Executive Budget Released

Governor Cuomo’s proposed 2016-17 Executive Budget lays out $100 billion worth of investments for New York State including roads, bridges, airports, mass transit improvements, new and improved airports as well as water and sewer projects. In addition, the Governor proposes to invest some of this money to build supportive housing for the increasing number of homeless residents across the state. While many of these investments will be done over time, there is still a big question of how the state will pay for it.

What is more disturbing, however, is the lack of funding and investment in services for the developmentally disabled and those in need of mental health treatment. Families across the state, well over 11,000, have been demanding services for residential housing, respite care, and sheltered workshops for their loved ones who are now being cared for in their homes. More and more mental health beds are being taken down with no increase in community supports for those in need. In fact, we have found that many in crisis are being treated in hospital emergency rooms because there are not sufficient beds available. This budget continues to ignore these needs. This lack of funding and services will be a main focus of our budget efforts this year. While the Governor claims that he is going to provide housing for the homeless, he doesn't include any supports for the homeless to be able to live independently.

Agency projections do not anticipate any layoffs in this budget. However, on the local government side there is another $70 million for local governments to continue to consolidate and share services across the state. There is no increase in Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) money included in this budget, and both Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and Marchiselli aid remain at last year’s funding levels.

Education aid will be $2.1 billion over two years and Gap Elimination Adjustment will be eliminated by 2018. The Governor once again proposes an education investment tax credit for the wealthy that allows them a 75% tax credit against their contributions to non-public and public schools. There is also a proposal for a tax credit for lower-income families of up to $500 dollars per child for tuition paid at private schools.

The Governor continues SUNY 2020 and the accompanying rationale tuition program which allows SUNY schools to increase tuition by up to $300 annually for the next five years. At the same time, the Governor reduces funding for SUNY hospitals by over $18 million.

The Governor also proposes freezing tolls on the Thruway until 2020 as well as creating a tax credit for frequent business and individual travelers. In addition, any agricultural or farm business using the Thruway would get a tax credit for the entire amount of tolls paid.

One of the more disturbing proposals in this budget would increase health care costs for those retiring after October 1, 2016. This would impact current employees by reducing the amount of premiums the state would pay for future retirees with less than 30 years of service. Police, fire, and state corrections officers would be exempted from this proposal. CSEA will work to defeat this proposal.

Additionally, there is a proposal to require public employers to publish on their websites and at their workplaces the terms of any collective bargaining agreement yet to be ratified by the members or a legislative body. There is no question that the Governor’s intent is to pit public employees against the general public and make it harder to get our contracts approved by the appropriate legislative body.

The Governor has evidenced his intent to support a constitutional convention by appropriating $1million to a commission to study proposals that could be proposed at a constitutional convention as well as a proposal to determine who can run as a delegate. Voters will decide whether a constitutional convention should be held on the November 2017 ballot.

Click here to read our full summary on our website. As we continue to review specific language, we will get that information out to you as soon as possible.

Joint Legislative Budget Hearing Schedule Announced

The legislature announced the schedule of joint Senate and Assembly hearings on Governor Cuomo’s budget proposal. CSEA will testify at the Workforce Development hearing scheduled for 1 PM on February 3.



COMPLETE 2016 EXECUTIVE BUDGET BOOK [340 pages, 8 Mb]
This is a large file and may take some time to download completely.

A FUND DEPARTMENTS

The following documents are available in Excel formats (in italic) and simply contain the tabular Financial Report data.

A FUND SEPARATELY ELECTED DEPARTMENTS

The following documents are available Excel formats (in italic) and simply contain the tabular Financial Report data.

A9060: Retiree Health Care [Excel]

D/DM/G/NH FUND DEPARTMENTS

The following documents are available Excel formats.(in italic) and simply contain the tabular Financial Report data.