Page 7 - Work Force April 2026

Mourn for the dead;
fight for the living
Robert Bornt,
54, a highway
maintenance
supervisor
at the state
Department of
Transportation
and CSEA DOT
Bornt
Rensselaer
County Residency Unit
president, passed away May
30, 2025, after being struck by
a vehicle while in a work zone.
Brian Perkins,
50, a direct
support
assistant at
Central New
York DDSO,
passed away
Aug. 21, 2025,
Perkins
after being
discovered unresponsive in
his chair while completing
paperwork.
James
Montanino,
72, a crossing
guard at
the City of
Poughkeepsie
Department of
Public Works,
Montanino
passed away
Sept. 29, 2025, from injuries
sustained after being struck
by a vehicle while on the job.
•
Titilayo M.
Etuk, 50, a
direct support
assistant at
Capital District
DDSO, passed
away Nov. 3,
2025, after
collapsing
Etuk
while performing her job.
Peter Caufield,
54, a crew
leader at
the state
Department of
Transportation
in Oswego
County, passed
Caufield
away Nov. 28,
2025, after going into cardiac
arrest while responding to a
downed tree.
John Miro,
70, a crossing
guard at the
Nassau County
Department of
Police, passed
away March
6, 2026, after
being struck by
Miro
an impaired driver. (See page
6 for more.)
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.
HOLD THE
LINE
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 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:
•
Jean Marsden,
58, a bus driver
at the Holland
Patent Central
School District,
passed away
on March 7,
2025, injuries
Marsden
sustained from
a collision during “white out”
winter weather conditions
while on the job.
•
Michael Simons-Iocona, 28,
a field operations assistant
2 at Central New York DDSO,
passed away March 31, 2025,
from injuries sustained in a
collision while on the job.
•
Timothy Frazier, a direct
support assistant at Central
New York DDSO, passed away
May 27, 2025, after collapsing
while providing vocational
rehabilitation and job skills
training to individuals.
•
•
•
•
•
April 2026 7 7
The Work Force
The Work Force 7 7
FOR SAFE JOBS
WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY • APRIL 28