Page 4 - Work Force July-August 2018

WorkForce
ISSN 1522-1091
Official publication of
CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO 143 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12210-2303 Danny Donohue, President
SHANNON HUTTON
Director of Communications & Publisher
MATHEW L. CANTORE Deputy Director of Communications
Long Island Region: WENDI BOWIE (631) 462-0030
Metropolitan Region: DAVID GALARZA (212) 406-2156
Southern Region: JESSICA LADLEE (845) 831-1000
Capital Region: THERESE ASSALIAN (518) 782-4400
Central Region: MARK M. KOTZIN (315) 433-0050
Western Region: OVE OVERMYER (716) 691-6555
Headquarters: JILL ASENCIO (518) 257-1276
JANICE GAVIN Editor
JASON D. HOSIER Graphic Production Specialist
BETH MCINTYRE Graphic Production Specialist
JOELLE LUCENTE Communications Assistant
CommuniCations speCialists
The Publications Committee:
Karen Bright Marie Snyder
Debbie Nappi-Gonzalez Rick Stahl
The Work Force (USPS 0445-010)
is published monthly by
The CSEA Publication Office:
143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210. Periodical Mail Postage paid at
Post Office,
Albany, New York 12288,
and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send address changes to: CSEA, Attn: Membership Department, 143 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210
Readers: Send any comments, complaints, suggestions or ideas to: Publisher, The Work Force
143 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12210-2303
CSEA online: cseany.org
or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube:
facebook.com/csealocal1000 twitter.com/csealocal1000 youtube.com/csealocal1000
President Danny Donohue in touch with
The WorkForce
We’re not going anywhere
4 The Work Force
July-August 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court has now made its decision in the Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 case, and the ruling was no surprise.
This case was never about free speech.
It was just an attempt by greedy corporate interests to destroy the American labor movement. It’s outrageous that the court not only overturned its own precedent, but did so on the backs of working people.
Now, a new set of challenges is arriving at our doorsteps. For some of you, this will be literally true as anti-union groups plan to visit your homes to convince you to quit our union.
On a national level, groups like the National Right to Work Foundation have stepped up efforts to trick union members into quitting their unions and giving up rights and protections we’ve fought so hard for over the years. These groups are funded by the rich and powerful because they know if they can convince enough people to quit their unions, they can line their pockets with the money they save from giving us the wages, health care and the dignified retirements we have earned.
If you haven’t already heard from these anti-union groups, there’s a good chance you will soon. They think they can convince everyone that leaving our union will save a few dollars by gambling with protections,
even though they won’t put it that way. Guess what? It’s never going to work. New York State is the most unionized
state in the country, with more than 2 million people belonging to a union. We understand the value of being part of the union. We know that by sticking together, we can protect our futures. We can protect our pensions, our leave time and our safety and health while we perform our jobs every day.
CSEA has been fighting for our rights for 108 years, and we’re not going anywhere. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and
I hope you won’t be fooled into thinking you’re going to get something for nothing, because that’s exactly what the rich and powerful are hoping for.
They would be very happy if you quit on yourselves, your co-workers, and your families and loved ones, because they would reap the benefits while hardworking Americans all suffer.
Remember, we all do better when we stick together.
Stay Union, Stay Strong!