TOPIC OF THE MONTH

Retrospective of a Past Local President
Rita Wallaces Passes Away at Age 85

Rita at a retirement party with her husband George.

Former Nassau County Executive Tom Gulotta (left) and CSEA Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte (right) with Rita Wallace (center)

Workers Memorial Day 1990. CSEA Nassau Local 830 President Rita Wallace is flanked by Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta, left, and Nassau County Comptroller Peter King who hold the proclamations she was awarded. CSEA members and Nassau County residents holding the banner, back row from left, Cathy O’Neill, Linda Severs, Tony Giustino, George Walsh, Andy Saccone and Alice Groody. Front row from left, Paul Nehrich, Jim Mattei, Tom Mundinger, Tom Gargiulo, Barbara Jones and Rich Taylor.

As Executive Vice President of Nassau 830 Local, Wallace testified before New York State Assembly task force on women, circa 1988. Wallace was a strong proponent of pay equity.

On May 19, 2008, the world and the labor movement lost a great leader, as former CSEA Local 830 President Rita Wallace passed away at the age of 85 years old.  Rita was the Local 830 President from 1988 to 1995.  She is survived by her daughters Mary-Rita and Joan, and her grandsons Michael and James Gibaldi.

A Merrick resident, originally from the Bronx, Wallace spent over 60 years as a registered nurse working at various different institutions.  After attending St. Vincent’s Nursing School, Rita spent time at St. Vincent’s, Columbia and Mercy Hospitals. 

After raising her children she decided to come work for Nassau County, at A. Holly Patterson Nursing Home.  But it was not until 1968 where she first got involved in union life.  According to a transcript of an interview with Wallace done early this decade as part of the CSEA Local 1000 history project, she said, “Misalignment of salaries between public and private sector,” is what got her involved in the union. 

She started off as 3rd Vice President of the Local, and gradually moved up to Executive Vice President, before becoming Local President after the de-certification in 1988.  “The first de-certification in Nassau County brought in AFSCME and with their arrival all of the members of the Local suddenly began to realize and state that they were glad that they saw in person, the union that part of their dues were going to,”  Wallace said of the de-certification.

According to Long Island Region One President Nick LaMorte, Wallace was not in full agreement with the de-certification.  However, she felt the political action structure of CSEA would be a lot stronger now with AFSCME’s backing. 

 “She did a great job taking the Local out of the depths of a de-cert,” LaMorte said.  “She was a tough lady and a terrific union activist,”

Most of Wallace’s peers raved of her toughness, smarts, and opinionated personality. 

“She had a ‘take no prisoners’ style,” Region One Executive Director Ron King said.  King worked with Rita on a number of occasions, and was summoned during the de-certification to help her and the Local. 

“She believed in things that were right,” her daughter Joan said in a June 17 interview.  “She would never back down if she was fighting for what she believed was right.  Even if our family was threatened she wouldn’t back down.  She would make sure we were okay, but she wouldn’t back down”

That approach generated a great number of accomplishments during her career.  Before she became Local President, she fought for equitable pay for men and women doing the same job.  She won some and lost some, but brought about awareness of that issue. 

Before Wallace got involved in the union, nurses had no yearly health exams, no uniform allowances, no hazard pay and a far inferior salary to the private sector.  She got that all changed.  Also, while she was Local President, AFSCME helped establish the United Nurses Association.  “It gave nurses right across the spectrum the voice they needed to have their concerns heard and met,” Rita said. 

During her time in office, she negotiated 3 contracts, and during the CSEA Local 1000 history project interview, she talked of how much she learned from it.

Wallace considered her greatest mentor to be Irving Flamenbaum, the 30 year Local 830 President.  “He really was the great old man of unionism here.  He knew how to achieve easily what we considered a big hill to climb.  He knew that to go politically and solve the problem was sometimes far easier that to try to fight it at the base level,” Wallace said.

Some peers that she considered a big part of her union life were current CSEA Local 1000 President Danny Donohue, Vice President Mary Sullivan, King, LaMorte, and the Local 830 President that succeeded her, Tony Giustino.

Current CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta worked with Rita on various issues while she was on the NUMC Hospital Board.  She was appointed by Governor George Pataki to serve on the board, with the assent of County Executive Tom Gulotta.  “She was an unbelievable fighter, and a great mentor as a labor leader,” Laricchiuta said.  “Rita had very strong opinions and always battled for her members and for what she believed was right.”

When Wallace retired in 1995, she left the Local in great shape and her philosophy has lived on.  “Oh, I think it (CSEA) has a great future.  I think that you’re always going to have public service, and a need for it,” she said.  “The basic philosophy is representing people whose dues you collect who you are there to represent.  To make their lives better, far better, than when they started out.”