Page 11 - Work Force December 2025

CSEA members rally to support Spring Valley
SPRING VALLEY — They’ve gone
more than seven years without a
contract, seen their staffing totals
drop from 93 to 54 and have shone a
light on safety issues that could put
workers and residents at risk.
It’s not easy for members of the
Village of Spring Valley Unit, but with
support from CSEA family across the
state, they are fighting back.
Workers rallied outside Village
Hall on Oct. 29, joined by fellow
union members and community
supporters, to send a message:
the village’s elected officials may
be dragging their feet on contract
negotiations and other issues, but
our union isn’t backing down.
“We want the Spring Valley
community to know that their
elected leaders have been diverting
an obscene amount of taxpayer
dollars to fighting the people
delivering the most essential village
services,” said Rockland County
Local President Chris Vogel. “What
they’ve wasted on a revolving door
of labor attorneys shows they are
willing to throw money around to
fight a fair contract at the same time
they claim they can’t afford to pay
the workers or replace vehicles that
have no place on the road.”
Village of Spring Valley Unit
President
Jonathan
Gonzalez said
the rally was an
important way
to acknowledge
workers’
struggles, which
include a strained
workforce
due to staffing
shortages and
requests to work
out of title that
he said haven’t
been fairly
compensated.
“We’re talking
about men and
women who are working two or
three jobs,” said Gonzalez. “People
are not able to spend time with
their families. Some pray they get
overtime so they can make ends
meet to pay their bills. I see how
hard our union members work and
can see it in their eyes that they just
want this to be done.”
Adding to the rally was the
solidarity Spring
Valley members
received from CSEA
activists across the
state. CSEA leaders
from across the
Southern Region,
including some who
are from Spring
Valley, took time to
come show their
support. In addition
to Statewide
Secretary Stacey
Baldwin Deyo
joining the rally,
Nassau County
Local President Kris
Kalender and 2nd
Vice President Joe McGahan brought
their local’s LED box truck to Spring
Valley to create a visual impact for
community members passing by.
“When we told our union family
what was going on in Spring Valley,
so many people asked how they
could help,” said Acting Southern
Region President Rosemarie Kukys.
“CSEA activists and other local labor
leaders went to great lengths to rally
with us, and I hope members felt that
support.”
Our union continues to be actively
involved in elevating workplace
safety concerns at Spring Valley
worksites, with the state Public
Employee Safety and Health Bureau
(PESH) addressing concerns and
issuing violations.
With a new mayor and trustee
coming aboard post-Election Day,
CSEA leaders plan to keep the
problems in Spring Valley publicized
while also continuing our legal
response in the ongoing contract
fight.
“Some of our members could have
retired, but they’ve been holding
on to get that paycheck and just
to be able to say, finally, my years
of service meant something,” said
Gonzalez.
— Jessica Ladlee
“We’re talking about
men and women who
are working two or three
jobs. People are not able
to spend time with their
families. Some pray they
get overtime so they can
make ends meet to pay
their bills. I see how hard
our union members work
and can see it in their
eyes that they just want
this to be done.”
Village of Spring Valley Unit member Cynthia Guallpa,
community activist Joanne Louis-Paul and Village of Spring
Valley Unit President Jonathan Gonzalez join union members,
labor leaders and community members to fight for fairness.
From left, Statewide Secretary Stacey Baldwin Deyo, Acting Southern Region
President Rosemarie Kukys, Rockland County Local President Chris Vogel, Village of
Spring Valley Unit Vice President Howard Cohen, and Rockland County Central Labor
Council President Kevin Connolly.
12 The Work Force December 2025