Page 4 - Work Force December 2020

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: OVE OVERMYER (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
BETH MCINTYRE Graphic Production Specialist
JOELLE LUCENTE Communications Assistant
CommuniCations speCialists
Karen Bright
Tim Finnigan Michele Kiuber
Marnie Rounds Marie Snyder 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
Coming together for the holidays
Ithink we can all agree that the holidays are very different this year.
In the face of a global pandemic and with restrictions on gathering in person, our holiday celebrations will not be the same
as usual. That doesn’t mean we can’t still find things to be thankful for, or things to celebrate. It might just be a little harder and we might have to do things differently this year.
do to protect members and advocate for a better work life on their behalf.
It’s tough for us as a union, because we are all about coming together to support each other. When we can’t physically come together, it challenges us to find new ways to unite.
Like any family, we learn to deal with our differences and diverse views. In our union there should always be room for healthy debate and discussion, with the understanding that we can disagree but still respect each other. We can also unite around the values we share, while still celebrating our tremendous diversity and valuing people’s different opinions.
We also face difficulties in embracing and accepting the differences we all
have, without it dividing us. We come
from so many different backgrounds,
faith traditions, political viewpoints and geographic locations, it’s easy to just focus on our own struggles, and our own beliefs. By doing so, we forget to consider what others are dealing with or passionate about.
No matter what holidays and faith traditions you observe this season, whether it’s Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Diwali, or any others, my wish for us all is that you are able to celebrate happily, peacefully,
and safely, and that we can focus moving forward into the New Year on the many things that bring us together.
Focusing on our divisions and how polarized our country has become only makes things worse. This holiday season, our union will celebrate our differences, but at the same time recognize the many things that we can agree on and unite around.
In solidarity,
Mary E. Sullivan, President
By belonging, we reject the viewpoint
of advocating simply for ourselves,
and instead embrace the viewpoint of advocating and taking collective action for the betterment of the larger group. That larger group becomes like a family for those of us who truly believe in this work.
4 The Work Force
December 2020
As union members, we all choose to belong because we believe in the concept of strength in numbers, and also in the concept of united we stand, divided we fall. These beliefs are the foundation of everything we