ManagerTheNewYorkCity

www.nycmea.org Winter 2016 info@nycmea.com

Problem Solved By MEABy Bendix Anderson

MEA has their backs. Left to right: Larry Konstan, Jackie Laver, Gail Port and Joel Fishelson.

Last February, MEA member JackieLaver had a bad shock. GHI InsuranceCorp., owned by Emblem Health, not

only refused to cover the cost of her spouse’sknee replacement surgery, the insurer alsoreversed its decision to cover the cost of anearlier surgery.“We were looking at $30,000 in medicalexpenses,” says Ms. Laver, a manager ofdata for the Teachers’ Retirement System. Ms. Laver and Gail Port married in 2011 aftertwo decades as domestic partners. A yearlater, Ms. Port had her first knee

replacement. Primary insurance throughGHI, which she has through her spouse,covered about half of the $15,000 cost.Secondary insurance through theManagerial Superimposed Major MedicalPlan covered the rest.When Ms. Port had her second kneereplacement in 2013, GHI refused to coverthe surgery, claiming Medicare, notEmblem, was Ms. Port’s primary insuranceprovider.Eventually, GHI also asked Ms. Port to giveback the $8,500 it paid to cover the first

surgery. If GHI, Ms. Port’s primary insurer,refused to cover the surgeries, then theSMMP would also not cover the costs.

KEEPING UP THE PRESSURE

Ms. Laver asked MEA for help. “We have apretty good record with benefit-claimadvocacy,” says Joel Fishelson, Director-at-Large and MEA’s representative to theManagement Benefits Fund. He andadvocate Larry Konstan found the mistakethat caused the confusion. The way thecouple’s marriage was recorded in Citydatabases led GHI to question whether it wasliable for Ms. Port’s surgery. GHI then sentits cryptic letters to Ms. Port, refusingpayment without regard to the correctinformation provided, several times, by Ms.Port.

A letter from MEA President Stuart Eber tothe City’s Office of Labor Relations in May2015 corrected the problem resulting in allreimbursements being paid. Mr. Fishesonsaid, “We deeply appreciate the cooperationand assistance we received from GeorgetteGestely and Judy Daniels of OLR. Theyworked with GHI to reverse the previousdecisions.”

“Larry and Joel kept up the pressure,” saysMs. Port. “They are our heroes.”

Every year, the Career Development Program ofthe New York City Managerial EmployeeAssociation awards scholarship prizes topromising students who are either MEA membersor their dependents in order to support theireducational goals, professional development  andcareer advancement. The prizes range from$1000 to $500 and were awarded to 15 studentsthis year.

NANCY BRANDON

One of this year’s top winners is MEA memberNancy Brandon, who is the Director of the NYPDCentral Records Division, where she leads over150 city employees. The funds will help supportheregraduate work in Applied Social Research

Methodology at CUNY Hunter, a nationallytop-ranked program. With her busy schedule, Ms.Brandon is helped by insights gleaned from “TheSeven Habits of Highly Effective People,” aseminar she attended years ago that left a lastingimpression.“The lesson that most resonated with me wasbeing the legacy I want to be while I am alive,”said Nancy.

Ms. Brandon continues to keep thoughts andactions in line with that standard. Ms. Brandon’sfascination with social issues intersects with theinterests of another MEA top prize winner.

MARISSA MOSS

Marissa Moss, daughter of DEP’s Andrew Moss,is a twenty-one year old psychology major whoconsistently makes the Dean’s list at SUNYBinghamton. She’s also a cancer survivor. “Myexperience with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has taughtme how to persevere through challenges andembrace life,” she said.Marissa's curiosity about the human conditionsteered her towards her studies. Next semestershe will work as a research assistant in theuniversity’s Marriage and Family Lab. Ms. Mosshopes to pursue a career in psychotherapy,potentially working with oncology patients.

The MEA CDP Scholarship Program:Winners Who Want To Give Back

By Vanessa DeSantis

See Page 3 for a complete list of recipients.

CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS EXPLAINED

If a candidate is sent a Call Letter froma list for an agency that they do notdesire to work for at that time, they canrefuse the call. If you ignore the callor fail to report you will be taken offthe list – though restoration may bepossible.

If you are a provisional employee andreceive a Call Letter from a differentagency but are working in that sametitle at your current agency (and wishto remain there), take the letter to yourHuman Resources Department. It ispossible actions can be taken to allowyou to remain at your agency and stillachieve Civil Service protection.

According to DCAS rules, once a listfor a title is certified as permanent, aprovisional employee in that title maynot be transferred to another title.

Elimination of Title – if an agencydetermines that a particular title is nolonger of use to them they can choosenot to use it. If anyone is in that title atthat agency they have the right toreplace a provisional at anotheragency within that same title.

MEA CAN HELP...

And finally, many aspects of theseexams are still being defined as wespeak. It can be difficult to drawdistinctions between City rules thatare set-in-stone and mere guidelinesthat can be challenged. MEA will beactive in disambiguating these issues.If you have any questions or concerns,we are always here to help.

FILL OUT EVERYTHING

While completing the onlineapplication process, severalmanagers were disqualified becausethey didn’t think they needed to fill outevery section.   They assumed thequestions were obvious or redundant.So, we want to emphasize that for theEducation and Experience section ofthe exam you must detail every itemrequested. “If it helps, assume the testgrader knows absolutely nothingabout you, your work or experience,”said Ms. Dannenberg.

SELECTING CANDIDATES

The DCAS examinations determinethe order in which qualified applicantsare considered for openings.According to the “1 in 3 Rule”, anagency with an opening selects aperson on the list from #1, #2 and #3.Then, based on the number ofopenings, they might go on and selectfrom the next three highest scores andso on. Also, an agency must considercandidates from their promotional listbefore proceeding to the OpenCompetitive list.If a candidate is not considered afterthree different hiring selections, thatcandidate is taken off the list.However, the candidate may requestto be put back on the list; thisrestoration option is available threetimes only.Individuals who are unable or not yetready to accept positions in the civilservice title can delay their restorationuntil they are ready.

EXAM BASICSIn order for an individual to have apermanent title and gain civil servicestatus, they must take an exam, passit, and be certified in the title throughthe process of appointment.

There are two designations forexaminations given by DCAS: OpenCompetitive or Promotional. Eachagency has its own promotional list.If you are willing to move to anotheragency in order to be promoted it maybe prudent to also take the OpenCompetitive exam.

The Notice of Examinations ispublished annually for the fiscal yearbeginning in July. An admissionnotice is sent two weeks prior to theexamination with vital information forthe examination you have applied totake. Read and re-read to be sure youclearly understand all the instructionsbefore the test date.

HOW THE TESTS ARE WRITTENDCAS writes its examinations basedon a job analysis that it conductsusing “subject matter experts.” It picksthese experts by contacting theagencies that have the largestnumber of employees in the particularcivil service title and selecting someof those employees to participate.This job analysis determines theformat of the test that DCAS writes:a written questionnaire or anEducation and Experience exam-ination.

Thank you all for your enthusiastic turnout at our last meeting focusing on the NYC Civil Service testprocess in the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).Your many helpful questions received great responses from our guests, Assistant Commissioner ofExaminations Barbara Dannenberg and Assistant Commissioner of Civil Service Administration BrianGoldberg. Here are the key points:

Pieces&BitsBy Linda A. Barnes, NYC MEA Executive Director

Promoting theUpkeep and Care

of City RoadsMEA Profiles Ray Edwards

MEA member Ray Edwardsjoined the Banker’s Breakfast inthe Bronx to help promote theAdopt-a-Highway program – aprogram critical to keeping thecity’s roadways smooth and its

curbs litter-free. “The Adopt-a-Highway program subsidizes ournormal work,” said Mr. Edwards, the current Director ofIntergovernmental Programs in New York City’s Department ofTransportation.The program has two aspects -- one is corporate driven while theother is for individual volunteers. Mr. Edwards was instrumental inhelping to get a recent sponsor, JetBlue. He’d recommended thecompany in a meeting with the commissioner, Polly Trottenberg.“She mentioned that she happened to know the person fromJetBlue and met with him on our behalf…” said Edwards, “We nowhave JetBlue.”Recently promoted from his former post as Director of StreetMaintenance for Brooklyn, Mr. Edwards continues to find hismembership in the MEA useful.“Even though as managers we work in different capacities thereare similar issues everyone is having,” he said.It’s been a good time for the city’s highways, according Mr.Edwards. The recent economic boom is helping to garnerinvestment beyond basic roadway maintenance – helping to paytoward tonier trappings.“The Henry Hudson Parkway is our crown jewel. That’s where wehave the Trumps and some of the larger, more affluent sponsorsof our program. It has a beautification component, so they do a lotof landscaping.”Asked what’s next, Mr. Edwards brought up Brooklyn. He’d like tosee a similar effort expanded to the Prospect Expressway.“Brooklyn’s going to be the next Manhattan,” Edwards said, “That’ssomething we’re going to be looking at in the next couple of years.”

By Vanessa DeSantis

Fighting forFair Wages

MEA leaders Dean Kokkoris andMichelle Centeno protect workersfrom underpayment from theirdesks at the New York CityComptroller’s Office.Ms. Centeno, director ofimmigration outreach, hasdecades of experience workingwith minority and women-owned

businesses in the construction industry. Mr. Kokkoris, bureau chiefof labor law, is an attorney specializing in wage-an-hour law.Together they help enforce New York’s prevailing laws – oftenprotecting the rights of new immigrants. Ms. Centeno was MEA’srecording secretary for the past five years. Mr. Kokkoris is theComptroller’s Office chapter director.Prevailing wage laws require employers to pay workers a certainwage for certain kinds of work. In New York City, for example,construction workers who build any project on City property mustbe paid the prevailing wage for their trade, set by City officials, oftenequivalent to the wages and benefits paid to union workers. Servicesworkers for City buildings, such as cleaning and landscaping crews,also earn prevailing wages.The companies that hire these workers sometimes break the rules.Many underpaid workers are undocumented immigrants.“They are afraid to complain. It creates an incentive to hireundocumented workers and underpay,” says Mr. Kokkoris. Newlegislation may spread prevailing wage rules to include the manyconstruction workers who build apartments receiving the City’s 421atax break.The City’s strengthening effort to enforce prevailing wage law fits inwith other efforts, like the new NYC ID, to bring legal protectionsand documentation to undocumented immigrants.Ms. Centeno is leading a renewed effort to get unpaid wages toworkers. Because so many victims of underpayment areundocumented immigrants, many do not collect. The City now has$3.7 million in unclaimed funds for more than 1,000 underpaidworkers.“The Administration is making a real, all-out effort,” says Mr. Kokkoris.

RECIPIENTS SCHOOL AMOUNT MEA MEMBER AGENCYCarina Acosta St. John’s University $750 Orlando Acosta HHC

Nancy Brandon (MGR.) Hunter College $1000 Nancy Brandon NYPD

Angela DeRosa University of Alabama $500 Anthony DeRosa DEP

Johanna Farkas Michlalah Jerusalem College $500 Allan Farkas FISA

Ariana Loncar Binghamton University $500 Frank Loncar DEP

Joseph Mayer Hunter College $500 Harry Mayer DEP

Marissa Moss Binghamton University $1000 Andrew Moss DEP

Kiera Murphy Northeastern University $750 Thomas Murphy DEP

Safiya Noel Hunter College $500 Cecile Noel HRA

Darshee Patnaik Rutgers University $500 Sourjya Patnaik HHC

Omar Singer New Jersey Institute of Technology $1000 Ahmad Singer HHC

Demetruis Tadros University of Arkansas at Little Rock $500 Oudeh Tadros Retiree

Sapphire Tucker Howard University $500 Andrea McNeil-Tucker ACS

Charlotte Warne Tufts University $750 David Warne DEP

Eli Weinburd Delgado Community College $500 Matthew Burd DEP

2015 NYC MEA Career Development ProgramScholarship Recipients

Promoting theUpkeep and Care

of City RoadsMEA Profiles Ray Edwards

Leaders Fightingfor Fair Wages

By Bendix Anderson

New York City Managerial Employees Association42 Broadway • Suite 1945New York, NY 10004

“The President shall request the City,including all Mayoral and non-Mayoralagencies, to delay implementation of theinitiative and “pay fors” until an executiveorder, cost benefit analysis andoperating procedures are provided anddiscussed.The President shall request meetingswith the appropriate administrationrepresentatives and request amoratorium on implementation untilthese related documents are discussedwith the MEA.The Legislative Committee and theOrganization Committee shall meetseparately and then jointly convene. ThePresident will ensure that this occurs andwill require a report within two months.The committees are charged withanalysis of any information provided bythe City. Information the committees

may develop concerning policy,operating procedures and alternatefunding methods shall be shared withthe President and the President shallprovide this information as appropriatewith the Executive Board.”

The December 22 press release stated:“The new benefit will come at no newcost to New York City taxpayers, as theCity will be repurposing the existingmanagerial raise of 0.47 percentscheduled for July 2017 and two days ofexisting vacation leave policy (the 26thand 27th days, which are received bylong-service employees) to providethese six weeks of paid parental leaveto all managerial and original jurisdictionemployees.”

Executive Board members raisedvarious objections to this statement,including that the family-related needs

of the managerial work force are notcompletely addressed. All immediatefamily members and householdmembers may need intensive care froma City employee, including managers.An expanded paid family leave planshould include all these circumstances.Board members also stated that theinitiative was announced with noconsultation with the MEA; that mayoralpay orders have never previously been“repurposed”, and that Time and Leavechanges have never been limited to themanagerial work force.MEA President Stu Eber and ExecutiveDirector Linda Barnes are schedulingmeetings with all relevant agencies toadvocate delaying implementation of thesix weeks Paid Parental Leave and “payfors” until the relevant materials areshared with MEA and our objections areaddressed.

By Vanessa DeSantisMayor Bill de Blasio announced a new plan on December 22 to offer 20,000 public employees six weeks of fully-paidparental leave. The proposal raises serious concerns with the MEA – which is asking the City to postpone the policy untilseveral key issues are addressed.The MEA Executive Board adopted the following resolution regarding the Mayor’s policy at the January 5 board meeting:

MEA Executive Board Responds to Mayor’sPaid Parental Leave Announcement