Photo of the Month Photo by Rich Impagliazzo Town of Oyster Bay Local member Anthony Rapisarda makes repairs to one of the town’s fleet vehicles at one of the town’s Central Vehicle Maintenance shops. Mechanics such as Rapisarda are among the public employees behind the scenes who keep things going when the weather turns bad. See stories, pages 6, 7, and 8. “My union is ...” “My union isn’t just me and my members at our worksites, it’s a network of people ready to help, from Elmira, to Syracuse, to Albany. I know from experience that adversity brings us together, and when they were trying to outsource our nursing home and close down our psychiatric center, our members saw that our union staff were there with us, fighting to save their jobs. It was a success story and it made a lasting impression. We were very fortunate to have people working with us to support us in our fights.” — John Harris, electrician for the Chemung County Buildings and Grounds Department, president of Chemung County Local Former CSEA Executive Director Larry Scanlon killed in car crash CSEA’s former Executive Director Larry Scanlon was tragically killed in a car crash in South Carolina on Feb. 27. A native of Kingston and a graduate of Notre Dame, Scanlon began his career with CSEA as a field representative in the Southern Region in 1974. He held several positions in CSEA including Director of School District Affairs, Director of Organizing, and Director of Legislative and Political Action, before serving as Executive Director. Scanlon served with distinction as Political Director of AFSCME from 1996 through his retirement in 2012. His passing was noted with obituaries in the New York Times and Washington Post. “It is difficult to make any sense out of his sudden passing and I can only say that CSEA, AFSCME and working people in general were well served by Larry’s vision, skill and dedication,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “Larry’s work was about much more than doing a job — he really cared about making the world a better Scanlon place. And he continued to succeed toward that end in so many ways.” “Those of us who knew him will miss his wise counsel and warm personality,” Donohue said. Westchester County activist Anthony Lotto, 54 CSEA is mourning the loss of Westchester County Local 2nd Vice President Anthony Lotto, 54, of Cortlandt Manor, who died March 21 after an extended illness. Lotto began his public service career in the Mount Vernon City School District and later went on to work 18 years as a custodian at Fox Meadow Elementary School in Scarsdale. In addition to his duties with the local, Lotto served as unit president in Scarsdale and as a unit officer in Mount Vernon. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, three children, and a brother and sister. Lotto’s family has requested donations in his memory be sent to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City. — Jessica Ladlee Lotto 2 The Work Force April 2015
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