Photo of the Month Photo by Rich Impagliazzo CSEA Village of Babylon Unit Treasurer Evelyn Eagan is pleased with the growth of her “Burro’s Tail” in the village’s greenhouse. Eagan is responsible for 80 public “spaces” in the village that contain flowers and other plants. She has begun planning this year’s gardens already. Visit My CSEA for all your union information Need to know who your shop steward or grievance representative is? Want to know whether your contact information and address is accurate with CSEA, or make changes? Visit My CSEA by logging into cseany.org, and access valuable information related to you and the union, such as who your leaders are and their contact information, and your contract, if it is available. The faithful and the good will lead the way for a moral state budget ALBANY — From the hallways of the state Capitol to local town squares, clergy, people of faith and others with a strong social conscience are coming together to call for government priorities that put the needs of people first. Their message is simple: A state budget is a moral document and should reflect our values as a society. CSEA has long worked with the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition for better public policy choices and social justice. Now a broader group of allies is emerging to stand up for what is right. Faith for a Fair New York — a growing coalition of clergy and people of faith — is joining forces with the Moral Mondays movement to establish a steadfast network of activists committed to a better New York for all. The Moral Mondays movement was begun by the Rev. Dr. William Barber II in North Carolina in 2013 to bring people together to seek moral actions by elected officials. The movement has spread to many other states and CSEA has helped encourage its growth in New York. Barber spoke at CSEA’s Annual Delegates Meeting in New York City last fall and recently helped lead a Moral Mondays event at the state Capitol in Albany. Faith for a Fair New York has been directly involved in building the Moral Mondays activity at the state Capitol since last year and in spreading the good news to other parts of the state through the formation of local groups in New York City and upstate. “It is morally wrong when the voices of the wealthy are heard while the voices of others are ignored,” said the Rev. Dr. Paula Gravelle, executive director of the New York State Council of Churches. She has been instrumental in the formation of The Rev. Dr. Paula Gravelle, left, leads faith leaders at a Moral Mondays event in Albany. Faith for a Fair New York. “It is morally wrong when the dignity of workers is tromped on; it is morally wrong when the hungry continue in hunger while the wealthiest among us have their tax burden reduced. It is not only morally wrong — it is outrageous,” Gravelle said. Faith for a Fair New York, the Moral Mondays activists and the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition also recently joined together with labor and other groups for the 25th Annual People’s State of State at the Capitol. The event sets a priority agenda in advance of the governor’s State of the State speech each year. “New York state is one of the wealthiest places on the globe and yet we have incredible rates of poverty,” said Labor-Religion Coalition Executive Director Sara Niccoli. “When people are working, they’re working for too little and still struggling to get by. We can do vastly better.” The groups will call on lawmakers throughout the weeks ahead to better consider the morality of their choices in adopting the state budget. To learn more about how you can participate, “like” Faith for a Fair New York and the New York State Labor Religion Coalition on Facebook. Barber 2 The Work Force February 2015
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