Welcome to the home page of the Civil Service Bar Association (“CSBA”). We proudly represent approximately 900 attorneys who are employed by the City of New York in its dozens of agencies and authorities. Our members work hard and smart each day, enabling their employer to properly and lawfully serve the men, women, children and businesses who reside or do business in this great city.
CSBA energetically and unapologetically advocates for our members. We absolutely must be treated with dignity and respect, and receive compensation commensurate with our level of education, expertise and experience. Many of our members are carrying student loans in excess of $100,000.
Make no mistake: It is in all New Yorkers’ interests that NYC government attorneys have a career path and the financial ability to remain with their respective agencies. Experience makes for better attorneys, and better attorneys serving in the public interest, as we do, better assist the public!
The pages that follow are designed to assist our members with routine questions and situations, on a 24/7 basis. Always feel free to call us, during normal business hours, for more information or to report a situation or issue we should become aware of, at (212) 675-0519 or email us confidentially (from your personal email account) at csbainfo@local237.org.
Thank you, and once again, welcome!
In case you don’t have (or don’t want to have) a Facebook account, we now also have a presence on Bluesky. Look for us on either or both under the name CSBA Attorneys. Either way, we post timely information and reminders that you can readily follow for updates. Many people find this more efficient than constantly checking our website.
Thank you to the many members who attended our Annual Meeting. It was longer than average but well worth the time and effort!
As we announced, the following seven members were elected to our Board of Directors, Class of 2029:
– Sean Strockyj (DOHMH) (re-elected)
– Christopher Taylor (DCWP)
– Alexandra Holmstrom-Smith (DCWP)
– Yaa Sarpong (DCAS)
– Dassi Karp (DCWP)
– Amal Alzendani (DCWP)
– Alexandra Reese (DCWP)
I sincerely look forward to working with each of you as well as with the entire Board of Directors. And thank you all who previously served and/or offered to serve our members as we fight to obtain the best possible contract and to enforce our rights thereunder.
As you may have heard, there are twelve (12) candidates running for seven (7) CSBA Board of Directors, Class of 2029 positions. Please be advised that the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) mailed out the ballots yesterday (Tuesday May 26, 2026) together with all candidate statements received by May 20th.
Important: The deadline for their receipt of your ballot is Thursday June 18 at 10AM. AAA is scheduled to commence the ballot count at 11AM on June 18th at their offices located at 120 Broadway, Concourse Level, New York, NY 10271, Normally AAA certifies our election results in writing on either the same day or the day following completion of the ballot count. We will post that official document shortly after receiving it.
Voters with missing or damaged ballots may call their Duplicate Hotline 1-800-529-5218 or email Sacha Ulerio at ulerios@adr.org. Voters are asked to call no earlier than one week after the mailing date to allow sufficient time for delivery of all ballots.
Thank you as always for your continued interest and support.
Our Member Survey was sent out about a week ago to all CSBA members in good standing. As the results will help guide us during the next round of collective bargaining (our contract with the City expires on October 17th), we hope to receive your input at your earliest convenience, and plan to discuss the findings at our June 23 Annual Meeting.
If you did not receive the survey, or if the voting method it utilizes doesn’t work for you, please let us know ASAP at csbainfo@local237.org or at (212) 675-0519.
Many thanks as always.
The Remote Work (“work from home”) pilot program has been extended for another year, until May 31, 2027. Although we were, upon information and belief, the first NYC municipal union to demand Remote Work, the City deems it a “Time & Leave” topic which must be uniform across agencies and titles (although not all titles can perform remote work). Hence they will only negotiate with DC 37, as the largest union and hence the “citywide bargaining certificate holder” on this and a number of other topics pursuant to the NYC Collective Bargaining Law (“NYCCBL”).
We have received assurances from top leadership within DC 37 that they will be seeking to make remote work permanent during the next round of bargaining, coming up (for them as well as for us) later this year.
As announced at our June 24th CSBA Annual Meeting, there will be a significant benefits enhancement in our dental coverage as of August 1st, when we step up to the MetroDent Premier Plus coverage tier. It provides a higher schedule of payments and a wider panel of participants. We will also increase the number of covered cleanings from two to three per year.
This change was authorized by the CSBA Welfare Fund Trustees in consultation with the experts at ASO SIDS and with Sandra Aguiar, our Senior Account Executive at Amalgamated Employee Benefits Administrators. Although this enhancement will cost the Fund in excess of an additional $100,000 per year, we make this move based both upon ample reserves and the hope that this will result in better dental care for our members and families, resulting in some offsetting savings through prevention of more serious problems down the road.
NEWSLINE Summer 2025
By Saul Fishman, President, Civil Service Bar Association
New York City and surrounding suburbs can be either very pleasant or quite brutal depending on the day, the hour, where you are and how you’re dressed. Many of these things are largely out of our control when we are in the office. So it is essential that our employer provide us with an environment which is adequate and safe, which during the summer includes air conditioning.
Important: When the air conditioning goes out or is at either ridiculous extreme, please contact us immediately at csbainfo@local237.org. Kindly let us know who has been contacted, when and by whom, and provide us with whatever details you have (i.e.- agency, address, floor(s), units and room numbers affected, when the condition started, and a suggestion (with contact information when possible) of whom we should reach out to. We can keep your identity confidential if you wish, but please provide us with your cell phone number and/or personal email address should we need further information or updates. If the indoor temperature is unbearable, we will push to allow you to work remotely until the situation has been remedied!
With all the stress most of us experience, from our jobs as underpaid (despite the recent salary and RIP raises) and overworked NYC Agency Attorneys, to living in a divided country with leadership bordering on the insane, it’s crucial that we take steps to care for ourselves.
Summer is nature’s reminder to take a vacation and/or to slow the pace down when possible. Here are a few suggestions; hopefully you can utilize at least a couple of them or alternatively find your own methods to safely enjoy yourself during the hot weather:
Here’s to a fun and relaxing Summer of 2025, either here in the Baked Apple or in the place(s) of your choice!
On May 25, 2025, Aldona Vaiciunas, our beloved CSBA Grievance Coordinator and Office Administrator for more than 25 years, suddenly passed away. She will be greatly missed by the many people who she assisted or otherwise came into contact with.
Not only did Aldona do everything possible to move our grievances forward (mission impossible with OLR) and knowledgeably advise and answer members’ inquiries, but she also was instrumental in coordinating witnesses for Local 237’s successful School Safety Officer equal pay lawsuit and separately in reviewing years of billing records from a law firm that was overcharging us.
Aldona was not only admired for her hard work and intelligence within our union, she was also the long-time President of the Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association. In that capacity, she was respected by community leaders and politicians throughout Brooklyn.
