Retiree News Winter 2020

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NEWS Mary E. Sullivan, President WINTER 2020
Why it matters that we count!
ALBANY — At the start of every decade, our country conducts an official count of who lives where through the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why should it matter to CSEA retiree members that the Census count happens this year?
The answer, as usual, comes mostly down to dollars and cents. Some might think the Census
the vital services our members perform and we as retirees rely upon. To put it simply, a more accurate Census count can translate into job and retirement security for us and future job opportunities in our communities.
“New York can’t afford to lose any federal funding, so we all have an important stake in an accurate
Tina Williams, a field manager at the U.S. Census Bureau, speaks about
the importance of the 2020 Census to Fulton-Montgomery Retirees Local members. Listening at left are Fulton-Montgomery Retirees Local Executive Vice President Al Hayes and Local President Grace Bevington-Eglin.
is just a way to draw up political districts and determine how
many political representatives represent certain areas. Yes, that’s
one part of it, but not the most important part for us.
United States Census
census,” CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan said.
“We all want to ensure New York
gets its fair share, and we will do our part to share
information
and help make sure everyone is
counted.” Over the next
several months, CSEA will be talking
person. For those without internet access who wish to use the online option, community portals will be available at local libraries, as well as SUNY, CUNY and community college campuses.
The Census count begins on April 1, and every household should receive a postcard with instructions on how to fill out
your Census forms by that date. If you have questions about
the census, you can visit 2020census.gov for information.
If your local or unit would like a presentation on the 2020 Census, please contact your region’s Political Action Coordinator.
See page 3 for more about the U.S. Census.
The bigger
picture, for CSEA
members who worked
in government, is that the
services we provided are largely paid for by federal funding to our state and localities. It actually makes up more than a third of our state budget, and it’s estimated that for every person NOT counted, New York loses $2,000 per person per year for 10 years.
To put that into perspective, the 2010 Census only counted 69 percent of our state’s population. That’s a huge loss of money that could have been used to fund
with our members about the importance of participating in the Census and how important an accurate count is to our work and home lives. CSEA is also letting members who wish to supplement their income know that the Census Bureau is currently hiring workers to assist in getting the count done.
We’ll also highlight what’s new in the Census count, most notably that for the first time ever, people will be able to be counted online, as well as by phone, mail or in
Orange-Ulster-Sullivan Retirees Local 917 members review materials on the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census.
2020
BeCounted!