CSEA Outraged Over OCFS’ Deceptive Actions

ALBANY, NY (11/14/2008)(readMedia)-- CSEA has decided to end participation in a labor-management task force designed to help transform New York’s juvenile justice system. CSEA is outraged at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) over the agency’s dealings with the union. The final straw was Gov. David Paterson’s surprise announcement to close a half-dozen upstate youth detention facilities, a move which violates cooperative labor-management activities, may in fact violate state law and could lead to loss of jobs.

“It is simply impossible for CSEA to continue to work cooperatively with OCFS when they have not been honest with us,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue.

Union officials and CSEA members who work in the state’s youth detention facilities had been working with the agency to move from a correction model to a so-called “sanctuary model” which centers on reducing or eliminating restraints and creating a more therapeutic environment focused on staff building relationships with residents. CSEA was working with OCFS to ensure workers had the resources, including additional staffing levels and proper training, to make the new model work.

But Donohue said OCFS officials violated the union’s trust by using the sanctuary model as an excuse to run down the population counts at several facilities and then move ahead under the governor’s proposal to close the so-called “underutilized” facilities.

“To go ahead and systematically and intentionally empty out facilities under the guise of a policy shift, and then use that as a reason for closing those very same facilities is deceptive and underhanded,” Donohue said.

OCFS did not give CSEA any advance notice of the proposed closures and the union charged OCFS is flaunting a state law that requires one year’s notice to affected communities before closing a facility.

Donohue said the move is symptomatic of an administration that says one thing and then does something else.

“These actions have seriously undermined our trust in the agency and the governor,” said Donohue. “They keep telling us ‘we want to work together and cooperate’ and then they take actions that even undermine the plans they say they’re working toward.”

The proposal to close the facilities would also eliminate about 250 positions. The union said reducing staff goes against the recommendations of a consultant working with the task force who believes the agency will need more staffing to successfully move away from a correction model to a more therapeutic model of care.

The state facilities that would be closed under the governor’s proposal are Adirondack, near Plattsburgh; Great Valley and Cattaraugus in Western New York; Rochester; Syracuse; and Pyramid in New York City. Additionally, Allen, in Delaware County and Tryon, in Johnstown would be downsized.

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