News and Media

President Goodwin Applauds Sens. Schumer and Grassley for Introducing the HELLPP Act  

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2013 – The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) applauds Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for introducing critical bipartisan legislation that would increase access to podiatric care and save billions of dollars in the process. The Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians (HELLPP) Act, S.1318, would identify podiatrists as physicians under Title XIX (the Medicaid Provision) of the Social Security Act, making it easier for low-income individuals to get necessary foot care.

A group of 8,000 state managers may soon get long-awaited pay raises.

The state Legislature finally passed the Management Confidential Pay Commission Act, a bill that would create a seven-member commission to recommend salary increases for the managers.

But it remains unclear if Gov. Cuomo will sign the bill.

“We are still reviewing it,” said spokesman Rich Azzopardi.

State managers have gone five years without a raise, and many earn less than their subordinates.

“We are very hopeful that he will review it and sign it. This is the right thing to do,” said Organization of New York State Management Confidential Employees executive director Joe Sano.

Each member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union will receive two new benefits—life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment—as the result of action taken at the union’s convention earlier this month. Upon the recommendation of the executive board, delegates to the union’s triennial convention held June 3-6 in San Diego, approved providing each of the union’s 105,000 members with $2,000 life insurance and $2,000 AD&D.