Page 4 - Work Force April 2026

WorkForce
ISSN 1522-1091
Official publication of
CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
143 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12210-2303
Mary E. Sullivan, President
BRYAN MILLER
Director of Communications and Publisher
MATHEW L. CANTORE
Deputy Director of Communications
JILL ASENCIO
Deputy Director of Communications
JANICE GAVIN
Executive Editor
SPENCER CONLIN
Associate Editor
JASON D. HOSIER
Graphic Production Specialist
SAGE POHLMANN
Graphic Production Specialist
BOBBY COMPANI
Digital Content Coordinator
KAYLA ASANTE
Communications Assistant
Communications Specialists:
Long Island Region:
WENDI BOWIE
(631) 462-0030
Capital Region:
THERESE ASSALIAN
(518) 782-4400
Metropolitan Region:
DAVID GALARZA
(212) 406-2156
Central Region:
NICHOLAS NEWCOMB
(315) 728-3375
Southern Region:
JESSICA LADLEE
(845) 831-1000
Western Region:
SARA MCNICHOLAS
(716) 691-6555
The Publications Committee:
Chris Vogel, Chair
Karen Bright
Tim Finnigan
Marnie Rounds
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
Headquarters:
ALEXANDRA
WHITBECK
(518) 257-1017
John Wagner
cseany.org
4 The Work Force President Mary E. Sullivan in touch with
The The
WorkForce
Workers Memorial
Day: A call to action
CSEA Family,
April 28 is Workers Memorial Day,
when we remember workers who
were killed, injured or made ill on the
job. But it must be more than a day of
remembrance. It must also be a call to
action.
For CSEA members, workplace
safety is not an abstract issue.
Every day, our members serve their
communities in demanding and
sometimes dangerous jobs. Every one
of those workers deserves the right to
go home safely at the end of their shift.
Yet far too often, that doesn’t
happen.
This past year alone, 10 CSEA
members tragically died while on the
job, and hundreds more were injured
while doing the work our communities
rely on every day. Too often, these
incidents are preventable. They happen
because of unsafe conditions, reckless
behavior or protections that simply
aren’t strong enough.
That should make every one of us
angry. It should make every one of us
determined to do something about it.
CSEA is pushing for stronger
worker safety laws, including
expanding workplace violence
protections, increasing penalties for
assaults on public employees and
holding reckless drivers accountable
when they endanger workers in work
zones.
Members can help by calling on
elected officials to support stronger
workplace safety laws and by refusing
to stay silent when something isn’t
right.
But laws alone won’t keep workers
safe. Real safety also depends on
members speaking up—reporting
hazards, raising concerns about unsafe
conditions and standing together to
demand better protections.
The best way to honor the workers
we have lost is to keep fighting until
every worker can do their job safely
and return home to their family.
When CSEA members raise our voices
together, we make workplaces safer for
everyone.
In solidarity,
Mary E. Sullivan, President
April 2026