Local Nassau CSEA president and VP kicked out by state union
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| Nassau CSEA poster truck in Long Beach earlier this month |
Nassau CSEA Local 830 president Ron Gurrieri and vice president Bob Arciello were removed from their union positions today following an angry month-long public fight with Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman over health insurance.
State CSEA president Mary Sullivan notified members in a letter today that she had removed Gurrieri and Arciello, explaining the step was necessary to secure equitable health insurance for CSEA Local 830.
She said she had appointed CSEA Region One president Jarvis Brown and political action coordinator Sue Castle in their places.
"I understand how unsettling this moment might be for you and your family. But we are moving forward in a better direction, and you can now trust that your union will be transparent and honest with you," Sullivan wrote.
The fight over the union's health insurance began about a month ago when Blakeman notified CSEA members that he was moving them into the Anthem Health Plan on Jan. 1 because the union-approved Excelsior health insurance plan had been terminated by the state.
Local CSEA officials, headed by Gurrieri, demanded that the county move its members back into the state's Empire Health care plan.
Blakeman resisted. He and the union have been arguing ever since.
Ironically, Gurrieri had urged union members in August of last year to replace the state sponsored Empire Plan with the state offered Excelsior Plan in return for a "signing bonus" of $3,000 as part of a new 13-year contract.
The move, which was approved by union members, puzzled longtime political observers because the Empire Plan offers gold-plated insurance coverage unavailable to most private workers, except perhaps corporate CEOs. Although the Excelsior plan had the same network of doctors, it called for higher co-payments and deductibles.
Meanwhile, political appointees have long received the Empire Plan and its benefits.
The first move in the fight was when Gurrieri hired a poster truck depicting Blakeman as a clown. A bad negotiating ploy.
Anybody who knows Blakeman could guess that the clown photo would make him dig his heels in even deeper to resist union pleas.
Even non-labor experts know negotiations shouldn't begin with a punch to the face.
The major problem with moving members insurance back into Empire is the cost -- estimated at an additional $43 million a year to the county.
So negotiations are back to square one. Let's see what happens next.
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ReplyDeleteCSEA Local 830 Members
ReplyDeleteIn response to Mary Sullivans Decision to Take Over Local 830
Mary Sullivan just gave the upper hand back to Blakeman. Causing dissension and friction within our own ranks, is counterproductive. Say what you want about Ron and Bob, but remember they have the same contract and health insurance as all the members. NYS and the Region CSEA have NO skin in the game. I believe NYS will not file the TRO now…or any other legal action. They will do what Blakeman wants which will result in bringing us a contract to ratify that gives back 40 million in the form of us not getting the salary chart increases or COLAS from now thru 2030, we will not get empire, and we will have to contribute to whatever plan Blakeman forces on us and they will use Ron and Bob as scapegoats. Mary Sullivan has done us no favors. This action of hers is NOT in the best interest of Local 830 members . She has let politics and 1600 petition signers ( not even a majority and who are not all CSEA members by the way) screw the rest of us. Whatever you may think or feel about Ron or Bob, we were in a better position with them, because they have skin in the game. My suggestion: We should all stand together and demand that Mary let those, who the MAJORITY of the members voted for, be the ones who negotiate for us. And if ANYONE is to decide that we do not want Ron and Bob, it should be the MEMBERS, a MAJORITY of them, not Mary Sullivan!!
I believe the opposite actually. I believe removing Ron and Bobby shows Blakeman that we as a union were and are completely unhappy with the lack of communication from Ron and Bobby and that we want more. We deserve better. We deserve to be heard. I also believe it shows Blakeman that we’re not backing down and we won’t be forced into something that’s going to severely cost us. I’m not sure how familiar you are with Jarvis Brown and his leadership but I believe we’re now in much better hands than we ever were with regards to any and all aspect of our contract.
DeleteClearly this is written by Ron, Bob or someone on their team. Instead of continuing the finger pointing and making assumptions about what is going to happen, help be part of the solution. We want to have faith in our union but this type of response doesn't help. Work with the State CSEA and get the members their health insurance back, which as you point out also benefits Ron, Bob and everyone else part of their team.
DeleteChris Boyle literally wrote this piece for you
ReplyDeletewhat is happening at NUMC? will the governor be the next CEO? or will it go bankrupt and destroy the county?
ReplyDeleteAnytime a "signing bonus" is dangled in front of your nose to sign, there's fuckery afoot.
ReplyDeleteSo whens the next Ice Cream social Ronnie???
ReplyDeleteI am not anonymous. I’m Jerry Laricchiuta, the former four term 16 year President of what was the greatest Local and CSEA history. You know everybody has regrets, and one of my biggest regrets was leaving that Union, with a membership that had gone through so much over the years, yet not only survived, but we would do very well, we were strong. We were unified and we fought at every turn. Once I left to go to the Region office, the only thing that Local the leadership of Ron and Bob was worried about themselves. It wasn’t just the health insurance in my opinion. It was 4+ years of Self representation, with the local president received a two grade bump up in our 6th year without a contract, while nobody else received anything. The Mor investigated what was going on in that Local after I left the Mor I realized I made a big mistake leaving them both in the office. I could’ve sent them back years ago and I should’ve. This health insurance debacle which they brought to the county, Should never have even happened. But it was the straw that broke the camels back with Mary Sullivan. I ran against Mary Sullivan, this year, but I will tell you what she did was unprecedented yet very much needed. Unfortunately, it took so long for her and others to believe what I was trying to tell them since 2020. You’re right Union is now in a very bad spot , but Jarvis Brown, who took over the Region for me when I ran for the state, is a credible, hard-working, and very knowledgeable union leader. He will surround himself with the right people and with the help of the state, God willing, we will be able to get all members back into Empire or equal plan. I cannot even blame Blakeman, because this plan was brought to him by these two. And they went around telling everybody they would’ve smartest union leaders in the world because everyone else was paying. And they figured out way to pay and get hefty raises, including the retro and the bump up in 2026 to match the college workers Remember these two did some thing that was even more unprecedented and that was they thought they could negotiate retirees, benefits away, even though retirees have their own local and do not get a chance to vote on the contract. And don’t forget what they did to members who don’t have 10 years as of 2026. Those members now have 10 more years of service in order to be vested for health insurance into retirement . Both of those proposals are unheard of, yet these two very bad “ leaders” pushed this contract as if they were the new Jimmy Hoffa’s . Now, with barely two weeks left before all members must be put into a healthcare plan, Jarvis and Mary must try to find a way to get us back into a healthcare plan equal to Empire.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry
DeleteJerry,
DeleteYou were a great leader for the union. Unfortunately the Ron and Bob comedy hour has done a great disservice to the rank and file of members. Irving Flaumenbaum is turning in his grave right now. Somehow I feel that this was calculated between Ron, Bob and Bruce to hurt the rank and file.