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of Information Law, NY Pub Off Law Sec 84 et seq.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
letters@newsday.com
Newsday endorses Kevin McCaffrey p.A30 Thursday October 24
Nassau OTB employees and members of Teamsters Local 707 have firsthand knowledge of Kevin McCaffrey upon which to form an opinion . McCaffrey isPresident of Teamsters Local 707 and Trustee of the Local 707 Pension Fund et al.
Kevin McCaffrey seeks federal relief for the Teamsters Local 707 pension plan which has ramifications for citizens of the US. The merits of this bailout need to be presented and debated. McCaffrey spends considerable time and resources working on his many jobs besides Suffolk County Legislator. The voters of the 14th Legislative District , union members, and Nassau OTB employees must be presented with McCaffrey's time, location, and activity records. The books and records of the Teamsters Local 707 Pension fund must be produced for scrutiny by voters, union members, retirees, prosecutorial and regulatory agencies , et al to examine issues of breach of fiduciary duty and other possible wrongdoing.
Kevin McCaffrey is a bigot. Although the US is a Christian nation, NY Const Art 1 Sec protects the rights of all. When tracks are running without the State of NY, Nassau OTB must be open for the OTB faithful. NY PML Sec 109 does not apply to Nassau OR Suffolk OTB and or is unconstitutional. Teamsters Local 707 must represent all Nassau OTB employees, Catholic, members of the Orthodox Church, etc. You can buy a lottery ticket and play the slot machines in NY every day of the year. You must be able to bet the horses at Nassau OTB every day of the year.
Kevin McCaffrey has done nothing to inform Teamsters Local 707 members of their rights pursuant to NY Elec Law 3-110. Many Nassau OTB employees re afraid to exercise their rights or are simply indifferent to them. Nassau OTB President is head of the Nassau County Republican Committee.
By document dated May 8, 2019 signed by Josrph Cairo and Kevin McCaffrey the Collective Bargaining Agreement was. putportedly amended in violation of the IBT Constitution. The office of JImmy Hoffa purportedly sent two coomunication yo Teamsters Local 707 without a response. A complaint has been filed with the NY PERB.
jackson leeds
nassau otb cashier
member of Teamsters Local 707
cc: members of Teamsters Local 707 , express yourselves
Stop scratching on holidays Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays. New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state. “You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?” Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday. “I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.” OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running. One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000. Easy money.
Suffolk, Nassau OTB probe ethics conflict
by David Winzelberg
Published: November 24th, 2013
At least one employee of Nassau County Off-Track Betting is questioning whether the head of his employee union, a member-elect of the Suffolk County Legislature, should have a say in Suffolk OTB business.
Teamsters Local 707 President Kevin McCaffery, whose union represents about 200 Nassau OTB workers, was elected earlier this month to serve as a Suffolk legislator representing the 14th
District. In a letter last week, Nassau OTB cashier Jackson Leeds alerted the Suffolk County Ethics Board to McCaffery’s possible conflict of interest.
“As a Suffolk County legislator, his duties are to the people of Suffolk County,” Leeds wrote. “He cannot simultaneously represent the interests of employees of Nassau OTB, a Nassau County public benefit corporation.”
McCaffery told LIBN he doesn’t think the two counties’ OTBs are in competition with each other and he doesn’t see his role as union leader for Nassau OTB workers as a conflict with issues surrounding Suffolk OTB.
“If anything, I have the background of dealing with Nassau OTB, which gives me more insight on the subject than any other legislator out there,” McCaffery said.
When asked if the legislator-elect’s union job appeared to be a conflict of interest, Nassau OTB chief Joseph Cairo said, “If you really want to stretch it. But I don’t see anything that’s apparent to me.”
Cairo added that he’ll instruct the Nassau agency’s counsel to review the situation.
Leeds, a 10-year veteran of Nassau OTB, complained that both union officials and county OTB management have been too focused on the 1,000 video lottery terminals planned for each county’s OTB and they’re not paying enough attention to current operations.
“They never worked behind a window,” Leeds told LIBN. “They’re out of touch with the bettors of Nassau County.”
Internet wagering and dwindling handles – the overall money being wagered – have prompted a
consolidation in Nassau OTB’s operations in recent years; there were 15 betting offices in
Nassau in
2003, and now there are eight. Suffolk OTB, which has seven branch offices, filed for bankruptcy last year.
These days, according to some analysts, OTB offices exist largely for political patronage – another reason, according to Leeds, that the Nassau union chief shouldn’t mix one business with the other.
“Union leaders should not be politicians,” he said. “OTBs are run by politicians. Being political and doing public good aren’t always incompatible, but they often are.”
This isn’t the first time a Long Island legislator’s OTB ties have become an issue.
In May 2000, Gregory Peterson, then-president of the Nassau OTB, sued to prevent Nassau County Leg. Roger Corbin from voting on appointments to the Nassau OTB’s board of directors. Because Corbin was employed as a branch manager for New York City OTB and a member of Teamsters Local 858, which then represented all employees of Nassau OTB, Peterson alleged Corbin’s legislative role posed a conflict of interest.
A New York Supreme Court judge issued an injunction preventing Corbin from voting on OTB appointments, but Corbin appealed and the lower court’s decision was reversed. The Nassau County Board of Ethics also chimed in, determining by a 3-2 vote that voting on OTB appointments didn’t create a conflict because Corbin didn’t influence policy or engage in labor negotiations.
With McCaffery, some observers say it’s best to proceed with caution.
Anthony Figliola, vice president of Uniondale-based government relations firm Empire Government Strategies, said the legislator-elect may want to recuse himself from any votes concerning Suffolk OTB until the Suffolk County Ethics Board offers an opinion.
“OTB is a political football,” Figliola said. “It’s better to stay out of it, especially if you want to get things done in the Legislature.”
Suffolk County Legis. Kevin McCaffrey speaks beside Legis. Robert Trotta during a news conference at the William Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. Photo Credit: Barry Sloan
National Teamsters union officials have decided to allow ballots to be counted in a union election in which Kevin McCaffrey, minority leader of the Suffolk County Legislature, is seeking to regain his post as president.
The Washington D.C.-based executive board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters had impounded ballots in a revote of a Local 707 election that
lost in November, said Kara Deniz, spokeswoman for the national union.
The winning slate of candidates had opposed repetition of the election.
The board voted last Friday to reject the appeal by the victors and allow the election to go forward. The new ballots will be opened on Wednesday, said Susan Oddo, the Nassau local’s new recording secretary.
McCaffrey and other incumbents ousted in the November election had asked for a new vote because 92 ballots had not been delivered to workers of a Midwood ambulance company. A new election was held, but ballots were impounded because of the appeal
The ousted slate should have been aware the ballots had not been delivered, and also did not seek a revote in a timely manner, Oddo said.
Local 707 represents 2,400 workers in the trucking and food service industries, along with employees of Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.
McCaffrey, a Lindenhurst Republican, lost the union election in November to John Kelder by six votes. McCaffrey had held the $106,000-a-year union post since 1994.
Road Carriers 707 Pension Update
Road Carriers 707 Pension Fund Update
This email was sent by the Road Carriers 707 Fund office to keep you informed of any updates to the 707 Pension Fund
Road Carriers 707 Pension Fund
Pension Reform Legislation Update September 27, 2019
In July the House of Representatives passed the Butch Lewis Bill which relies on the creation of a loan program to assist Multiemployer pension funds such as ours. This was done with the support of all House Democrats and bipartisan support of 29 Republicans including the chief Republican sponsor Peter King and New York Republicans Lee Zeldin, John Katko and Chris Collins. Please contact your Congressional Representative and thank them for their support if they voted Yes and express your frustration if they voted No.
The next hurdle is in the Senate where 60 of 100 votes are needed to pass this Legislation. Currently Republicans control a majority of the votes in the Senate. The Butch Lewis legislation was recently introduced in the Senate. No hearings or votes are scheduled. The strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives shows broad based support for multiemployer pension relief. But it became clear during the debate in the House and subsequent discussions Republicans are not in support of a loan program such as the Butch Lewis Bill and a compromise in the Senate must be reached.
In my many visits to Washington, DC, discussions with the Union’s lobbyist and stakeholders in the multiemployer pension world, several distinctions between a proposed Senate bill and the Butch Lewis Bill (HR 397) are clear. Although there is no compromise bill filed in the Senate there has been significant bipartisan discussions. Below are some of the different scenarios and priorities of any Legislation being discussed:
Instead of a loan program detailed in Butch Lewis for troubled plans discussions are centered around partitioning orphan and other liability enough for plans to avoid or come out of insolvency.
The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) would administer the partitioning and would require additional funding to provide the resources necessary. Discussions also include an increase in the PBGC minimum guarantee.
Any Legislation must minimize hits to retirees and employers who voluntarily joined these multi-employer plans. Any relief cannot adversely affect healthy plans and there must be changes in existing rules to allow healthy plans to stay that way.
Any Legislation will not be a stand-alone bill requiring a stand-alone vote. Most probably will be attached to one of the required bills to keep the government funded prior to the end of the year.
The Republican Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa is taking the lead on creating an outline of what possible Legislation may look like. It is expected within the next several weeks. This document will be circulated to stakeholders in the multi-employer pension world to provide feedback. Several things are clear, the longer it takes for relief the costlier it is to fix it. The Central States Pension Fund is expected to become insolvent in 2025. This insolvency will bankrupt the PBGC and cause a loss of Government Tax revenue of over 3 billion dollars plus the increased cost of social services. With these costs factored in the cost of any pension relief is reduced significantly.
We cannot thank enough Congressman Peter King as the Chief Republican Sponsor of HR-397 who provided the bipartisan support, this momentum is now carrying over into the Senate. And as always, we must recognize and thank Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who continues to look out for Local 707 retirees, actives and participants. At every step of the way, Local 707 is included in any discussions of Pension relief. This would not be happening if Senator Schumer did not make our issue his priority.
Please remember to thank your Congressional representative if he voted for the Butch Lewis Bill and feel free to let them know how you feel if they didn’t.
As soon as more details are released, I will send out more updates.
Kevin McCaffrey, President
Teamsters Local 707
The union last year cut pension benefits for retirees after it reported the fund has only $34.6 million to pay $47.6 million in benefits this year. The pension fund receives $7.5 million in contributions a year. Pensions eventually could be cut by up to two-thirds, McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey critics have blamed him for the pension cuts.
McCaffrey said job reductions in the trucking business and contract concessions during the Wall Street meltdown led to the shortfall.
McCaffrey, who was running a heated legislative re-election race at the time of the union election, said he was optimistic about his chances to regain the presidency of the Teamsters local.
LIRR president offers employees unexpected overtime incentive
An overtime incentive comes as Long Island Rail Road laborers have come under scrutiny for what some MTA leaders allege is OT "abuse." Photo Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
The Long Island Rail Road offered some of its union workers overtime pay in place of them taking state-permitted time off to vote in Tuesday’s elections, according to a letter obtained by Newsday.
In the letter sent Monday to railroad union leaders and posted at employee facilities, LIRR president Phillip Eng offered employees who requested time off to vote in Tuesday’s primary elections “the opportunity to withdraw that request." Instead, employees would "receive in addition to their regular pay for their regular shift on June 25, 2019, a premium payment equal to three (3) hours at 1½ times pay,” the letter stated.
A state law that passed in April as part of a group of voting reforms grants New Yorkers three hours of paid time off to go vote.
Maxwell Young, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the LIRR's parent agency — said in a statement the MTA's priority was staffing and "ensuring safe and reliable service for our customers."
"In order to make sure there were enough staff on hand to operate the trains and the system, we offered incentives for a limited number of employees and, if they choose to vote, they can do so before or after work as in previous years," Young said. "We succeeded, and as a result service [Tuesday] was uninterrupted."
The LIRR did not say Tuesday how many employees accepted the offer. Polls were open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Eng said in the letter that the decision to take the offer would “be entirely voluntarily by the employee, and is not intended in any way to preclude any person from voting.” He added that no employees would be required to withdraw their request, nor be directed to work during the requested time off if they don't withdraw their request, nor be "negatively impacted" if they don't withdraw their request.
The letter comes as LIRR laborers have been under scrutiny for what some MTA leaders have said is “abuse” of overtime. The accusations, stemming from an Empire Center for Public Policy report in April on MTA finances, have resulted in multiple investigations into overtime spending at the railroad, including by the MTA’s Inspector General, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Queens District Attorney, which was one of the offices holding a special election Tuesday.
LIRR labor leaders have disputed the allegations, and have said the railroad’s high overtime rates are due to LIRR management relying heavily on OT to keep the commuter rail system — the most heavily used in the United States — operating.
Anthony Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — the LIRR’s largest union — said LIRR management’s offer to workers came in a “late notification” and was the result of the railroad being “unprepared to address staffing issues.”
“Let me be perfectly clear and say the SMART Organization did not request or enter into any agreement for these payments,” Simon said. “SMART members, as well as all LIRR employees, are stepping up as we always do to prevent any inconvenience to our 300,0000-plus ridership, and we will continue to do so.”
Ricardo Sanchez, general chairman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 589, which represents LIRR electricians, defended Eng, who he said was in a “no-win situation.”
“Contractually, he had no good option and made the only call he could to ensure proper staffing to provide service for the riding public,” said Sanchez, who noted that his union also did not request nor enter into an agreement for the extra pay.
Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport), who supported the new law, called LIRR management’s offer to unions “just wrong.”
“The whole purpose of this law is to encourage people to vote, and this letter seems to be discouraging people to vote,” Gaughran said. “It’s the exact opposite of what this law and the governor intended to do.”
Susan Lerner, executive director for Common Cause New York, a voter advocacy group, called Eng’s letter “a jaw-dropper.”
“The idea that the MTA would offer a cash incentive to its employees not to vote is outrageous. As if we don’t have low enough turnout for elections already,” said Lerner, who added the railroad should have prepared better for the election. “This is a big organization with a lot of scheduling capability. You keep track of who asked to take off, and you cover the shifts.”
Young, the MTA spokesman, said Lerner's assertion was "absurd and the exact opposite of what we did, which was to encourage all of our employees to take advantage of the ample voting hours before and after shifts so we could avoid train cancellations and get hundreds of thousands of LIRR customers to school, work and the polls."
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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