Page 2 - Work Force February 2021

Photo of the Month
Changes in Washington look promising for workers
“CSEA is optimistic we will soon see stimulus relief to prevent service cuts and allow our state workers to get their well-deserved wage increase. CSEA will once again take
the lead and lobby our federal officials for more aid to New York.”
Donald Grove, an opioid data coordinator for the state Office of Drug
User Health, looks down at the vast space that is being used for COVID-19 vaccinations at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, which is one of the state’s vaccination hubs. Read Page 3 for more about CSEA members’ efforts at the Javits Center, as well as more COVID-19 response coverage on Pages 5, 10-11. (Photo by David Galarza)
Joanne Bardin, 69, Dutchess County CEducation Local Secretary
SEA is mourning years. She quickly became the local’s the loss of recording secretary and stepped up
In the early days of a new administration in the White House and a power shift in the Senate,
we have already seen promising movement for workers and unions.
“Having New York’s senior Senator Chuck Schumer as our new majority leader is sure to bring more funding to New York,” said CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan. “I recently spoke with Senator Schumer, and he is committed
to fighting to preserve the services that make our state great, and the workers who provide them. He has been
a longtime advocate for our state, for workers, and a great friend to labor. We are looking forward to working with him.”
Schumer reached out to President Sullivan recently to confirm his support for additional federal aid for our state and localities during these difficult economic times.
In a move hailed by the AFL-CIO and other unions, President Joe Biden nominated Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Secretary of Labor. Walsh is a longtime union supporter and member of the laborers’ union
LIUNA. President Biden also fired the management-leaning National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb, who had been criticized for moving the NLRB in an anti-union direction.
The president also signed numerous executive orders, including restoring federal employee protections rescinded by the previous administration, such
as restrictions on collective bargaining and civil service protections.
And most importantly for our current economic situation, the new administration
has proposed a COVID-19 relief package that includes aid for state and local governments. This aid will prevent
massive cuts to workers and the services they provide, as well as allowing New York to meet their contractual obligations to workers.
“CSEA is optimistic we will soon see stimulus relief to prevent service cuts and allow our state workers
to get their well-deserved wage increase,” Sullivan said. “CSEA will once again take the lead and lobby our federal officials for more aid to New York.”
Joanne Bardin,
recording secretary
of the Dutchess
County Educational
Employees Local
and treasurer of the
Poughkeepsie City
School District Unit. She passed away Jan. 16 in Newburgh. She was 69.
Bardin began working as a school nurse in Poughkeepsie following a nursing career that included stints in hospital emergency and operating rooms. She quickly became active with advocacy organizations for school nursing, receiving the 2020 Excellence in School Nursing Award from the New York State Association of School Nurses.
Bardin was part of a team that revitalized the Poughkeepsie City School District Unit following the unit being inactive for a number of
as unit treasurer.
Bardin completed CSEA’s
Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program, CSEA’s statewide prestigious leadership development program. She was a staunch advocate for the students of the Poughkeepsie schools and continued her professional learning throughout her career, always building on her knowledge to better benefit her students.
Bardin is survived by her husband, Timothy Bardin; son and daughter, John and Catherine Bardin; two grandchildren and extended family. Memorial donations may be made to the American Red Cross,
an organization for which she had volunteered for more than 50 years.
— Jessica Ladlee
Save the Date: Virtual CSEA Women’s Conference 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSEA
will be holding our Statewide Women’s Conference virtually from April 30 – May
1. CSEA’s Standing Women’s Committee is hard at work planning a conference that will empower and inspire attendees while keeping members safe. Watch for more information about conference registration and programs, as well as nomination information for the Irene Carr Leadership Award.
2 The Work Force
February 2021