OSA Newsline  February 26, 2001

Filing for the promotion to Associate Staff Analyst exam ends this Tuesday, February 27th. Please don't be late. On the same topic, two points of clarification: First, in order to take the exam, members must already have been certified as permanent in the civil service title of Staff Analyst. Such members may well be serving provisionally in other titles, but their permanent title must be Staff Analyst in order to be eligible to take the exam.

Members on the list to be appointed to Staff Analyst, even if now serving in that exact title provisionally, must still await permanent appointment to the title before they can take the exam; If they are appointed to permanent Staff Analyst any time prior to the exam, personnel will allow for a late filing of their application.

Thanks to all of our volunteer and staff who conspired to make OSA's African-American History program a success. Over a hundred folks participated, mostly members retired or active, plus their children large and small. It was a nice night all around.

Finally, the news you've all been waiting for. We have set the schedule for the ASA Exam Training Course. Please read the information below carefully and then, if you are interested in taking the course, please print this newsline out, complete the required coupon below and follow the instructions about faxing or mailing the coupon into the union office. Please retain a copy of the coupon for your records. You must bring it with you to all sections of the training course.

This information is for current union members. Please do not give anyone the registration coupon as it will only cause confusion. If you know a non-union member who wishes to take the training course, please ask them to call the OSA office at (212) 686-1229. They can join OSART, our professional association. By joining OSART, they will be eligible for the course. Non-members can print out the OSART membership application from this website by going to the Current Campaigns and Updates section of this website and scrolling down to the OSART icon. By clicking on the icon they will open an OSART membership form. They should print out and complete the form and return it to OSA with a check or money order for $97.50.

ASSOCIATE STAFF ANALYST PROMOTIONAL EXAM TRAINING COURSE

Please complete the coupon if you are interested in registering for the ASA Promotional Exam Training Course. This course is open to Staff Analysts APPOINTED from a civil service list who are OSA/OSART members.

Evening classes will be held Monday through Friday starting at 5:30 PM for registration and distribution of materials to 9 PM, beginning the week of Monday, March 19th for a training set of eight or nine weeks. Day classes will be held Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30AM for registration and distribution of materials, to 4PM and will cover two topics per day, for a training set of four or five weeks beginning Saturday, March 24th or Sunday, March 25th. The Saturday and Sunday training set may be presented twice depending on the demand. The training will take place in the OSA office 220 East 23rd St., 7th floor.

The same classes will be given each evening in a given week. Therefore, you sign up for just one evening a week and come for 8 or 9 consecutive weeks OR you sign up for either Saturday or Sunday and come for 4 or 5 weeks.

Please indicate which evening or day of the week you are interested in attending. Please return this coupon immediately - in no case later than March 9th - to the OSA office, 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 707, New York, NY 10010, or by fax to 212-686-1231 or call George at 212-686-1229. Please keep a copy of the coupon for your records because you will need to bring it with you to the sessions. Also be sure to call the hotline (212-689-6111) or check the NEWSLINE page of the OSA website, www.osaunion.org on a regular basis.

Unless you hear from us you will be registered for the day you choose. Keep your copy, as we will not be able to remind you which day you chose. YOU MUST BRING YOUR REGISTRATION COUPON WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARRIVE FOR TRAINING EACH TIME.

DO NOT return this coupon if you have not yet been appointed to Staff Analyst. If you are appointed after the training sessions begin, please call Sheila at 212-686-1229.






OSA Newsline February 19, 2001

Our apology for not mentioning last week that the union office would be closed on last Monday, Lincoln's Birthday. Long time members did know that OSA always closes on Lincoln's Birthday, but we have new members each year and it should have been mentioned.

Exam notices have been received by most members in City agencies, the Transit Authority and NYCHA.

If, in fact, you got your copy and don't need it, bring it to work just in case any coworkers did not get theirs. You can still download a copy of the notice and application from this website. Simply scroll down to the OSA Newsline for February 7, 2001 and follow the directions. We also have copies at the union office, as well as at 18 Washington Street.

The teachers have been called in to prepare the training and the Course Coordinator is Sheila Gorsky. If you think you are particularly qualified to train on one or more of the topics mentioned by the Notice of Examination, we need you. Call Sheila at 212-686-1229.


OSA Newsline February 7, 2001

A mailing is going out this week containing the Notice of Examination for the Associate Staff Analyst exam and the application forms needed to apply. You can also download the Notice of Examination and the application forms by clicking on these links:

Associate Staff Analyst Notice Of Examination

Associate Staff Analyst Exam Application, Application Instructions and Application Supplement
Note: you are not required to fill out the Application Supplement form (about outstanding loans).

To read these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your hard drive. If you do not have it installed, please click on this link:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

and follow the instructions at the Adobe site for downloading Acrobat Reader to your hard drive.

Information for Sabbath Observers, those with disabilities needing accommodation to take the test, those seeking veterans' credit and those whose address changes after exam filing appears at the end of this newsline message below.

Members should receive the print package by next week or the weekend of the 17th at the latest.

The union will also have extra copies at the office as well.

Those eligible to take the promotional exam are those who have been appointed Staff Analyst for at least one day, so the union did not send out mail to the HHC, since few HHC members are in that title.

Now that we have the notice of examination, we have started to prepare the training course for the exam. Members should consult this page or call the telephone newsline regularly and as soon as we are prepared, registration for the course will take place.

The good news is the exam. The topics seem very similar to the last exam. Okay. The bad news is all the work now before us. Still, permanent status is worth the effort.

By the way, please keep copies of everything: your application, your money order, change of address notice, etc. Note: the salary should be $50,377.

If you are currently a provisional ASA or higher but do not have the underlying title of Staff Analyst, you cannot take the exam. However, if you hold a permanent competitive title equivalent to Staff Analyst (i.e. Supervisor I Welfare) you may be able to laterally transfer (exchange) your title to Staff Analyst before the exam. Call for details for the 6.1.9 transfer.

In addition, if you are appointed to Staff Analyst after the February filing period, your agency should process your application with DCAS.

The famous ARCO test books are not helpful for this exam. The tests are not from prior ASA or Analyst exams.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION FORM

Note: These directions are designed to assist you in completing section 17 on the APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION form and to inform you how to notify this Department of a CHANGE OF ADDRESS.

(A) SABBATH OBSERVER: If, because of religious belief, you cannot take the test on a Saturday or on the scheduled test date, you must request an alternate date no later than 15 days prior to the scheduled test date. The request must include: your full name; your social security number; the exam number: the exam title; signed statement on letterhead from your religious leader certifying that your religious observance prohibits you from taking the test on the scheduled date.

(B) DISABILITY: If you have a disability which will interfere with your ability to take this test without special accommodation(s) or other assistance, you must submit a written request for specific special accommodation(s) postmarked no later than 30 workdays prior to the test date. The request must include: your full name; your social security number; the exam number; the exam title; the specific nature of your disability; a justification for the special accommodations; a statement corroborating your disability by a physician or agency authorized for this purpose.

To submit the above information visit in person or write to: Examining Service Section, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, 1 Centre Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10007

(C) VETERANS: For veterans' or disabled veterans' credit you must have all of the following:

a. Be a resident of New York State at the time of list establishment; and
b. Have an honorable discharge or have been released under honorable conditions; and
c. Have either served on full-time active duty, other than active duty for training, in the

Armed Forces of the United States during:

- World War II (December 7, 1941 - December 31,1946); or
- Korean Conflict (June 27, 1950 - January 31, 1955); or
- Vietnam Conflict (December 22, 1961 - May 7, 1975); or
- Persian Gulf Conflict (August 2, 1990 - to be determined)

OR You must have received the armed forces expeditionary medal, navy expeditionary medal, or the marine corps expeditionary medal for:

- Hostilities in Lebanon (June 1, 1983 - December 1, 1987); or
- Hostilities in Grenada (October 23, 1983 - November 21, 1983); or
- Hostilities in Panama (December 20, 1989 - January 31, 1990).

For Disabled Veterans' Credit, in addition to a, b, and c above, at the time the list is established you must have been found to have a disability incurred in time of war which has been rated at least 10 percent by the V.A. If the V.A. has not certified the disability as permanent, it must have been rated at least 10 percent by a V.A. physician no more than one year prior to the date of filing your application or the date of establishment of the eligible list.

Note:

1. You may use Veterans' or Disabled Veterans' Credit only once after January 1, 1951 for appointment or promotion from a City, State, or County civil service list from a jurisdiction within the State of New York.

2. Veterans' credit will be added only to the final score of those candidates who pass all parts of the examination.

3. The above is only a summary of necessary conditions. The complete provisions are contained in statutory and/or decisional law.

(D) CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If your mailing address changes after you file for an exam, you should send a letter stating your name, social security number, exam title, exam number, old address and new address to:

Examining Service Section, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, 1 Centre Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10007, C/O Address Change Unit


OSA Newsline February 5, 2001

Last month's issue of News From OSA resulted in a number of phone calls that should be answered here. Membership in the New York City Employees Retirement System is dollar for dollar a better buy than investing in a tax deferred annuity.

Some members called with doubts. There is no doubt. The pension never costs more than about 5%, has a total value of investment thanks to the city's obligation of 15% a year and earns vesting for pension and old age health benefits after only five years.

The payout is guaranteed by the City and is 50% cost indexed for the first $18,000 per year. Even the famous early economist Adam Smith would have trouble beating those numbers.

The TDA is great for extra savings, but first our members should be enrolled in the pension system – and social security as well.

top
top