ACTIVE INFORMED MEMBER (AIM)

The New York State Public Employees Federation, AFT/SEIU, AFL-CIO, representing 59,000 professional, scientific, and technical employees, distributes this PEFonline News to PEF active informed members and to labor, political, community, and education leaders.

AIM (Active Informed Member) Update 9.24.09
(This and previous issues posted at http://www.unionvoice.org/pef/home.html)

 

INDEX
- Security Breach
- PSWP
- VSP and VRWS
- House of Labor
- Signs of 2009
- Ponderable Quote


EXPRESS SCRIPTS SECURITY BREACH
Many members have contacted PEF regarding a letter they recently received from Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), the Pharmacy Benefit Manager for the Empire Plan Prescription Drug Program for the period 1/1/99 - 12/31/05.  The letter notifies Empire Plan enrollees of an incident that resulted in unauthorized access to Empire Plan enrollee information including name, social security number, date of birth and possibly prescription information.  PEF is working with the NYS Department of Civil Service, the state agency responsible for administering the New York State Health Insurance Program, to obtain more information regarding the security breach.
 
ESI is unaware at this time of any actual misuse of Empire Plan information, and is continuing to work with the FBI to investigate.  ESI has set up a website, www.esisupports.com, which contains helpful information and resources for affected Empire Plan enrollees.  ESI has contracted with Kroll Inc., the world?s leading risk-consulting company, to provide expert assistance to members who believe their data may have been misused because of this incident.  If an enrollee does experience identity theft resulting from this incident, he or she will be assigned a licensed investigator at Kroll who will work to validate and address all concerns.  ESI will provide identity restoration services from Kroll for all legitimate and approved cases of identity theft caused by this incident.  If you received a letter from ESI advising you of the security breach, and you have concerns about your personal information, you may contact Kroll, at no charge to you, at 866-795-9350, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Central Time), to discuss your concerns with a U.S.-based customer care representative specially trained in handling privacy breach events, fraud, and identity theft issues.
 
As more information becomes available, we will share it with members as quickly as possible.
 
PSWP - Public Service Workshops Program: Recently Announced Workshops - 9/23/09
For New York State Employees in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (PS&T) Unit (MC employees may be permitted to attend workshops if space is available.) The recently scheduled PSWP workshops below are grouped by region, and then listed in chronological order by class date. To reference full workshop details and to register go to: NYSLearn at http://goer.state.ny.us/nyslearn 

Capital District

- Auditing Fundamentals
This workshop provides an overview of auditing, including basic concepts, techniques, and auditing applications. Topics include the audit risk model, professional ethics, and computer auditing. Basic financial derivative transactions will also be introduced. Participants are encouraged to register for the PSWP workshop 'Advanced Auditing Processes' to get a complete review of auditing related topics.
Dates/Time: 11/10/2009; 9 AM - 4 PM; Location: Sage College of Albany, Albany, NY
Registration Deadline: 10/27/2009
 
- Wireless Technology
This workshop provides an overview of wireless technologies and why organizations are choosing to adopt them. The different types and the advantages and disadvantages of wireless technologies will be explored, including security issues and concerns that most likely affect a wireless network. The workshop will also cover what is required to deploy a wireless solution, and how to integrate wireless and wired.
Dates/Time: 12/7/2009; 9 AM - 4 PM; Location: University at Albany, Albany, NY
Registration Deadline: 11/23/2009
 
Northern 
- Legal Writing for Non-Attorneys
This workshop provides an introduction to basic legal writing principles for employees who are not attorneys but must deal with legal materials and documents. The workshop provides an understanding of legal writing formats, applications of legal rules in a persuasive argument, an explanation of commonly used legal terms and phrases, and how to incorporate a plain English writing style into legal documents.
Dates/Time: 11/19/2009; 9 AM - 4 PM; Location: North Country Community College, Saranac Lake, NY
Registration Deadline: 11/5/2009


Kimberly Loccisano
PEF Education Department
Phone #- 1-800-342-4306 ext. 240
e-mail - kloccisano@pef.org
 


VSP and VRWS
PEF has been contacted by a number of members who are frustrated that the State has not made the Voluntary Severance Program (VSP) and Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule Program (VRWS) more widely available to PEF members.   To demonstrate the on-going interest in these programs, PEF is collecting the names of those people who are interested in either of these two programs.
http://www.pef.org/contract_resources/vspform.htm

 

THE HOUSE OF LABOR
-AFL-CIO Convention Update
The 2009 AFL-CIO Convention was convened in Pittsburgh on Sunday September 13 and adjourned Thursday the 17th. 43 percent of AFL-CIO union delegates his year were women, people of color and LGBT. They elected Richard Trumka president, Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer, and re-elected Arlene Holt Baker executive vice president. It's the first time the top leadership of the AFL-CIO includes two women, and Shuler, 39, is the youngest-ever unionist to hold so high a position in the labor movement. The event was covered in depth at their website.  Videos of the speakers, all Executive Council Reports, the final text of all Constitutional and Convention Resolutions and daily narrative reports, and more are all available on the net.  The gateway to all of this information is http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/convention/2009/index.cfm
 
-How Did Labor Get Here? How Do We Rebuild?
Bill Moyers Journal - September 18, 2009 - http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09182009/profile.html

The AFL-CIO held its convention the week of September 14, 2009, in a time of uncertainty. A new Gallup poll showed support for unions at the lowest level since they began posing the question in 1936. And, although there was an up tick in membership in 2008, the percentage of American workers represented by a union is down to about 12 percent from more than 25 percent in 1950.

But, there is also a new AFL-CIO leader, a new president in the White House and a Secretary of Labor who support some of organized labor's priorities like the Employee Free Choice Act.  Bill Moyers talked with experts Bill Fletcher, co-author of SOLIDARITY DIVIDED: THE CRISIS IN ORGANIZED LABOR AND A NEW PATH TOWARD SOCIAL JUSTICE and Michael Zweig, director of the Center for the Study of Working Class Life at SUNY Stony Brook, about the state of organized labor and what it needs to do face the challenges of the 21st-century economy.

"Organized labor remains in a crisis...Right now the question for organized labor is whether or not it actually can become a class movement. A movement of workers. And not simply unions representing people in different workplaces." -Bill Fletcher

"I don't think that the labor movement can successfully organize in particular places without a context of a broad social movement that addresses the power of capital. Not just in the particular workplace, but in the society as a whole." -Michael Zweig

Visit PBS here to read/watch the entire thought provoking program!

Watch Video
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09182009/watch2.html
Read Transcript
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09182009/transcript2.html
 
-AFL-CIO President on CNBC and MSNBC
Immediately following the convention, the new leadership began a tour around the country. President Trumka's first stop was Wall Street. For those of you who weren't able to catch President Trumka on CNBC in front of Wall Street - as well as his appearance LIVE on the Rachel Maddow show - here are the clips.

http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?stationid=155&DateTime=09%2F22%2F2009+11%3A41%3A14&mediapreload=14&playclip=true
CNBC

http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=205&DateTime=9%2F21%2F2009+11%3A50%3A29+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=205&playclip=True&RefPage=
Rachel Maddow - MSNBC
 
-Toyota To Close Only Unionized U.S. Plant
-A FACTORY LIKE A CITY-
By David Bacon, TruthOut 9/16/09
http://www.truthout.org/091609A?n
Last month Toyota announced it would close the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California, after General Motors announced it was withdrawing from the partnership under which the plant has operated for over two decades.  The plant employs 4500 workers directly, and the jobs of another 30,000 throughout northern California are dependent on its continued operation.  Taking families into account, the threatened closure will eliminate the income of over 100,000 people.
Read article in its entirety here: http://www.truthout.org/091609A?n
 

PROTEST SIGNS OF 2009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/21/the-funniest-protest-sign_n_292342.html

 
PONDERABLE QUOTE
"The integrity of a person is seen, not in falling, but in rising after each fall."
African proverb