CSEA PRESIDENT, continued from Page 10 ourselves. We cannot even succeed with the support and solidarity of our brothers and sisters in other unions. We need a much broader coalition of allies from throughout our communities to turn things around. Delegates to the AFL-CIO’s recent national convention acknowledged this cold hard fact as they rededicated themselves to a future course. They will seek allies to join us for shared prosperity. They also noted that convention resolutions for change mean nothing unless we change what we actually do. We, in CSEA have already embraced this course of action. But all of us individually and as a group must take the need for change to heart and let it reflect in our actions. CSEA has already begun this transformation but we are only at the very beginning. Throughout this week you will hear about our efforts to harness the power of our communities, to bring people together and to seek for better choices that will lead to good jobs and strong communities. The real test is when you leave here and go back home. This cannot succeed as a “flavor of the month” campaign orchestrated by CSEA out of Albany. It is about the future of your family, friends and neighbors in the community where you live! It has to be about sustained action in your community. It’s not about slogans and demonstrations to make us feel good and get some coverage on the local TV channel – it has to be an ongoing movement of people, seeking a better life for you and the people you care about. The struggle for change will not be easy. We will be criticized and worse. There will be setbacks and disappointments. Some allies will be trustworthier than others. We will have to work very hard and sacrifice. But there is no other way and we must remain focused on bringing about meaningful change in the long run. If you’re asking what can we really do? Remember the wise words of anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Do not be discouraged - Strong Communities Work. Respectfully submitted, Danny Donohue CSEA President CSEA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, continued from Page 10 worship and community, attend our children’s events, or care for an elderly parent. Brothers and sisters, CSEA has always used all of our resources to remain a strong voice for working people. And now, as in the past, our most important resource is you. We need to speak as one voice, and let our families, our friends and our neighbors – those who live in our towns, our villages and our cities know how harmful these policies are and why we must join together if we are to save our communities. It’s time for CSEA members and public employees to be seen as part of the solution, not the focus of the problem. That means working with others in the community, whether it’s members of your church, synagogue or mosque, the PTA, the salesperson at the hardware store, the cashier at the supermarket or the waitress at the restaurant you frequent. Let them all know that the economic inequality between the wealthiest of us and the rest of us is a crisis that affects all of us. The time to join together and fight back is now. Respectfully submitted, Mary E. Sullivan Executive Vice President METROPOLITAN REGION PRESIDENT, continued from Page 12 we realized that Mr. Liu’s campaign was at a disadvantage due to the fact that Liu’s campaign did not receive matching funds, we continued to support his campaign. Following Public Advocate Bill De Blasio’s victory in the primary, we are now joining the AFSCME NY family in supporting De Blasio for Mayor and we ask all of our members to support De Blasio in the general election on November 5th. We believe De Blasio will fight for and stand with the hard working families of New York. The month of August was extremely busy. I continued to visit the different locals to support their Info Days. Info days allow the members the opportunity to get first hand information from the vendors that represent CSEA. In August, I also had an opportunity to attend the Region I Coalition of Black Trade Unionists regional conference in Rochester. The conference was outstanding. The instructors provided good information to take back to our respective chapters to assist our leadership. Also in August, I attended the CSEA Annual Retiree Convention in Albany. It is always a pleasure working with retirees, the lifeblood of our union. One thing that’s scary to me, I know more of the retirees, personally from working with them when they were CSEA members. In closing, my CSEA family, we must continue to fight the big and small battles. We must continue to educate, organize and mobilize our OPWDD members to fight the wrong path the Governor is trying to take us on. Finally, we must continue to fight for every member’s job in this Region. In solidarity, Lester Crockett Metropolitan Region President SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT, continued from Page 12 local development corporations. I will say that CSEA is working extremely hard to get a new bargaining agreement in place for the private sector workers now at Golden Hill. We have fought long and hard for these workers and that will not change. In Rockland County, the county executive and certain legislators jumped on the LDC bandwagon and transferred Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center to this new LDC. I am proud of the Rockland legislators who stood firm and voted against this scheme. In Orange County, we are not giving up on the Valley View nursing home. By the time this report is printed, we will likely be in another budget fight to preserve this nursing home. We have worked to negotiate a new contract with Orange County that would allow for additional savings at this nursing home, but County Executive Ed Diana has put up roadblocks along the way that have made this very difficult. I must give credit to the county legislators who have fought tirelessly for Valley View – especially Legislator Roxanne Donnery, who we’ve endorsed for county executive. In Westchester, what we faced last year has remained a challenge. As I write this, we are in the fact-finding phase of negotiations for the county unit. Rob Astorino, The Westchester County Executive, has refused to compromise on negotiations and make a reasonable guarantee of job security. At Westchester Community College, our members have been without a contract for several years. We held two large rallies outside the campus during recent college events. At Westchester Medical, CEO Mike Israel’s latest shenanigans include pushing for the creation of a civil service commission exclusive to the hospital. Apparently, WMC is tired of following basic civil service rules and hiring based on merit and fitness. Management there has ignored civil service regulations for so long that it comes as no surprise that they would try to write new rules. Needless to say, we are not letting this happen without investigating our options and fighting back. On a sad note, we are mourning the loss of a member from our Palisades Parks Local. Lance Gayton, 61, a crane and shovel operator, died from injuries he sustained when working with heavy machinery at a work site in Harriman State Park. Our thoughts are with Lance’s family, friends and fellow CSEA members. No matter how many strides we have made in workplace safety, we must continue to fight for improvements. This tract loss was preventable. When times are tough, I am proud of how our membership sticks together. Throughout the year, our region, locals and units have undertaken charitable giving. Whether it’s Christmas gifts, helping organizations for veterans, food bank donations or taking the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics, our members’ generosity is second to none. In closing, I would like to thank the CSEA Staff for going above and beyond their duties in these difficult times. I would like to thank all of you who have given so much to our union over the past year. I encourage you to invite your fellow union members to step up and get involved. With crucial races coming in the November elections, we can show our strength! Respectfully submitted, Billy Riccaldo Southern Region President 14 The Work Force November 2013
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