Page 2 - Work Force February 2025

Photo of the Month
Briggs to retire as CSEA Executive Vice President
Syosset Central School District Custodian Don Haug takes the snowplow out when the school grounds need to be cleared. (See more coverage on pages 8-12.) (Photo by Wendi Bowie.)
Longtime Central Region activist Sheila Sears
CSEA Executive Vice President Ron Briggs is
retiring this month after more than 30 years as a union activist. He held leadership roles
at all levels of our
union, working
tirelessly toward
building a more
inclusive and responsive union.
Briggs often spoke of his humble upbringing being aided by the public services delivered by CSEA members and credits them for helping his family through tough times. He became a member of CSEA when he joined Fulton County’s Department of Social Services as a child protective worker before moving to the Probation Department, where he will retire as a probation officer.
Elected 2nd Vice President of CSEA’s Fulton County Local in
1997, Briggs progressed to 1st Vice President and Local President. He also served eight years as CSEA Capital Region President and held multiple statewide roles before becoming Executive Vice President. He has served in leadership roles for committees that include New Member Orientation, PEOPLE and Probation, and was a graduate of CSEA’s LEAD Program. Briggs also serves as an AFSCME International Vice President since first elected
in 2020.
“Please join me in congratulating
CSEA Executive Vice President Ron Briggs on his retirement,” said CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan. “I want to extend my sincere appreciation and thank you to Ron for his many years of service, and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Briggs
NEW YORK
MILLS — CSEA
is mourning the
loss of Shelia
Sears, a longtime
Central Region
activist who
held numerous
leadership roles
throughout our
union. She passed away on Dec. 15, 2024, at age 74.
Sheila was a CSEA member for more than 40 years, working as a library assistant at SUNY College in Marcy and later at the Utica Law Library.
Known as “Miss CSEA” by other CSEA activists, Sheila served
in numerous leadership roles throughout our union during her career and remained active in our union as a retiree member.
Sheila served as president of the Utica State Employees Local before joining the Unified Court System in 1994. She later served as treasurer of the Region V Judiciary Local from 1994 to 2020.
On the region level, she held the positions of Central Region 2nd and 3rd Vice President, and chair of the
region’s Education Committee. On the statewide level, Sheila served as a CSEA delegate, AFSCME delegate and chaired CSEA’s statewide Education Committee, as well as the Judicial Board. She also served as
a delegate to the Central New York Labor Council.
In early 2021, Sheila retired from her career but remained involved
in our union through membership in the Oneida-Madison-Herkimer Tri-County Retirees Local 914. She served as a Sergeant-At-Arms during the 2022 Retiree Delegates Meeting.
According to her obituary, Sheila’s close friends included former Central Region President and current St. Lawrence County Retirees Local
923 President Colleen Wheaton and former Region V Judiciary Local President Donald Lynskey, who is now also a Local 914 activist.
In her free time, Sheila enjoyed traveling, including trips to Ireland and the casino.
Sheila is survived by her son; two brothers and a sister; nieces and nephews and many friends. Services were held on Dec. 28, 2024.
— Nicholas Newcomb
Know a trailblazer? CSEA seeking Irene Carr Leadership Award nominations
O
Award, which will be presented during the CSEA Women’s Conference in April.
much was known about the virus and helped establish dozens of worksite child care centers for state employees.
She started our union’s first Women’s Committee and chaired the AFSCME Women’s Advisory Committee for many years.
A leader in every sense of the word, Carr urged women to take on strong leadership roles, break out of the mold and shatter glass ceilings.
Carr was fully dedicated to
our union’s mission, and she is
an inspiration. The Irene Carr Leadership Award honors those trailblazers who continue her mission of advancing work and family issues and who demonstrate commitment to the concerns of women and families within CSEA and the labor movement.
The deadline to receive nominations is March 5. For more information or to download an application, visit cseany.org.
ur union is seeking nominations
2 The Work Force
February 2025
for the Irene Carr Leadership
Irene Carr served as CSEA’s Statewide Secretary
for 17 years, trailblazing a path to bring issues traditionally
of concern to working women to the forefront
of our union’s mission.
Carr
Throughout her four-decade union career, Carr played a key
role in boosting training and job advancement opportunities, pay equity adjustments for women and minorities and access to ergonomic safety. She fought for HIV/AIDS awareness at a time when not