Local 613
CSEA Local 1000 AFSCME AFL-CIO
November 2007 Newsletter
SUNY Potsdam  
Empire Plan Awards Prescription
Drug Contract
New York State has awarded United Health Care and
Medco the contract to manage the Empire Plan
prescription drug program.  The contract has been
awarded for a 3-year period and will become effective
on January 1, 2008.  Until then, the current Empire
Plan prescription drug administrator, Empire
BlueCross/Blue Shield and Caremark will remain in
place.

We anticipate a comparable benefit structure and
limited disruption to network retail pharmacies under
the new administrator.  As more information
regarding the change in vendors becomes available,
the CSEA Health Benefits Department will update us
accordingly.
UNION MEMBERS…..         

Change the world without ever going to a meeting, AND enjoy top quality products while
supporting 100% Fair Trade retailers and the Labor-Religion Coalition Fair Trade Project.  This
project helps farmers at home, and around the world, to receive a fair price for their produce, and
combats child labor, forced labor, and slave labor!!  

CSEA is proud to be part of this program.  At our Annual Delegates’ Convention, we were shown
video interviews of some of the young coffee bean workers.  There were children as young as 10
who were forced to leave school to work in the fields for 12 hour days and earned only pennies,
as they are paid per bag, not per hour.  This ‘wage’ was used to supplement the family income,
so they would not starve.  The entire family worked in the fields.  It’s a sad commentary to the
greed of the corporate world.  
What is your Health Insurance Worth?
Whether you are retiring or not, if you would like to know what your
health insurance is worth, go to this web site:  www.cs.state.ny.
us/ebd/welcome/login.cfm

  • Log in as an active New York State employee.  
  • Then select CSEA member as your group, choose your
    insurance program and log in.  
  • From the NYSHIP online web page, click on “Planning to
    Retire?”.  
  • Scroll down to & click on “Sick Leave Credit and
    Calculator”.  
  • Right under “Estimate the Value of Your Sick Leave Credit”,
    you will see a link that says “(Click here for sick leave credit
    electronic calculator)”.  Click on it and fill in the information
    requested.  (NOTE:  Dual Annuitant Sick Leave Credit is a
    choice that you will be given to either apply the full 100% of
    sick leave value to your account, or only 70%, leaving a
    balance for a spouse in the event of their death.)  

You can play with your figures from there, but that will give you an
idea of  what your insurance is worth when you retire.
There’s more to your coffee than caffeine!
Did you know……?

  • Farmers and workers who grow coffee beans are slipping into dire poverty
    while U.S. coffee giants grow rich off their labor.
  • The average American drinks 400 cups of coffee every year.
  • In one year, Fair Trade benefits a million workers and farmers in 58
    developing countries.
  • Shop Fair Trade and you support livable wages, community development,
    health care and education
Visit www.deansbeans.com and
www.equalexchange.com.  
Enter “CSEA” as your promotion
code.  Help yourself to great
flavor, while helping others live
better.