THE
TEAM — (l-r) Maria Betor, Scott Michael Goodspeed, Jennifer Richardson, Janice
Cook, Edward Aluck, William Seamon, Lisa King, Steven Klein, Elizabeth Schuster,
Margaret Lorenc and Harold Eisenstein. Photo by Deborah A. Miles
PEF’s own legal team
Law & Order
By DEBORAH A. MILES
As a PEF member, you have a highly qualified Legal Department which is dedicated
to defending and representing members with respect to their employment in many
different types of cases.
“We are the law office for PEF and any legal question that arises is referred
and handled by this office,” said William Seamon, general counsel, who heads the
department.
In addition to handling all of PEF’s litigation, the department responds to
approximately 75 formal inquiries each year. Those come through the officers,
field services and other department heads.
These inquiries may lead to litigation, grievances or other action.
The process for obtaining legal service begins with the member contacting a PEF
field representative.
If you’re facing disciplinary termination charges, an attorney is always
assigned to represent you. And, if you think your case is unique, Seamon said
his staff has seen almost everything.
“It’s rare we encounter an entirely new situation, and that works to our
advantage,” Seamon said. “We don’t have to start from scratch and we brainstorm
on a lot of issues. The people in this department are hard-working, experienced,
have a great deal of institutional memory and belief in unions and the dignity
of workers.”
The staff includes Lisa King, deputy general counsel; Edward Aluck, Harold
Eisenstein, Scott Michael Goodspeed, Steven Klein, Jennifer Richardson,
Elizabeth Schuster, all associate counsels; Margaret Lorenc, law clerk; Maria
Betor, executive assistant; and secretary Janice Cook.
“Everyone is cross-trained and will handle all types of cases at one time or
another,” Seamon said. “We handle all the disciplinary termination arbitration
cases, formal licensing charges, certain improper practice charges at the Public
Employment Relations Board (PERB), lawsuits against the union and some contract
disputes.”
One of the department’s recent victories that affected the membership as a whole
is the Medicare Part B lawsuit.
“This was a really important case,” Seamon said. “The state tried this massive
cost shift by charging NYS Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) enrollees health
insurance premiums to cover the cost of reimbursing retirees for their Medicare
Part B premiums. We’re talking about millions of dollars.
“PEF was the leader of the coalition of unions that litigated this issue. If we
had not challenged this, the state would have gotten away with it,” Seamon said.
“It showed how unions can work together on important issues, and how various PEF
departments also work together,” he added. “It was a great win for the
membership.
The
Communicator May 2007
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