Page 4 - Work Force April 2022

4 The Work Force
April 2022
President Mary E. Sullivan in touch with
Long Island Region: WENDI BOWIE (631) 462-0030
Metropolitan Region: DAVID GALARZA (212) 406-2156
Southern Region: JESSICA LADLEE (845) 831-1000
Capital Region: THERESE ASSALIAN (518) 782-4400
Central Region: NICHOLAS NEWCOMB (315) 728-3375
Western Region: VACANT
(716) 691-6555
Headquarters: JILL ASENCIO (518) 257-1276
WorkForce ISSN 1522-1091
Official publication of
CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO 143 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12210-2303
Mary E. Sullivan, President
MARK M. KOTZIN
Director of Communications and Publisher
MATHEW L. CANTORE Deputy Director of Communications
JANICE GAVIN Editor
JASON D. HOSIER Graphic Production Specialist
KATE POHLMANN Graphic Production Specialist
JOELLE LUCENTE Communications Assistant
CommuniCations speCialists
Marie Snyder, Chair Marnie Rounds, Vice Chair Karen Bright
Tim Finnigan Michele Kiuber Chris Vogel
The Publications Committee:
The Work Force (USPS 0445-010)
is published monthly by
The CSEA Publication Office:
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210. Periodical Mail Postage paid at
Post Office,
Albany, New York 12288,
and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send address changes to: CSEA, Attn: Membership Department, 143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210
Readers: Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to: Publisher, The Work Force
143 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12210-2303
CSEA online: cseany.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube:
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The
WorkForce
Paying attention to safety for all workers
SIisters and Brothers:
n April, we focus our attention on worker and workplace safety.
that an increase in distracted driving that seems to worsen all the time, and the results can prove deadly. I’ve watched far too many families of CSEA members mourn the loved ones they’ve lost due to preventable work zone tragedies.
During the first weekend in April, we host our biennial Conference on Occupational Safety and Health, held this year virtually and in-person,
to help educate, motivate, and activate union members like yourself to be more powerful advocates for workplace safety and health. In these times we are living through, this has never been more important.
Our union has long put a priority on work zone safety. Not just for a week in April, but every day, raising awareness of work zone safety issues with campaigns like our Don’t Zone Out and Slow Down to Get Around campaigns. We take action like successfully advocating to pass legislation that places speed cameras in work zones that force drivers to slow down.
We are very fortunate to have a highly
trained and respected professional staff in the Occupational Safety and Health Department who constantly work to educate members on
the rules and regulations designed to protect them and train activists on the best practices to avoid hazards and improve health. They motivate members to act and to better realize the costs
we pay when health and safety protocols are
not followed, and hazards are left unaddressed. They work to activate union leaders and staff
to work collaboratively with management to implement the policies and procedures that
will keep workers and workplaces safe and protected.
As drivers, we all need to pay more attention near work zones and SLOW DOWN! The lives we save could include a union sister or brother who deserves to go home at the end of each day.
We appreciate the effort and dedication that went into the preparations for the Conference as well as the contributions made by the Statewide Occupational Safety and Health Committee. I hope all who attend gain valuable information that they will bring back to their workplaces.
Many CSEA members perform deadly jobs
in sanitation and disaster cleanup. Our union works hard to protect these workers as well. Just this month, we’re releasing our newly updated Clean Up Safety mobile app designed to inform these members of the rules and regulations they should be following, and best practices to follow to stay safe.
We also observe National Work Zone Awareness Week.
On April 28, we will observe Workers Memorial Day. This is the day when we in
labor honor those who have died on the job and recommit ourselves to do everything we can to prevent the loss of life on the job. We mourn for our dead, and fight like hell for the living! Let’s all take a moment that day to remember our fallen sisters and brothers and commit to making safety in the workplace our highest priority.
One of the most dangerous, and often underappreciated jobs CSEA members perform is working along roadside and highway work zones. Imagine you are a public works, highway or transportation department worker, working in all sorts of difficult weather conditions to keep our roads and highways drivable and
safe. There are often only a few feet and some flimsy plastic cones separating you from tons
of aluminum, steel and glass hurtling past you at speeds upwards of 30 miles per hour. Add to
Best wishes for a safe and healthy month ahead!
In Solidarity,
Mary E. Sullivan, President