Who We Are

CSEA members work everywhere our communities need us, providing the vital services that keep our state working, and improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers, each and every day. 

We take care of people in public hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, mental health care facilities and in their own homes. We provide transportation, sanitation and public works in our cities. We support the educational mission of universities, community colleges and our public schools. We protect public health and safety. We build and maintain the infrastructure we all depend on every day. We drive students to school and keep them fed and safe. We help people get back on their feet with access to work, housing, job training, meals, childcare and health care resources. We provide IT and clerical support to make sure systems function smoothly. 

We are certified nursing assistants. Social workers. Direct care workers. Higher education employees. Librarians. Child care workers. School nurses. Highway maintenance workers. Health care technicians. Food and environment inspectors. Probation, corrections and law enforcement officers. EMTs and 911 operators. Bus drivers. Clerical workers, and so much more. 

CSEA members set the standards for our pay, benefits and working conditions by coming together to negotiate for strong contracts. We fight for justice in the workplace and in our communities. We negotiate not just for ourselves and our families but to meet the needs of the people and we serve. We stand for excellence in public service.

CSEA is a member-run union. What does this mean? Simply put, our members are in charge of how our union functions. 

Through our union democracy, members exercise their vote to choose their union representatives, and our union is governed by our elected officers, our Board of Directors, and delegates to our Regular Delegates Meeting who make changes to our Constitution and By-Laws. 

As a member-run union, our union functions at its best when members take the time to get informed and involved. Almost all of our union representatives in the workplace are volunteers who give up their time to represent their fellow co-workers. They are supported, trained and mentored by our union’s professional staff who provide them the resources to be the best activists and representatives they can be. When our union members get involved, we build our strength and power.

CSEA is more strong and effective when our members get involved. We realize that union membership competes with many things in your life for your time and attention, but no matter how little time you have to give, we have ways to become engaged and involved! 

Want to help? Here are some ways YOU can take action: 

• Talk with your co-workers about supporting our union.

• Point co-workers with workplace or union questions/concerns/issues in the right direction to get help – whether it’s their union steward, a union officer, or our union’s Member Solutions Center.

• Request a workplace meeting presentation for you and your co-workers 

• Volunteer to participate in one of our Member Engagement Activities 

• Check your workplace union bulletin board for updated events/info – don’t have one? Ask your union representative if you can be in charge of making one – CSEA has available materials to help you build and keep your union bulletin board up to date 

• Learn about your rights and benefits. An educated membership is a strong membership. Read your contract, attend a CSEA training workshop, and ask questions!  

• Read up. When CSEA sends you something, give it a look! Newsletters, emails, and social media posts provide important information. You can also check out our union’s website or Facebook page.

• Speak up. If management violates someone’s rights, notify a union representative at your worksite. Our union works best if we all look out for each other.

• Act up. Show your solidarity. CSEA is part of a bigger labor movement. If other unions need your support in the community, then give it, and make sure to wear your union garb. 

• Show up. Attend and participate in union events. Go to membership meetings, luncheons, and other events. And don’t just listen, make your voice heard.

• Step up. Join a committee. Member-driven committees do a lot of work to make our union run. Committees include Political Action, Health & Safety, and so much more. Ask your union leadership how you can get on a committee.

• Step up more. Run for union office. As a member-run union, we depend on our volunteer activists to get elected and lead our union. We provide the training, you provide your time and passion!

• Get clout! Become a PEOPLE member. PEOPLE is our federal political action program that allows us and our union to have a voice on national matters that impact us locally, like protecting our pensions, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and advocating for labor laws that benefit working people instead of corporate CEOs. Join PEOPLE today 

• Want to do something else? Ask! Can you design a great meeting flyer? Do you plan an amazing party? Like planning bus trips? Have something else to contribute? Let your leaders know so they can utilize your talents! 

Please know that whatever level of involvement in our union you choose, you’ll never have to do it alone! CSEA provides education and training, leadership development and mentoring, and the back-up resources of our union’s professional staff to make sure that our volunteer activists have the knowledge, skills and abilities to support any role they choose. So what are you waiting for? Get active!

What do you mean by the CSEA Advantage? Simple. It’s all you GAIN when you join our union. Take a look.

Despite any differences we may have, our shared core values connect us to each other, as coworkers, as union members, as friends and family. Universal beliefs create a common bond and shared purpose. 

These values are why our union matters to us, and what keep us UNION STRONG. 

Read more about our core values.

CSEA’s statewide leaders are elected to office every four years and work hard to represent you throughout New York. 

Meet them here.

CSEA has a proud 100+ year history of fighting the good fight on behalf of workers in NY. Advocacy isn’t just something we do casually;  it’s in our DNA. We are proud of the many accomplishments we’ve made over the years for our members that have led to better and safer workplaces, and better lives for our members and their families. Read more about our accomplishments.