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9/25/2009
EXPRESS SCRIPTS
SECURITY BREACH
Many members have contacted PEF regarding a letter they recently received from
Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), the Pharmacy Benefit Manager for the Empire Plan
Prescription Drug Program for the period 1/1/99 - 12/31/05. The letter
notifies Empire Plan enrollees of an incident that resulted in unauthorized
access to Empire Plan enrollee information including name, social security
number, date of birth and possibly prescription information. PEF is
working with the NYS Department of Civil Service, the state agency responsible
for administering the New York State Health Insurance Program, to obtain more
information regarding the security breach.
ESI is unaware at this time of any actual misuse of Empire Plan information, and
is continuing to work with the FBI to investigate. ESI has set up a
website, www.esisupports.com, which
contains helpful information and resources for affected Empire Plan enrollees.
ESI has contracted with Kroll Inc., the world?s leading risk-consulting company,
to provide expert assistance to members who believe their data may have been
misused because of this incident. If an enrollee does experience identity
theft resulting from this incident, he or she will be assigned a licensed
investigator at Kroll who will work to validate and address all concerns.
ESI will provide identity restoration services from Kroll for all legitimate and
approved cases of identity theft caused by this incident. If you received
a letter from ESI advising you of the security breach, and you have concerns
about your personal information, you may contact Kroll, at no charge to you, at
866-795-9350, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Central Time), to discuss your concerns with a U.S.-based customer care
representative specially trained in handling privacy breach events, fraud, and
identity theft issues.
As more information becomes available, we will share it with members as quickly
as possible.
PSWP
- Public Service Workshops Program: Recently Announced Workshops - 9/23/09
For New York State Employees in the Professional, Scientific and Technical
Services (PS&T) Unit (MC employees may be permitted to attend workshops if space
is available.) The recently scheduled PSWP workshops below are grouped by
region, and then listed in chronological order by class date. To reference full
workshop details and to register go to: NYSLearn at
http://goer.state.ny.us/nyslearn
Capital District
- Auditing Fundamentals
This workshop provides an overview of auditing, including basic concepts,
techniques, and auditing applications. Topics include the audit risk model,
professional ethics, and computer auditing. Basic financial derivative
transactions will also be introduced. Participants are encouraged to register
for the PSWP workshop 'Advanced Auditing Processes' to get a complete review of
auditing related topics.
Dates/Time: 11/10/2009; 9 AM - 4 PM; Location: Sage College of Albany, Albany,
NY
Registration Deadline: 10/27/2009
- Wireless Technology
This workshop provides an overview of wireless technologies and why
organizations are choosing to adopt them. The different types and the advantages
and disadvantages of wireless technologies will be explored, including security
issues and concerns that most likely affect a wireless network. The workshop
will also cover what is required to deploy a wireless solution, and how to
integrate wireless and wired.
Dates/Time: 12/7/2009; 9 AM - 4 PM; Location: University at Albany, Albany, NY
Registration Deadline: 11/23/2009
Northern
- Legal Writing for Non-Attorneys
This workshop provides an introduction to basic legal writing principles for
employees who are not attorneys but must deal with legal materials and
documents. The workshop provides an understanding of legal writing formats,
applications of legal rules in a persuasive argument, an explanation of commonly
used legal terms and phrases, and how to incorporate a plain English writing
style into legal documents.
Dates/Time: 11/19/2009; 9 AM - 4 PM; Location: North Country Community College,
Saranac Lake, NY
Registration Deadline: 11/5/2009
Kimberly Loccisano
PEF Education Department
Phone #- 1-800-342-4306 ext. 240
e-mail -
kloccisano@pef.org
VSP and VRWS
PEF has been contacted by a number of members who are frustrated that the State
has not made the Voluntary Severance Program (VSP) and Voluntary Reduction in
Work Schedule Program (VRWS) more widely available to PEF members.
To demonstrate the on-going interest in these programs, PEF is collecting the
names of those people who are interested in either of these two programs.
http://www.pef.org/contract_resources/vspform.htm
THE HOUSE OF LABOR
-AFL-CIO Convention Update
The 2009 AFL-CIO Convention was convened in Pittsburgh on Sunday September 13
and adjourned Thursday the 17th. 43 percent of AFL-CIO union delegates his year
were women, people of color and LGBT. They elected Richard Trumka president, Liz
Shuler, secretary-treasurer, and re-elected Arlene Holt Baker executive vice
president. It's the first time the top leadership of the AFL-CIO includes two
women, and Shuler, 39, is the youngest-ever unionist to hold so high a position
in the labor movement. The event was covered in depth at their website.
Videos of the speakers, all Executive Council Reports, the final text of all
Constitutional and Convention Resolutions and daily narrative reports, and more
are all available on the net. The gateway to all of this information is
http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/convention/2009/index.cfm
-How Did Labor Get Here? How Do We
Rebuild?
Bill Moyers Journal - September 18,
2009 -
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09182009/profile.html
The AFL-CIO held its convention the week of September 14, 2009, in a time of uncertainty. A new Gallup poll showed support for unions at the lowest level since they began posing the question in 1936. And, although there was an up tick in membership in 2008, the percentage of American workers represented by a union is down to about 12 percent from more than 25 percent in 1950.
But, there is also a new AFL-CIO leader, a new president in the White House and a Secretary of Labor who support some of organized labor's priorities like the Employee Free Choice Act. Bill Moyers talked with experts Bill Fletcher, co-author of SOLIDARITY DIVIDED: THE CRISIS IN ORGANIZED LABOR AND A NEW PATH TOWARD SOCIAL JUSTICE and Michael Zweig, director of the Center for the Study of Working Class Life at SUNY Stony Brook, about the state of organized labor and what it needs to do face the challenges of the 21st-century economy.
"Organized labor remains in a crisis...Right now the question for organized labor is whether or not it actually can become a class movement. A movement of workers. And not simply unions representing people in different workplaces." -Bill Fletcher
"I don't think that the labor movement can
successfully organize in particular places without a context of a broad social
movement that addresses the power of capital. Not just in the particular
workplace, but in the society as a whole." -Michael Zweig
Visit PBS here to read/watch the entire thought provoking program!
Watch Video
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09182009/watch2.html
Read Transcript
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09182009/transcript2.html
-AFL-CIO President on CNBC and MSNBC
Immediately following the convention, the new leadership began a tour around the
country. President Trumka's first stop was Wall Street. For those of you who
weren't able to catch President Trumka on CNBC in front of Wall Street - as well
as his appearance LIVE on the Rachel Maddow show - here are the clips.
http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=205&DateTime=9%2F21%2F2009+11%3A50%3A29+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=205&playclip=True&RefPage=
Rachel Maddow - MSNBC
-Toyota To Close Only Unionized U.S. Plant
-A FACTORY LIKE A CITY-
By David Bacon, TruthOut 9/16/09
http://www.truthout.org/091609A?n
Last month Toyota announced it would close the New United Motor Manufacturing
Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California, after General Motors announced it was
withdrawing from the partnership under which the plant has operated for over two
decades. The plant employs 4500 workers directly, and the jobs of another
30,000 throughout northern California are dependent on its continued operation.
Taking families into account, the threatened closure will eliminate the income
of over 100,000 people.
Read article in its entirety here:
http://www.truthout.org/091609A?n
PROTEST SIGNS OF 2009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/21/the-funniest-protest-sign_n_292342.html
PONDERABLE QUOTE
"The integrity of a person is seen, not in
falling, but in rising after each fall."
African proverb
Further Information is available at:
our Web Site www.pef.org
Hot Line: 1-800-553-2445
