Page 2 - Demo

CSEA President Danny Donohue:
Vote NO on the cIonstitutional convention!
’m going to make accommodations, food, this as simple as drinks and “networking.” possible: vote NO Delegates would be
on a constitutional convention.
Let me back up
just a moment. Every
20 years, New York
has a mandatory
question on the
ballot that asks if
we want to hold
a constitutional
convention. The purpose of this is to assemble a whole bunch
of people in Albany whose job it is to decide whether or not we should change our state constitution, which, by the way, we have done more than 200 times WITHOUT a convention.
Those who support holding the convention claim that it will be a “people’s convention,” at which average New Yorkers like us will play a key role in making sweeping, progressive changes to the constitution.
If only that were true.
The “people” who would be at this convention are not working people, but already-influential New Yorkers who have a seat at the table. This convention will be run by delegates who are wealthy and represent corporate special interests. Working people like us will not be invited to the party.
Let me give you one great reason to vote against it; actually, let me give you hundreds of millions reasons to vote no. A convention could potentially cost our state hundreds of millions of dollars.
Convention delegates would
be paid the same as a state legislator. They can also hire staff and would need to rent office space. There will be no limits
on who the delegates can hire. Other expenses would include
elected in 2018, and they would meet in Albany in 2019 for an undetermined length of time, meaning we’d all be paying for a nice, long, extended stay.
Think what New York could do instead with all that money. We could pay for our schools,
health care, infrastructure and other vital services that we all rely on every day, all of which struggle with funding already.
In 1967, New Yorkers paid millions for a constitutional convention and voters rejected all of the proposed changes. Imagine if the convention were approved, and we paid hundreds of millions of dollars only to accomplish absolutely nothing!
Simply put, this convention is
a boondoggle for wealthy elites, paid for by working families like ours, just struggling to put food on their tables and provide the other basic needs. This is not
a solution for any of our state’s problems. It’s just another way for corporate influences to further take away from working New Yorkers everywhere.
Let me say it one last time to be clear: get out to vote on Nov. 7, and vote NO on a constitutional convention.
In solidarity,
Above, CSEA President Danny Donohue at the Labor Day parade held at the State Fair in Syracuse.
Message from Retiree Executive Committee Chair Millie Lucas
WMe will always engage our members
y name stand together with our working is Millie brothers and sisters in unity. The Lucas. Florida locals have a more unique
I am the proud
President of Local
920, located in
Suffolk County
Long Island. I was
also just elected
the chair of the Retiree Executive Committee (REC).
What I foresee for the REC
is to increase membership of
the retirees and to keep those members we have. One way to help accomplish these goals is
by working with region and local officers in urging members to join our Retiree Division once they retire from employment.
We have 21 Retiree locals in New York and three locals in Florida.
As CSEA Retirees, we want to
challenge because they don’t have easy access to our locals with employed members. So, a one-on- one approach will have to be done with all the residents in Florida.
We will continue to engage all members, whether they are retired or planning to eventually retire. With the challenges that face our union, we need all of you to stand strong.
Always remember that we retired from our jobs, not from our lives. With that in mind, CSEA activism is always relevant.
In solidary,
“A constitutional convention will leave our pensions vulnerable to special interests groups, which is of particular interests to retirees. We could lose everything we’ve worked our entire lives for if we let a constitutional convention happen. On N”ovember 7, I’m going to flip that ballot over and vote ‘no.’
— Millie Lucas, Suffolk Retirees Local President and CSEA Retiree Executive Commitee Chair
Millie
Remember to vote
Tuesday, Nov. 7
NYS General Election
2 CSEA RETIREE NEWS