Page 1 - CSEA Retiree News Summer 2018

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cseany.org
Danny Donohue, President
Adkins: ‘The fight goes on’
etiree
NEWS SUMMER 2018
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SYRACUSE — For some time, Syracuse Area Retirees Local President Charlotte Adkins had been hearing great reports about our CSEA activists participating
in member engagement “blitzes,” during which member volunteers and staff would visit our members’ homes and workplaces to
engage them in conversations about the future of our union.
At region meetings, Central Region President Colleen Wheaton encouraged activists to participate.
Never one to sit on the sidelines, Adkins decided
it was time to see for herself what everyone was talking about.
“I took it to
heart and decided
I was going to do it,” she said. “Colleen convinced me I should try it.”
In June, Adkins was one of several retiree activists who joined several dozen more member volunteers and staff on a three- day member engagement blitz in
Onondaga County.
She spent a majority of her day,
from about 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., driving around the Syracuse area as part of a team to visit members’ homes.
It was a long, exhausting day, but Adkins said it was well
worth it.
“It’s important that people know that we have to keep fighting to continue our union for our working rights and negotiated benefits,” she said. “I want people to know that once you retire and join our Retiree Division that those benefits continue.”
Adkins said she realized long ago the benefits our union provided for her
and her family, and she wants to share that message with
“It’s important that people know that we have to keep fighting to continue the union for our working rights and negotiated benefits. I want people to know that once you retire and join our Retiree Division that those benefits continue.”
others.
“My union backed me up as
a single parent raising three children with a decent contract that protected my safety and [negotiated for] me a decent salary to keep a roof over the heads of my children and food on my table,”
she said. “Now that I’m retired, my union still backs me up with a pension and health care benefits that I continue to receive.”
In addition to speaking with members at their homes, Adkins left literature explaining the importance of staying union and staying strong.
However, Adkins did make an impression upon Central New York DDSO Local member Pamela Ho, whom she visited at her Fayetteville home.
“[Ho] did say to me, ‘I don’t want to lose my benefits. I will sign this card,’” Adkins said, referring to the union’s Never Quit pledge cards.
Even though it was a lot of work, Adkins said she’d do it again and encourage other retirees to participate.
“It was something I really think our union is on the right track with,” Adkins said. “I think face-to- face and door-to-door contact is so important to let our members know that our union is there for them. I would encourage other retirees to take part because the fight goes on and the work never ends.”
— Mark M. Kotzin
See more coverage, page 4.
Syracuse Area Retirees Local President Charlotte Adkins talks
with Central New York DDSO Local member Pamela Ho about the importance of building a stronger union. Photo by AFSCME Legislative Affairs Specialist Karl Stark.