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Newsletter Content
LSNY BOARD CONSOLIDATE MANHATTAN PROGRAMS While the MTA Board, stacked with members controlled by the mayor and the governor, approved an ill-conceived Manhattan stadium that no one wants after a sham bidding process the LSNY Board beat them to the punch the night before by dealing their own blow to the people of Manhattan. The LSNY Board, voting in closed executive session, decided to consolidate Harlem Legal Services and LSNY Manhattan creating a single constituent corporation. The staffs of both programs, including most of the managers, argued passionately against such a consolidation pointing to each program's deep connection to, and identity with, the communities they have served since the 1960's. The staff and Union were supported at the meeting by the Harlem Board and even a project director who advocated that a neighborhood based model for the delivery of Legal Services worked best, was more responsive to the communities they served and their boards were more reflective of those communities. While Andy touted his plan as an answer to HLS's financial problems the Union clearly demonstrated that costs savings would be minimal, that the solution to HLS's excess space problems could be addressed regardless of a change in structure and that if LSNY applied the same deficit reduction formula to a combined program that it applies to every other program it would mandate deep layoffs. Only two months ago the LSNY Board refused to grant Queens Legal Services an exception to their rule when its application needlessly dictated layoffs there. Despite this outpouring of emotion and reason once the board and Andy were behind closed doors they are said to have adopted Andy's consolidation plan by an "overwhelming" margin. This all started back in December, soon after LSNY announced that Shirley Traylor would be leaving Harlem Legal Services. Andy Scherer appeared at a staff meeting at HLS and informed the staff, the Union and the HLS board of his plan to consolidate HLS and LSNY-Manhattan into a single constituent corporation. He continued, however, that this was not a done deal. A committee of stakeholders would meet over a six week period and then make recommendations to the LSNY Board regarding a new structure. This was not so much a gesture toward a collaborative effort, after all, he had clearly decided what the outcome would be, but it was the most abbreviated of two options required by the contract pursuant to its program redesign provisions. And abbreviated it was. The process consisted of five meetings over six weeks and only consulted the broader community the day before a final recommendation to the LSNY Board was to have been made. Further the only community representatives on the committee would be two persons named by LSNY Manhattan for a catchment area stretching from the Battery to East Harlem. The Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood communities would have none. At the January LSNY Board meeting LSSA President Jim Provost and LSNY-Manhattan Interim Project Director Peggy Earisman appealed for more community representation from both catchment areas as well as a longer, more deliberative process LSNY board chair, John Kiernan, said no. True to their word Andy and John Kiernan stuck to their single constituent corporation vision that Andy announced would ultimately prevail back in December. While other participants in the process discussed and weighed the various alternatives and positions changed over time, including the Unions, in the end the committee could come to no consensus. The Friday evening before the March LSNY board meeting LSNY sent board members a copy of Andy's written plan and a so called "Final Report" of the committee which had not even been seen by, let alone endorsed by, any of the members of the committee. While Andy planned to push the board to a decision on March 8th LSSA threat to grieve forced him to delay what turned out to be the inevitable until last Tuesday. Paradoxically, but perhaps not unexpectedly, the LSNY Board failed to address any details of the consolidation, most notably the disastrous impact that the board's existing financial policies would have on the new program. Some staff members are clearly upset, not only by the result but by what is viewed as a shame process, and are determined to explore ways to fight on. Rumors of layoffs, denied by LSNY, are already circulated at HLS. Is anybody surprised? * >SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY
The President Bush wants to save Social Security by setting up private accounts. Can we trust the President? Mr. Bush's tax cuts total $2 trillion. A third of those tax cuts go to the upper one percent of wage earners. Yes, the upper one percent. His budget proposals reduce spending for veterans' hospitals, Medicaid, food stamps, law enforcement, Centers for Disease Control, and legal services for the poor. And so on…. Wall Street and corporate donors like the National Association of Manufacturers have a war chest of $100 million. This money will be used to fund advertising and "citizens" groups promoting Social Security privatization. House Republicans have been given a 100 page playbook with honed messages to present a consistent media theme-Social Security is bankrupt. Opposing Wall Street are groups that represent the little guy. These groups include the AFL-CIO and member unions, Alliance for Retired Americans (2 million union retirees advocating for seniors), AARP, the National Council of Women's Organizations (representing over 200 women's organizations with over 10 million members), the Working Families Party and the UAW. AFSCME, a large union of government workers, is making two million phone calls to voters in 33 Congressional districts across the country to explain how Bush's plan jeopardizes their retirement. President Bush doesn't tell us that Social Security can pay all benefits through 2042 (2052 according to the Congressional Budget Office). At that time and without change, Social Security can pay 73% of scheduled benefits. The Social Security Administration is making its forecast on the basis of a "conservative" economic growth rate that has not occurred historically. If the growth rate is higher, the "bankruptcy date" gets pushed into the future. Scared by projected short falls of $10 trillion, as one Congressmember claimed in a television interview? Relax, he backed off from that claim and settled on a $4 trillion short fall. In reality the shortfall is a mere $3 trillion only 1% of gross domestic product in 2042. And it will be only one third of the accumulated Bush tax cuts. What might be needed is adjustment and tweaking, not the dismantling of a program that has kept many millions of older Americans out of poverty since 1935. Social Security can't protect itself. Wall Street has its eye on the huge commissions that millions of transaction in these private accounts will generate. Billions of dollars of our money that would otherwise be available to pay benefits. We know we can't trust the Democrats in Congress to stand up for us unless we give them the backbone to do so. We need to speak up, stand up and act up before it's too late. For information on Social Security start with the AFL-CIO and UAW websites. Which you can access through LSSA's website (www.lssa2320.org). The AFL-CIO has more articles and links. It also has email letters you can send to your representatives. The UAW has some articles and links. For articles and analysis, see the Century Foundation (www.tfc.org) and the Center for Economic Policy Research (www.cepr.org). The following online magazines have been providing ongoing coverage of the issue by publishing articles from across the print media: Truthout.org (www.truthout.org ), TomPaine.com (tompaine.com), Commondreams.org (www.commondreams.org), Alternet.org (alternet.org), and Buzzflash.com (buzzflash.com). Campaign for Americas Future is mobilizing a coordinated campaign involving AARP, AFL-CIO, and MoveOn.org (www.moveon.org). There are other think tanks, magazines, and groups. Just for fun, if you can call it that, try the Social Security Calculator at democrats.senate.gov/ss/calc and see how you'll do under the Bush plan. But you can get involved right here at home. LSSA's Retirement Planning Committee is getting involved in the larger struggle through the local Working Families Party (www.workingfamiliesparty.org), Central Labor Council and "In This Together". NOLSW, our parent local, is coordinating the distribution of information to our members nationwide. *
LOBBYING EFFORT FOR STATE LEGAL SERVICES FUNDING LOOKS SUCCESSFUL The Assembly and Senate have come to a budget agreement that includes approximately $4.6 million in statewide funding for civil legal services. This is the same amount we have received each year since 2002. We are told that our funding has survived the negotiations between the legislature the governor and are in final budget. The UAW once again made Legal Services funding a priority on their 2005 lobbying agenda. While we did not achieve our goal of restoring our State funding to $7.5 million, its 2001 level, we were able to deliver the message to the State legislature that a permanent source of Legal Services funding must be found. LSSA and ALAA members participated in two UAW lobbying conferences this year where we were able to not only advance our agenda for Legal Services funding but also advocate on issues that directly effect our clients like opposing the governor's proposal for full family sanctions on public assistance recipients and Medicaid cuts. Keeping up pressure for a permanent source of funding for civil legal services, however, was our main message and one that must be repeated at the next UAW lobbying conference in May. Some of you may remember that certain court fees were increased a few years ago to create the Civil Legal Services Assistance Fund. Half of that fund, which was to produce $6 million a year, was immediately grabbed by the Senate to use for student loan forgiveness for Assistant D.A.'s around the State. Then the governor grabbed a share for, we understand, a sex offender registry. Still later we learned that we would receive none of the new funding because it would be used for Legal Services programs that do not currently receive State funding. LSSA and ALAA have continued to lobby Assembly members for a fair share of this fund which we lobbied for 12 years to create. LSNY and Legal Aid have now been invited to submit a proposal to fund a specific project but it remains a mystery as to who will get this money in the end. Dates to Remember Delegates' Assembly, Wednesday, April 27th 6:30 pm (Food at 6) Support Columbia Strikers (UAW Local 2110) UAW Lobbying Trips to Albany May 22 -25 | |||||||
| ©2004 Legal Services Staff Association Design: Barbara Jungwirth, web.bjungwirth.com |
