My long career in Civil Service was foreshadowed when I was awarded the Roberto Clemente Service Award in elementary school for voluntarily providing support and assistance to other students in my class.   

 

Since graduating from college, I have worked for the City of New York at the Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Water Supply, where I began my career as a Staff Analyst and promoted to my current Civil Service title of Administrative Staff Analyst.  

 

Throughout my 33-year career, the Organization of Staff Analysts (OSA) has been a source of information, education and guidance for me with respect to the application of Civil Service regulations and protections that employees have when working for the City. I personally have benefited from the Civil Service exam training sessions developed by OSA, which provide members support as they seek career advancement.  

 

I also have had the need to turn to OSA when agency administrators were not following proper procedures. The importance of a union with knowledgeable and well-seasoned staff is exemplified during those moments.

 

OSA is a union that works with and for its membership no matter how far flung member work assignments may be.  I was honored to become a Delegate-at-Large on the Executive Board in 2018. I have helped to make OSA more accessible to DEP analysts with work assignments within the Upstate New York City watershed.  It is critical for members to feel connected to the union and I work hard to foster that connection. From fielding general questions to connecting members with the appropriate OSA grievance or staff person to handle their concerns, I consider myself a conduit of communication between members and the union.  

 

I am able to give members a voice, be it on Health and Safety issues or disciplinary matters when appropriate and requested. I strongly believe in the strength of Civil Service and try to mentor younger or newly assigned colleagues on the benefits OSA provides. I also explain some of the excellent Welfare Fund benefits OSA offers, like dental, vision, insurance and superimposed major medical. 

 

OSA operates under a true sense of solidarity reflected in contract negotiations, which look to advance benefits for the totality of the membership and not one title over another. It is the leadership and experience at the helm of OSA, under Bob Croghan, that has led this union to be a fiscally sound and effective representative for its membership. I am proud to be part of this organization and this slate and hope to be given the opportunity to continue to be a Delegate-at-Large.