Page 6 - Work Force April 2025

Safety for highway, DMV workers a top priority
Our union is fighting to protect members who work on or near highways, including by advocating for several state budget and other legislative proposals to enhance transportation worker safety.
Every day, CSEA members put their lives on the line to keep our roads safe and drivable for New Yorkers. Highway workers constantly face potential hazards, including being struck by motorists while in work zones.
In 2024, two State Thruway Authority employees, including
CSEA member Stephen Ebling, were struck and killed on the job. In another harrowing incident caught on a dashboard camera, a CSEA- represented DOT employee was nearly killed when a box truck failed
to move over for a maintenance crew. These cases underscore the ever-present risks faced by highway workers who are just trying to do their jobs.
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed several solutions in her executive budget, including:
• Strengthening the work zone speed camera program, including making the program permanent and expanding
the program to the New York State Bridge Authority and Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority. In addition to the governor’s proposal, CSEA
is advocating to expand the number of work zone speed cameras and suspend the
registration of any vehicle that has received four or more work zone speed camera tickets in an 18-month period.
•
Increasing the penalties for assaulting a state or local government highway worker, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) license examiners or DMV representative from
a Class A misdemeanor to Class D felony. A joint survey conducted by the DMV
and CSEA found that more than 50% of motor vehicle license examiners reported experiencing workplace violence, including instances of kidnapping, assault and violent threats.
When an individual fails a driving exam, frustration and anger are too often taken out on the examiner sitting beside them. Despite ongoing efforts to mitigate these threats,
DMV employees continue to endure dangerous workplace conditions. Increasing penalties for assaulting these workers will deter future violence and help ensure employees can go to work without fear of being assaulted or killed.
In this edition are accounts of CSEA members who risk hazards while keeping our roads safe.
Watch cseany.org and The Work Force for more about our union’s advocacy on behalf of highway and DMV workers.
For more, see pages 7 and 8.
Mourn for the dead; fight for the living
On April 28, CSEA and other unions around the world will remember those who have died or been seriously injured while doing their jobs.
Workers’ Memorial Day, observed since 1989, serves as an opportunity to mourn fallen workers. The AFL- CIO chose April 28 as the observance date to coincide with the anniversary of the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
This year, our union mourns the loss of the following members:
• Maria Coto, 56,
who passed
away on June
19, 2024,
from injuries
sustained from
an unprovoked
attack by an
individual
Coto
while she
was on a home visit on her job at Westchester County Department of Social Services.
• David Horrach, 34, a highway maintenance worker 1 at
the state Department of Transportation’s Westchester
County
Nov. 9, 2024, after being Residency,
struck by a falling tree while passed away
responding to wildfires in
Oct. 31,
Greenwood Lake, Orange
2024 after
County.
being found
• Carmine
unresponsive
Convertino,
in his work
Horrach 72, a bus driver
vehicle.
at the City of
• Stephen
Long Beach,
Ebling, 58, a
passed away
maintenance
Dec. 20, 2024,
supervisor at
from injuries
the New York
he sustained
Cover tino State Thruway
in an accident
Authority,
while driving the bus as part of passed
his work duties.
away Nov. 4,
Ebling • Victoria
2024, after
Alexander, 29,
he was struck by a motorist a caseworker
while supervising a road at the St.
maintenance crew in Erie Lawrence
County. County
• Dariel Department of
Vasquez, 18, Social Services,
a parks and passed away
Alexander recreation aide Jan. 16,
4 at the state 2025, after being involved Palisades Park in an automobile accident Commission, in a county vehicle while passed away Vasquez performing work duties.
MOURN FOR THE
DEAD FIGHT FOR THE LIVING W8
O
RL 2 KI E
R
S
R M
A P EY M
O
• RL
IA
D
A
In addition to remembering fallen workers, Workers’ Memorial Day is also a chance to renew our union’s ongoing commitment to safe and healthy workplaces.
While unions have been key
to securing safer and healthier workplaces, there is still much work to do to ensure workplace safety. CSEA members are encouraged to attend Workers’ Memorial Day events in their communities. Visit cseany.org and your region’s Facebook page for information on events in your area.
6 The Work Force
April 2025