Page 3 - Work Force December 2025

CSEA legislative
agenda strengthens
workers
CSEA’s 2026 legislative agenda is
as diverse as the jobs our union
members perform in all corners of
the state
The agenda aims to make a
better life and a secure future for all
members. To achieve this, CSEA will
work with Gov. Kathy Hochul and the
state legislature on several priority
legislative actions.
expanding investments in
local government such as the
Consolidated Highway Improvement
Program (CHIPS), Aid and
Incentives for Municipalities
(AIM), and targeted aid for social
services, libraries, and probation
departments.
CSEA supports efforts to improve
the civil service system, including
building on the NY HELPS Program
Investing in workers
by strengthening and streamlining
At the top of CSEA’s list is
the civil service system while
reforming Tiers 5 and 6 of the
preserving merit and fitness.
public pension system, which have
weakened retirement security
for newer employees. Our union
is pressing lawmakers to reduce
contribution rates
to the same level as
Tier 4. CSEA is also
pushing to reduce
early-retirement
penalties, length
of service and
age for retirement
eligibility, and
eliminate caps
on the inclusion
of wage growth,
overtime, and
“Due to the federal
cuts threatening
vital programs and
services across New
York, this is one of
the most diverse and
ambitious legislative
agendas we have put
forward.”
other pay in the
Health care and safety
New York’s health care and
human services systems are under
threat from deep
federal Medicaid cuts,
workforce shortages
and shrinking
mental health care
capacity. Without
state action, these
challenges could lead
to hospital closures,
loss of care for people
with developmental
disabilities and
growing wait times for
critical mental health
calculation of pension benefits.
“Public service used to come
with the promise of security, with a
pension you could depend on. Tier
6 broke that promise,” said CSEA
President Mary E. Sullivan. “Our
newer members are paying more,
working longer and receiving less.
That’s not how you build a strong
public workforce.”
CSEA is also calling for increased
funding to state agencies and
local governments, where chronic
understaffing and overtime costs are
straining public services.
Our union is urging increased
funding in state agencies and
services.
CSEA will continue to fight to
protect the vital services and jobs to
ensure every New Yorker has access
to quality care.
New York’s frontline public
workers face continued potential
safety threats, including violence
from individuals in state facilities,
high social services caseloads,
dangerous conditions on highways
and in community settings.
CSEA is taking action to reduce
safety risks by supporting legislation
that boosts safety protections
for workers who provide public
services.
December 2025 3
The Work Force
“CSEA members are out there
every day working on behalf of all
New Yorkers,” said Sullivan. “They
deserve to come home safely to their
loved ones.”
Education and privatization threats
New York’s public education, child
care, and human service systems
are being strained by chronic
underfunding and policy threats.
Budget shortfalls at SUNY
campuses and community colleges
jeopardize educational quality, while
families struggle to find affordable
child care and providers face
instability.
Proposed federal changes to
SNAP and Medicaid risk privatizing
vital services, and rising living costs
threaten retirees’ financial security.
CSEA is fighting to strengthen
public education, protect safety-
net programs, expand child care
access, and defend the dignity and
retirement security of all public
employees.
“Due to the federal cuts
threatening vital programs and
services across New York, this is one
of the most diverse and ambitious
legislative agendas we have put
forward,” said CSEA Director of
Legislative and Political Action
Joshua Terry. “With CSEA members’
voices leading the way, we’re ready
to fight hard to make these goals a
reality.”
— Bryan Miller
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