NEW YORK CITY LOCAL 246 l SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, AFL-CIO

VOL. 9 NO. 4 DECEMBER 2012

2013 Membership Card

New York CitY SeiU LoCaL 246

Joseph A. Colangelo, President

2013 Membership Cards 2 Sanitation Dinner 6

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fORMER pREsiDENt BiLL CLiNtON viSitS queeNS 14 SaNitatioN after hurriCaNe SaNDy

Members working in one of the hardest hit communities in the metropolitan area re-ceived an unexpected visitor when former president Bill Clinton stopped by the shop to lend his support af-ter the devastation.

"this was a real morale booster for our members, many of whom had per-sonal losses," said Presi-dent Joe Colangelo.

he said that while mem-bers are working extra hard to maintain ve-hicles damaged during the storm, it came to light during recent field visits that each individual agency is handling the clean-up and restoration of damages to its own garages and repair facilities after hurricane Sandy differently.

Colangelo said that where the location is a rental property, the landlord may be responsible. Some agencies are utilizing a mix of private companies and their own employees to do repairs, and even asking Local 246 members to take on the tasks.

in order to protect Local 246 members, Colangelo said Shop Stewards have been asked to identify each location where mem-bers work and note if that location was impacted by the storm. if there was damage, the union is determining what repair work was done, and who performed the work, the agency itself or a private contractor. if no work was done, the union is request-ing repairs be made immediately for the continued health and safety of members.

photo courtesy of Auto Mechanic Hector perez

JOsEpH A. COLANGELOon the weekend before hurricane Sandy was forecast for New york and New Jersey, the predictions were dire. this super storm, measuring 1,000 miles across, was projected to make landfall in New Jersey near at-lantic City. the forecast also called for unusually high storm surges that would occur on the Jersey Coast, NyC and Long island.

although the predictions were extreme, most of us only could relate to a similar forecast prior to hur-ricane irene, only to see no real damage. Some pre-pared by sandbagging homes and seawalls, fueling up cars, and stocking up on batteries and water. What most of us didn’t know was how devastating a storm this really would be.

on the Monday of the storm, october 29th, the forecast was getting serious; the storm was going to make landfall near atlantic City, New Jersey. New york City and Long island would be getting the water from the storm surge and estimates ranged from six to nine feet. the full moon high tide was forecast at the same time as the storm surge.

that same day, as i visited some police shops, i addressed payroll questions arising from members who reported to work on Sunday for their Monday shifts and would be working 12-hour tours. they wanted an explanation of how their pay would be calculated. at the same time i was at the shops, news stations started reporting that some bridges would be shut based on sustained winds above 40 miles an hour. the Staten island verrazano Bridge was shut as early as 2:00 p.m. and because a good portion of our membership lives on the island, we started to get concerned not only for members who would be traveling home but for those scheduled to report for the next shift.

Message from President

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New York City SEIU Local 246 217 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10007

Phone: (212) 233-0616 l Fax: (212) 385-1859

Outside NY: 1-800-903-0246

Web site: www.nyclocal246.org

President . . . . . . . . . . JosePh A . ColAngelo ViCe President . . . . . . . . . . ChArles PAstorelli

seC/treAs . . . . . . . . . . . .rAymond s . sChACor

reCording seCretAry . . . . . . . . . JAmes grillo sentinel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PhiliP mAzAl

Union Trustees

John Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 217-8947

Wayne Esposito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 734-3718

Andrew Weinstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 393-7321

Business Agent

Thomas Graziano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (212) 233-0616

Shop Stewards Mark Bardes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 963-5751 Sheet Metal Citywide Representative Jeff Blond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 334-9113Sanitation, 4th Floor CRS Salvatore Brucculeri . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 334-9171Sanitation, 5th Floor CRS Joe Buzzell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (917) 501-5590DOT — MGO Field Representative Edward Clas . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 546-1308/1725 Correction Stephen Codd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 318-4022Parks Giorgio Dessi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 447-1100 DEP ext. 311Glenn Holden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 317-1747 Sanitation, Richmond BoroMichael Faix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 892-5992Sanitation, Bronx Area Robert Lucey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 571-7248 Fire Dept.

Chris Olsen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 743-6925 Sanitation — Brooklyn & Cioffe AreaAnthony Piazza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 649-8255Sanitation & CioffeStanley Pirpinias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 495-5410Police Anthony Reyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 784-6538 Fire Dept. Roy Rodriguez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (212) 926-1033 Sanitation Jason Vetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 334-8940/8977 Sanitation — Queensboro ShopEdward Wojcik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (646) 210-7932 Dept. of Education

Joseph Yovino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 476-7543 Police Mordechai Ziv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (718) 533-5784 DOT

Office Staff

Rosemary Aragona, Maureen A. Byrne, Pat Cruz

NEWSLETTER DESIGN/PRODUCTION:

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(845) 364-0222 u marci@rwdgroup.com

2013 Membership Card

New York CitY SeiU LoCaL 246

Joseph A. Colangelo, President

2013 uNiON MeMBerShiP CarDS

2013 union membership cards for active members are included with this newsletter. Cards for dues-paying retirees are being mailed from the union office. any retiree who pays dues for 2013 but does not re-ceive a membership card within a month should contact the union office. any active member who did not receive one with this newsletter should also contact the union office.

although this was a big concern at that time, no one knew that what was about to come would change the lives of some of our members forever. We have members who lost homes, many who lost possessions including cars, furniture and tools, and some who lost loved ones. i cannot begin to describe what they are going through.

through it all, however, we continued to have members come to work and do an outstanding job in the cleanup and recovery. they waited endlessly on gas lines in order to make it to work, with some even sleeping at work to avoid the problem of finding fuel. Many members whose homes were damaged still managed to come to work and then go home at night to no heat, no electric and no hot water.

i continue to ask all our members, just as i did at the last member-ship meeting — if you know someone in need of help, please give of your time, even if it means just lending an ear. Not that there is any good time of year for this type of destruction, but occurring around the holidays only seems to make matters worse.

My hope through all of this is that for all the bad press civil servants receive about our benefits and pensions and how much we cost taxpayers, that the public remembers the sacrifices that go along with a civil service job.

as a great majority of New yorkers did not show up for work the week of hurricane Sandy, our members were the ones who found a way to get to the shops to keep the fleet running. Without us, the NyPD, Sanitation, Dot, DeP, fDNy and all other agencies would not have had the vehicles they needed in order to do their jobs. i can guarantee you that no private contractor would have put forth the effort and determination of our members to show up for work, stay extra shifts, and work under terrible conditions.

We have the best members around, and when we work together as a union, we accomplish a lot. as the year comes to a close, i always like to take a few minutes to look back upon two of our suc-cesses for the year.

January began with us working together to get the City Council to override the Mayor's veto of Local Law 35. the City now is going to have to be accountable for their actions if they look to the pri-

vate sector in an attempt to save money. i had the chance to testify before the Council on the importance of getting this legislation signed into law. thanks to these actions, there will be more ways to curb city spending and increase the oversight of City contracts. for years, the City has used private contractors in their attempt to get experts at a lower cost. But the system has come with tremen-dous failures as we all know.

We were also able to join with other unions across New york City to put a halt to the Mayor's underhanded attempts at reclassifying the 220 trades titles. as of now, labor was successful in our lawsuit challenging the Mayor's action, which of course has prompted an appeal on their part in return.

i can promise one thing for sure. any time that the topic of our salaries or our pensions comes up in future discussions and the finger pointing turns our way as it has in the past, i will not hesitate to point out that it was Local 246 members who stepped up to the plate and got the job done during the storm.

after speaking with several members about damage to their homes and about filing claims, i want to mention that the union's Work-ers' Compensation counsel is also handling Sandy claims. Jordan Ziegler, esq. of Pasternack tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & romano will be at the December general membership meeting with infor-mation on filing claims and what to do if your claims are being denied or underpaid. he will also be available to answer your in-dividual questions. Many out-of-state law firms are swooping in to try and get your business. Please be careful when approaching an attorney you don't know, even if they claim to be official lawyers for Sandy cases.

Mark your calendars for our December 20 meeting and holiday party and please plan to attend. it's our last chance of 2012 to get together not only as co-workers, but as friends. Let's use this as a chance to celebrate the holidays together.

in closing, i want to thank you for your continued support in run-ning the greatest union in New york City. on behalf of the entire executive Board, we want to wish you and your families a very happy holiday and all the best for a remarkable new year.

GENERAL MEMBERsHip MeetiNG & hoLiDay Party

Thursday, DECEMBER 20, 20126:00 p.m.

St. Stanislaus Church 61-17 Grand Avenue Maspeth, NY 11378

u50/50 Raffle uDoor Prizes

uFood & Refreshments 3 l

Due to hurricane Sandy, Local 246 has asked DCaS to postpone the auto Mechanic and Diesel Mechanic tests. DCaS has com-plied and the tests have been rescheduled from December 15, 2012 to January 26, 2013. Local 246 is doing everything possible to make training classes available and will notify members as soon as possible if they can be arranged. anyone with questions should contact the union office at 212-233-0616.

MECHANiCs EXAMs

PoStPoNeD to JaNuary 2013

NEw ShoP SteWarDS

GOODwELfARE

NEwBORN CHiLDREN:

Marootnandan Naraine (Girl)auto Body Worker — Police

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NEw MEMBERs:

Michael Arciuolo auto Service Worker — San

frank Biassi auto Mechanic — San

timothy J. fink auto Mechanic — San

Daniel Rosenblum auto Mechanic — San

Vladimir sukhan auto Service Worker — San

stephen Zummo Machinist helper — DeP

REtiRiNG MEMBERs:

steve Chagnon Machinist — San

Albert faison rubber tire repairer — San

Charles Kingly Sr. auto Service Worker — Parks

Joseph Marchetti auto Mechanic — San

Nicholas scalzo rubber tire repairer — San

Charles Vasquez Machinist helper — San

Joseph wisneski auto Mechanic — DeP

iN MEMORiAM fAMiLY:

Alfred Contarino (Brother) auto Mechanic — San

Ralph Damato (Wife) retired Machinist helper — Boe

spencer Nimmo (father) auto Mechanic — fire

Ellias Rose (Brother) Sr. auto Service Worker — fire

Albert spry (father-in-law) Machinist helper — Boe

Edward topak (Mother) auto Mechanic — fire

iN MEMORiAM:

Carl Barbatoretired auto Machinist — San

Ronald Kelly retired auto Mechanic — San

Charles Nimmo retired auto Mechanic — fire

Congratulations to new Shop Stewards Stanley Pirpinias (auto Mechanic — Police) and Salvatore Bruc-culeri (auto Mechan-ic — Sanitation, 5th floor CrS). Stanley is taking over for Joseph Schneider, while Salva-tore replaces Salvatore realmuto. Stanley started with the City in 2000 and has been actively attending the union meetings in order to keep abreast of ongoing issues. "We welcome Stanley as a new Shop Steward and look forward to working with him," said President Joe Colangelo. Salvatore started with the City in 1984 and also has been an active member. "Members in Sanitation should use Salvatore as a first stop in finding out important information or discussing problems arising on the job," Colangelo said. "the Local 246 executive Board thanks both outgoing Shop Stewards for their time and commitment to the membership and the union."

if your claim was denied or underpaid, call us for a fREE evaluation of your claim. CALL tOLL fREE 855-2-stORMLAw (855-278-6765)

www.legalhelpforsandy.com

Sandy has come and gone but the storm is far from overSandy has come and gone but the storm is far from over

Local 246's workers' Compensation Counsel if also the place to turn for help with sandy claims. Contact Jordan Ziegler, Esq. for help reviewing your personal property damage claim.

Local 246's workers' Compensation Counsel is also the place to turn for help with sandy claims. Contact Jordan Ziegler, Esq. for help reviewing your personal property damage claim.

wELfARE NOtEsNews

& disaster relief grant, union members who participate in any of the following pro-grams can call: union Plus Credit Card at 1-877-761-5028; union Plus Mortgage at 1-800-472-2005; or union Plus insurance at 1-800-472-2005.

MECHANiC's EXAM stuDY GuiDEs ON uNiON wEBsitE — Study guides for the upcoming exams are now on the union's website at www.nyclocal246.org in the News link. Scroll about half way down the page. all the questions and answers from the last classes the union sponsored for the auto Mechanic and Diesel Mechanics exams are available.

uNiON iNCOME tAX BENEfit— Mem-bers who wish to take advantage of Local 246’s income tax benefit must do so by april 15, 2012. the benefit is administered by the accounting firm of Wendel-Walow-itz associates, inc., and is available to both active and retired members of Local 246. Members will be able to file their returns electronically. those who file electronically will receive their refunds in about half the time of paper returns. the schedule for 2013 is still being finalized. you will receive a letter from Wendel-Walowitz in the near future, or call their office at 212-682-6003.

pROpERtY DAMAGE LOss REsuLt-iNG fROM sANDY — all Seiu Local 246 members who, as a result of hurricane Sandy, had property damage loss of per-sonal tools and or equipment used in the performance of their duties should file a claim with the Comptroller’s office Bureau of Law and adjustments using the claim forms that can be found on the union's website at www.nyclocal246.org on the News page. Please be advised that you have 90 days from the date of occurrence to file your claims, which must be nota-rized. all claims must be submitted in per-son or mailed by certified mail.

MEDiCARE-ELiGiBLE REtiREEs EN-ROLLED iN AppROVED HMOs — NyC Local 246 will prepare the second half of 2012’s reimbursement payments for those Medicare eligible retirees currently enrolled

ANNuAL HOLiDAY pARtY — once again, Local 246 will host its annual Christ-mas Party immediately following the De-cember General Membership Meeting. there will be hot and cold foods and sal-ads, along with the usual refreshments. Please come and join us in a celebration as we close out the year in a festive mood. it will also be the last meeting until March.

HOLiDAY RAffLE — the union will hold a Christmas raffle of 60 bottles of cheer at the December General Membership Meeting. you must be present to win.

REtiREE DuEs fOR 2013 — retiree dues for 2013 are due to the union of-fice no later than January 31, 2013. Please send your check or money order for $60 payable to NyC Local 246, and send to the union at 217 Broadway, Suite 501, New york, Ny 10007. the amount is nomi-nal and just covers the per capita and re-tiree mailings.

EXAM fiLiNG fOR AutO BODY wORKER — the filing date for the auto Body Worker exam (#3010) began on De-cember 5 and closes on December 26. ap-plications are available online at www.nyc.gov. for further information, you can call the New york City Department of Citywide administrative Services at 212.669.7000.

ACtiVE MEMBER sHOE VOuCHERs — Shoe vouchers for active members only will be mailed out in January 2013. if you do not receive yours, please contact the union office immediately.

AssistANCE fOR MEMBERs iMpACt-ED BY HuRRiCANE sANDY — union members living in areas impacted by hur-ricane Sandy, who participate in union Plus programs may be eligible for finan-cial assistance. union Plus Disaster relief Grants of $500 are available to help par-ticipants in the union Plus Credit Card, insurance or Mortgage programs who are facing financial hardship due to the re-cent severe weather. the money does not have to be repaid. funds are limited to the nearly $370,000 available in the union Plus Disaster relief fund. to apply for a

and/or who have opted to purchase their drug rider through deductions in their pen-sion checks. in order to receive reimburse-ment from the retirees Welfare fund, eligible retirees must forward to the union office copies of their pension stubs for the period of July 1-December 31, 2012.

ORDER YOuR uNiON JACKEt NOw — Local 246 has made available for pur-chase by members union jackets featuring a large scale color version of the Local 246 logo on the back. the cost of the jacket is $80. if you want to add your name on one line to the front, the cost is $82. if you want your name and your shop or title on the second line, the cost is $84. if you need a size 2X, add $3 to the total cost of whatever jacket you choose. if you need a 3X, add $6 to the total cost of whatever jacket you choose. Jackets can either be picked up at the union office or at a gen-eral membership meeting. anyone with questions should call the union office.

COpE RAffLE wiNNER — Winner of the 50/50 Cope raffle for November 2012 was John verderosa (retired auto Me-chanic — Parks).

NOMEEtiNGsin January & february

reminder that there are no January and february membership meetings. President Joe Colangelo said that if there is an urgent matter that needs to be brought to members’ attention, a special notice will be posted or mailed out. regular monthly meetings will resume in March. Members can continue to visit the union’s web site at www.nyclocal246.org for information.

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sANitAtiON AwARD DiNNER hoNorS tWo retiriNG 246 MeMBerS

auto Mechanics robert toigo and Dennis White were honored at the recent Sanita-tion Department Dinner. Pictured with them are vinnie Nappi (Master of Ceremo-nies) and Local 246 recording Secretary Jim Grillo.

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Application Fee . . . . . . .$0Appraisal Fee . . . . . . . . .$0Commitment Fee . . . . . .$0Credit Report Fee . . . . .$0

Loan Origination Fee . . .$0Loan Points Fee . . . . . . .$0Document Prep Fee . . . .$0Underwriting Fee . . . . .$0

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NEw pREsCRiptiON pLAN iD CARDsoN their Way to MeMBerS for uSe StartiNG JaNuary 1, 2013

Local 246 has chosen Citizens rx as the union's new prescription plan pro-vider, and new identification cards are on their way to members.

President Joe Colangelo said the switch from express Scripts was a way to save money while still providing quality prescription plan services and excel-lent customer service to all members.

effective January 1, 2013, all members must use their new Citizens rx iden-tification cards. Members will have them prior to the effective date. there will be no lapse in prescription plan coverage. any member who does not receive new cards by the end of December should contact the union office at (212) 233-0616. each member will receive two id cards. the member and dependents all have the same member number. those filling a prescription will need to provide a date of birth as well.

Colangelo said Citizens rx representatives have been great to work with in transitioning to the new company. they have set up and tested their customer service number for members to all with questions and everything is in order.

Colangelo said any member with problems once the new cards arrive and become effective January 1 should contact the union of-fice or Citizens rx.

BIN 600428

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CitiZeNS

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PAID Albany, NYPermit #370

SEIU Local 246 u 217 Broadway, Suite 501 u New York, NY 10007

REMEMBER OUR TROOPS & PRAY FOR THEIR SAFETY

NEW YORK CITY LOCAL 246 l SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION, AFL-CIOEVEN supERstORM sANDYDoeSN't StoP LoCaL 246 MeMBerSon a recent visit to Staten island after hurricane Sandy, President Joe Colangelo met with members in NyPD Shop 5 on hylan Boulevard in the Midwood section, one of the hardest hit areas on Staten island.

"our members have been dealing personally and pro-fessionally in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, and de-spite everything, they still show up to work on time and get the job done. that shows our continued dedication to the job and proves once again why our members are the best in the business," Colangelo said. from left are auto Mechanics John Miele, John Sandomierski and Jim Zamiaty.

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from the Officers of Local 246Happy Holidays