Shanna Goldman, our Organizing Director, and Chris Scoville, our Capital District Organizer, opened the conference with a dynamic discussion on far reach of economic concerns. Leaders then chose among 3 workshops that were divided into 2 days. Jess Wisneski, our Legislative Director, and Cynthia Ward, Northeast Action Executive Director, moderated the health care workshop. Cleo Oliver, Citizen Action Campaign Coordinator, and Carin Schiewe, Northeast Action Field Director, moderated the civic engagement workshop. Karen Scharff, our Executive Director, managed the education workshop.

Citizen Action staff loved the level of engagement–especially since we all put so many hours into organizing the conference.

The engagement, though, reached into the Internet this year. We live-streamed portions of the conference and actively used Twitter and Facebook. Leaders especially loved the Twitter projection. Be sure to click on the link to see what the buzz was all about.

We ended the conference on a riveting and uplifting note. William McNary, President of USAction – our national affliate-, brought everyone to their feet and some even to tears. Luckily, in yet another example of technological versatility, Charlie Albanetti, our Communications Director, captured this provocative engagement on video.

Here is a collection of photos that highlight our very active weekend:

We’re also embedding the informational binder that each attendee received. The pages highlight our major projects and is chock full of useful summaries. Please take a look!

2010 Leadership Conference Binder Docs

When people can’t get quality care, they cannot work; when children are sick, they cannot focus in school. As a result, their communities fall farther behind.

Without health care coverage many people are forced to turn to emergency rooms for treatment. Cutting health care funding, including hospital charity care, quickly becomes an issue of life or death, not only for the individual, but also their whole community.

Some key budget actions are:

• Increase co-payments for the Family Health Plus Employer Buy-In Program
• Cuts charity care funds and fails to address the current lack of accountability for use of those funds
• Over $772.5 million in health care cuts

Better choices could be made that would promote access to quality health care for all New Yorkers.

How Budget Choices Affect

Liz from Queens

Liz came to the US from Ecuador in 2008. In Ecuador, she finished high school and studied Information Systems. Liz also owned an electronics business and was in charge of administration and accounting, which was her passion.

16 years ago, after having her first child, something went wrong during a surgery and Liz was left disabled in a wheelchair. One of Liz’s life goals was to work in the U.S. She wants to be able to support herself and her family. Because she loves working with numbers and accounting, one of her dreams is to continue to take classes in these areas. She has started to achieve this goal, since she recently completed a course in preparing taxes, and now has a part time job.

Liz wants to continue studying and wants to improve her English so she can work in the U.S. She had looked into having her grades from Ecuador transferred towards a GED here, and is just missing a few documents from Ecuador for this to happen. Then, she is a step closer in attending a college or university in the U.S.

Some time ago, Liz went to NY Queens Hospital with an emergency. Liz is uninsured and ineligible for any public health insurance. She has three kids and is a single mother. Her children’s father provides $1,500 per month and she makes a modest living at her part time job. She uses her money solely for living expenses and supplies for her kids, but Liz’s rent alone is $1,200 per month, which leaves very little for personal expenses, travel, supplies for school, clothing, household and medical needs.

After her visit to the hospital, Liz was left with medical bills, totalling $4,023.72.

With Make the Road New York’s help, Liz was able to apply for hospital charity care money to reduce the bills. Now she is only responsible for $950 of her original bill, which she can pay in low monthly installments.

Charity care funding was integral to Liz’s ability to stay financially afloat. Without hospital charity care, she would not have been able to pay her hospital bill – and would have gone into default. Liz is happy that hospitals are able to provide charity care and hopes they continue to do so.

Liz is part of Make the Road New York

Join Citizen Action of New York, Make the Road New York, and others for the release of our new report, Race Matters: Impact of the 2010-11 Budget Proposal, including alternative revenue proposals.

LCA Room 130, LOB, Albany, NY – Tuesday, March 23, 2010 – 10:30 am

Our State’s public higher education system has traditionally served as a means for low and moderate income students and students of color to enter the middle class.

73.5% of all CUNY and 20.8% of all SUNY enrollees are students of color. CUNY and SUNY combined educate about three-fifths of all New York college students of color.

The 2010-11 Executive Budget Proposal threatens the ability of students of color to obtain and continue their educational pursuits. Some of the key budget actions are:

• Cut state aid to SUNY and CUNY by $312 million (academic year basis)
• Allow SUNY and CUNY trustees to independently raise tuition, and allow for different tuition by campus and major
• Reduce all Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) awards and eliminate TAP for graduate students

Better choices could be made that would promote equality of opportunity to all New Yorkers.

How Budget Choices Affect

Jian Liu

I immigrated to the United States with my family in April 2005 from Beijing, China. I attended a public high school in New York City, where I struggled as an English Language Learner.

Like every immigrant, I have my American Dream too. I dream to receive world-class education and become a math teacher. From the time I was young, I have been greatly influenced by an old Chinese saying, “Teachers are engineers of human souls.” Teachers influence whole generations and shape our future society. Behind all great success stories, there are always wonderful stories about teachers. Teachers shape, inspire and motivate other people.

Currently, I am enrolled in the Teacher Academy Program at the City College of the City University of New York; while simultaneously pursuing my undergraduate degree with a major in Pure Mathematics and minors in Secondary Math Education and Physics.

But, after continued state budget cuts to higher education programs, my scholarship has been reduced by several hundred dollars. Like most other CUNY students, I am struggling to support myself through college – I don’t have family to provide me with any financial help for my education. I’m worried that I and many of my fellow students will not be able to graduate in four years because of the rising cost of tuition. I am also worried that with more cuts and reduced resources, my university won’t be able to offer the courses that we need to graduate.

Jian Liu is an active member of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families

Join Citizen Action of New York, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, and others for the release of our new report, Race Matters: Impact of the 2010-11 Budget Proposal, including alternative revenue proposals.

LCA Room 130, LOB, Albany, NY – Tuesday, March 23, 2010 – 10:30 am

Last Thursday (January 28th), we kicked-off a new campaign to end prison-based gerrymandering, the undemocratic system for using people in prison to inflate population counts.

At the campaign kick-off, Rev. Al Sharpton said that this is “the voter rights and civil rights issue of the year in the state of New York.”

Here’s the problem: right now, the US Census Bureau counts people in prison as being residents of the area in which they are incarcerated.

While New York’s constitution (Article II §4) states that incarceration will not change a person’s residence, the State still uses the Census numbers for the purposes of drawing legislative district lines, effectively denying fair representation to the communities where most people in prison come from: specifically urban areas and communities of color.

That’s why we’re working with a coalition of organizations from across the State of New York to pass legislation to end this practice. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Eric Schneiderman in the Senate and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries in the Assembly, will use Department of Correctional Services data to amend the Census population counts used for redistricting. Because the legislation doesn’t change how the Census actually counts people, and instead changes how the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment uses Census data to draw district lines, this won’t affect any state or federal funding for any community that is tied to Census data. It will, however, correct the decades old injustice of giving certain communities more representative power at the expense of others.

13 upstate counties that have large prison populations have already rejected the Census counts when it comes to county-level redistricting. Essex County didn’t use the Census counts when they drew districts for their Board of Supervisors. They gave this explanation:

“Persons incarcerated in state and federal correctional institutions live in a separate environment, do not participate in the life of Essex County and do not affect the social and economic character of the towns… The inclusion of these federal and state correctional facility inmates unfairly dilutes the votes or voting weight of persons residing in other towns within Essex County…”

On Monday (February 1st), we held a press conference in the Capitol in Albany to announce new support for the bill from upstate legislations Senators Antoine Thompson and Neil Breslin and Assemblyman Jack McEneny.

With the 2010 Census already underway, and New York’s redistricting process just around the corner in 2012, now is our chance to finally end the distorted system of representation in New York and restore the fundamental principle of ‘one person, one vote.’

In a Staten Island call center, 292 workers approached the union, Communications Workers of America (CWA), because they were overworked and underpaid. At this call center, workers handle all of the customer support for E-Z Pass users in New York State. (If you call the 1-800 number, you will speak to someone at the Staten Island call center.) They had no real affordable health care option and no 401(k) pension plan. They were worried their pay structure would change from a consistent hourly rate to a per call piece-work scheme.

After a laborious and brave campaign, workers voted to join CWA Local 1102 in late May of last year. Their employer, Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), is a large outsourcing company employing over 65,000 workers (more than half abroad). ACS ran an extensive union-busting campaign including everything from one-on-one meetings to intimidate workers to litigating at every angle they could.

ACS immediately appealed the election results but they were eventually certified by the regional Nation Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on August 6, 2009. Now, ACS has appealed the regional decision to the Washington DC NLRB. ACS continues to litigate the union election to prolong actually being forced to settle a contract with CWA, even though legally they are required to do so now.

The hard working New Yorkers want affordable health care. They want a small pension for their future. They want to be able to believe in and live the American dream — have a family and send their children to college. These workers deserve what they so bravely fought for, putting their jobs and well being on the line for a union to help them bargain collectively for a better life.

Please visit our website, www.notsofastezpass.org, to learn even more about the campaign, meet some of the workers for E-Z Pass, and most important TAKE ACTION and send an email to the NYS Authorities who contract with ACS to run E-Z Pass for New Yorkers.

Citizen Action of New York has endorsed Bill Thompson for Mayor of New York City.

Thompson, a life-long New York City resident, has served in many capacities as a public servant since his graduation from college–most recently as an effective and widely supported two term City Comptroller.

An idealist with the practical experience and a strong work ethic, Thompson will be a mayor of integrity and vigor.

After ignoring New York City residents’ explicit demand for a 2-term limit, passed by the voters twice, Bloomberg is now using his billions to buy his way into a third term.

Bill Thompson will be a mayor for all New Yorkers, and he deserves our support and vote.  With election day approaching on November 3rd, Bill Thompson can still use our strength and energy to propel him to victory.  Visit his website to sign up to volunteer on the campaign! Please add your support for a vibrant and progressive New York City.

Also, be sure vote on the Working Families Party Row–”Row E”–on election day. Bill Thompson has also been endorsed by the Working Families Party. By voting on Row E, we’ll demonstrate our support for our progressive values.

Here’s a slide show from the rally:

Bill deBlasio for Public Advocate

Our enthusiastic endorsement for Bill deBlasio is based on the facts:

• He stood up for us and challenged the Mayor’s efforts to extend term limits,
• He called for reform of some of the most arcane voting rituals that keep good candidates off the ballot,
• He has articulated a thoughtful and responsible vision for this office, and
• He wants to work with us… not work at us.

The Citizen Action of New York City Board has been impressed by City Council Member Bill de Blasio’s effectiveness and consistent support for issues important to Citizen Action and our allies. He has stood up to the Bloomberg administration, and found ways to move programs forward. Critically, he was one of the leaders in the efforts to prevent Mayor Bloomberg from scrapping term-limits so he could run for a third term. While our Board is split on the issue of term limits itself, we were united in our opposition to the Mayor’s efforts to overturn the results of two city-wide referendums for his own benefit. As Chair of City Council’s General Welfare Committee, Bill exercised leadership on issues such has child health, housing and homelessness, and quality education.

Bill has a strong appreciation of the potential strengths of the office and understands how to use the Public Advocate’s power to review the performance of all City agencies and to introduce legislation. The Public Advocate’s seats on the City’s largest pension board, the Independent Budget Office Advisory Board and the City Planning Commission make the office a force to be reckoned with. Further, we believe he has the strength to restructure and revitalize the office and make it a truly effective advocate for the citizens of New York City.

Read more at www.billdeblasio.com.

John Liu for Comptroller

John Liu has an impressive resume and compelling life experience, which makes him our candidate for these troubling times. He has articulated a vision for the Comptroller’s office where he will:

• Ban financial contributions from service providers to the pension fund and anyone doing business with the Comptroller’s office, including lobbyists,
• Conduct an audit of every city agency within the first six months of his administration to root out waste and abuse,
• Establish transparency and accountability controls for the Office of Comptroller, and
• Review all the development deals that the City negotiated that have identified and promised to yield affordable housing.

Council Member John Liu represents Flushing, Queens on the City Council and was the first Asian-American elected to the City Council. He is particularly clear about his vision for the Comptroller’s role in oversight, transparency and fiscal responsibility. His first-hand knowledge of the immigrant experience (the Liu family left Taiwan for New York when he was five) is a plus.

We believe that by electing John Liu as NYC Comptroller, we will not only have the person with the best financial experience but also a New Yorker who has stood up for homecare workers in their fight for a living wage and health care benefits, fought closure of many community fire houses, and has shown a strong commitment to quality public school education. The decisions that our next Comptroller will make will directly affect the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout our City.

Read more at www.liunewyork.com.

Protest in Times Square, NYC

On Tuesday, activists in dozens of state across the US protested the unfair, profiteering, and crisis-causing practices of big private insurance companies in America. In New York, Citizen Action focused on two of our state’s worst: United Healthcare and GHI/HIP.

We held protests in New York City, Long Island, Albany, Binghamton, and Buffalo, and used the findings of two new reports released by our research affiliate, the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York, to show that these corporations are the worst of the worst when it comes to customer service and protecting their profits by using ratepayer dollars to oppose reform.

Big insurance companies make profits by overcharging policyholders, raising prices for individuals, families, employees, and unions, and denying people health care.

The result:

• more than 47 million Americans are uninsured
• 45,000 people in America die every year because they don’t have health insurance
• tens of thousands of families are torn apart and thrown into poverty every year due to medical bankruptcy
• with the economic depression, Americans are losing their jobs and consequently are losing coverage

America’s health care system is broken – and every minute we delay fixing it, more lives are being ruined and lost.

Here’s some facts about United Healthcare and the way they operate:

• Based on complaints to the State Insurance Department, United Healthcare has the third worst ranking of the state’s 46 insurance companies. These complaints surrounded issues like the company failing to provide coverage and promised benefits and failing to make payments to doctors and hospitals
• United Healthcare gets the worst ranking on the 29 private (i.e., for-profit) New York insurers
• In 2008, the Insurance Department upheld 559 complaints against United Healthcare (as opposed to Aetna’s 200)
• In 2007, United Healthcare agreed to a $4 million settlement with the state Insurance Department that included a three-year improvement plan to eliminate the company’s errors in claims processing. This was the largest settlement ever entered into with a health insurer involving practices that had harmed customers
• In 2006, after years of findings of improper business practices that remained uncorrected, the Department of Health took the rare step of banning United Healthcare’s managed care plan from enrolling most types of new customers

And they oppose reform. At least some of those people expressing opposition to health care reform this past summer at Congressional town hall meetings were insurance company employees, a portion of whom were influenced and even intimidated into taking action by their employer. Several media outlets reported that United Health Group (United Healthcare’s parent company) sent a letter to its employees on company stationary asking them to attend town hall meetings and write letters and make phone calls to Congress. The employees were given anti-reform talking points to use.

And, here’s some facts about GHI/HIP and what they do:

• GHI HMO is the worst of the 13 HMOs in New York when it comes to customer complaints to the Insurance Department, and 46th of 46 for all categories of insurers
• GHI’s indemnity plan is 41 of 46, and HIP HM is 42 of 46 in consumer complaints – right near the bottom
• In 1999, the New York Attorney General found that HIP was illegally requiring prior authorization for emergency service. Prior authorization for EMERGENCY SERVICE!

GHI/HIP also opposes reform. David Abernethy, EmblemHealth’s senior VP for governmental affairs, is a member of the policy committee of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which is the major insurance industry group opposing reform. AHIP spent $7.5 million on lobbying Congress in 2008 and already spent another $2 million in the first quarter of 2009 – obviously in opposition to reform.

At the events Tuesday, we called on these companies to:

1. Adopt a plan to radically improve poor consumer complaint records
2. Terminate any policy or company incentive that rewards employees financially or otherwise for denying care or rejecting claims
3. Not use any employees or company resources (our premium dollars) to defeat legislation to expand health care coverage

Our message spread. Here’s a tv piece from Binghamton and an article from Long Island.

Here’s a great video from the protest in Kingston, NY, organized by MoveOn.org:

Here’s the report on United Healthcare:

And the one on GHI/HIP:

Be sure to get out to vote tomorrow, and to lend a hand to these candidates if you can.

Albany:

• Mayor – Corey Ellis
• City Treasurer – Kathy Sheehan
• Common Council Ward 1 – Dominick Calsolaro
• Common Council Ward 3 – Lisa Feaster
• Common Council Ward 4 – Barbara Smith
• Common Council Ward 7 – Cathy Fahy
• Common Council Ward 10 – Leah Golby
• Common Council Ward 11 – Luke Gucker

Binghamton:

• Mayor – Matt Ryan

New York City:

• Manhattan District Attorney – Richard Aborn
• City Council (Queens, District 26) – Jimmy Van Bramer
• City Council (Queens, District 25) – Daniel Dromm