Csba Attorneys

10/28/2025

Reminder: The CSBA General Membership Meeting is tomorrow evening (Wednesday October 29th). If you haven't done so already, email us ASAP at [email protected] for the log-in link!

10/08/2025

Thank you and welcome to our newest members, the 19 newly-hired Agency Attorney Internes that CSBA receptionist/secretary Devin Rohena and I had the pleasure of speaking with on Monday at the ACS training! We wish you much success and remind you that you can always reach out to us for advice and assistance at [email protected]. www.csbanyc.org

Thanks as well to the three new hires that CSBA Business Agent Lee Gordon spoke with at the same time at DSS/HRA.

09/26/2025

There are numerous advantages to CSBA being affiliated with the considerably larger Teamsters Local 237. Assistance with collective bargaining is by the top of the list. Another tangible, immediate benefit is the rapidly approaching Online Pre-Retirement Seminar with so much information that it's split between two evenings: Wednesday October 8 and Thursday October 9, 6PM. On the second night, NYCERS directly addresses us. For log-in or other information, contact [email protected].

Speaking of Local 237's excellent Retiree Division, who our members greatly benefit from in retirement, they had a fun Talent Show today. One of the best musical guests was Linda Susswein, a retired Agency Attorney from the NYC Department of Finance.

09/18/2025

CSBA is one of more than 250 organizations to sign onto a letter opposing the US Department of Education's proposed rule to eliminate student loan forgiveness for employees of any government or nonprofit entity that the administration unilaterally deems hostile to one of their policies.

Here's the link to the press release and a copy of the letter.

ED’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ideologically targeting public service workers is a blatant attack on civil liberties.

09/11/2025

After we listened to and asked a few questions at the presentation for the proposed new health care plan for active city employees and pre-retirees (see previous post, just below), Lee Gordon and I also attended the ACS Employee Recognition Ceremony for 25-Year Employees.

Congratulations to Abbe Kalnick (who is also our 2nd Vice President), Jennifer Baum and Delano Connolly (not present) for achieving this significant milestone. Thank you very much for protecting vulnerable New York City children so well and for so long in our extremely difficult to retain title, especially given the tremendous stress and high caseload at ACS, where turnover is rampant!

09/11/2025

There is expected to be a new five-year Health Care plan for active city employees and pre-Medicare eligible retirees effective this coming January 1st. CSBA Business Agent/ Grievance Advocate Lee Gordon and I attended the two-plus hour presentation/ question and answer session yesterday morning at DC37 along with scores of representatives from the other municipal unions. [FYI, I also examined the underlying written agreement Monday afternoon].

Here's our understanding:

Most everything remains the same: the co-pays remain nearly identical, there's still no annual premium for us to pay (it was extremely hard to keep it premium-free); it's a PPO not an HMO; you can continue to use the same doctors; EmblemHealth (successor to GHI) still administers the "Downstate Counties" including NYC, Long Island, Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess & Ulster Counties, and the downstate panel of participating physicians within Emblem Bridge network has 78,000 doctors up from the 64,000 currently in the Emblem CBP network.

Behavioral / Mental Health coverage has a lot more participating providers. That's the one aspect of the plan which has shifted for us "downstaters" from Emblem into the United Behavioral Network.

The PICA drug program, which covers diabetic medicines, birth control, certain injectibles and chemotherapy medicines, which had run out of funds, will now be funded by the city and will still be administered by Express Scripts for 2026.

The annual transfer period (for active city employees to change health plans) will be delayed until November 1 - November 30. Information including the Summary Plan Description ("SPD") is expected to be sent out by mid-October. Shortly before then, we're told, there will be a so-called micro-site containing a lot of online plan information.

We'll see what happens, but we are guardedly optimistic and believe that relatively speaking, it sounds like a good plan.

These changes are expected to be approved on or about September 30th and to go into effect January 1st. We'll keep you posted.

09/07/2025

Here's to Polly, Kevin and David for marching with me in the CSBA contingent within Local 237's larger group at today's Labor Day Parade.

09/05/2025

Hope to see you at the "Labor Day" Parade tomorrow Saturday September 6th. As we're marching with our Local 237 brethren near the beginning of the parade this year, our start time is 11AM, and we're meeting on West 45th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues.

08/21/2025

As Summer 2025 gets ready to bid us adieu, with Labor Day just over a week away, here are three upcoming events you may wish to make a note of:

1. A Local 237 General Membership Meeting on Tuesday September 2 at 5PM (Salvation Army Auditorium, 120 West 14th Street);

2. The Labor Day Parade, conveniently held on Saturday September 6th (the week after Labor Day so you can enjoy all of the Labor Day weekend and then join the parade the following Saturday). We'll be marching with Local 237 starting at 11am at West 45th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, free food and tee shirts provided; and

3. CSBA's next General Membership Meeting, to be conducted online on Wednesday October 29th.

Enjoy what's left of Summer. Hope to see you soon!

08/19/2025

One more threat to PSLF specifically, and more generally to public sector employees and to states and municipalities asserting any independence from our dear leader's will.

Trump administration unveils new rules that could reshape access to PSLF, raising debate over fairness, authority, and borrower impact.

06/25/2025

Thank you to all who attended and helped make last night's CSBA Annual Meeting one of our most memorable recent events. Special thanks to Cora Crafts from Empower, who showed us options for our individual Annuity Fund accounts, and to Joel Sosinsky, a former CSBA President, who gave a fine presentation about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial and the subsequent worker safety movement.

I was happy to share that our Welfare Fund Trustees voted to significantly improve Dental coverage as of August 1st, as follows:
* Moving up to the MetroDent Plus tier network, which provides higher payments for many procedures and hence has a broader panel of participating dentists and specialists, and
* Increasing the maximum number of cleanings from two to three per year.

Thanks again to the Welfare Fund Trustees (I'm only one of five voting Trustees), and to Sandra Aguiar from Amalgamated Employee Benefits, and to Simone from A*O SIDS.

06/24/2025

Hear it first at our Annual Meeting on Tuesday June 24th! We will be announcing a significant benefit enhancement.

Contact us by 3PM at [email protected] for login information.