Page 4 - Work Force July-August 2020

President Mary E. Sullivan in touch with
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: NICHOLAS NEWCOMB (315) 728-3375
Western Region: OVE OVERMYER (716) 691-6555
Headquarters: JILL ASENCIO (518) 257-1276
WorkForce ISSN 1522-1091
Official publication of
CSEA Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO 143 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12210-2303
Mary E. Sullivan, President
MARK M. KOTZIN
Director of Communications and Publisher
MATHEW L. CANTORE Deputy Director of Communications
JANICE GAVIN Editor
JASON D. HOSIER Graphic Production Specialist
BETH MCINTYRE Graphic Production Specialist
JOELLE LUCENTE Communications Assistant
CommuniCations speCialists
Monica Berkowitz Karen Bright Tim Finnigan
Marie Snyder Rick Stahl Christopher Vogel
The Publications Committee:
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, Instagram and YouTube:
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The
WorkForce
Standing up, standing together, calling for justice
It’s a very interesting time to be in the labor movement, with a lot going on impacting us as workers seeking justice on so many fronts. Some people have questioned why we as a union get involved in current political causes and events and why we take stands on issues they believe are not connected to our jobs or our workplaces.
our brothers and sisters. Please understand that our support of equality for African Americans does not mean we are taking a stand against all law enforcement. We do not support defunding police. We simply believe that racism has no place in government or anywhere else and stand in solidarity against all oppression rooted in racial discrimination.
Let me share with you my viewpoint:
as a union, we are so much more than just
an organization advocating for workplace change. Unions have been, and always
will be, a voice for the powerless and an advocate for change. By bringing together the collective voices of people who individually lack power, we are a fierce champion for equality, justice and change.
We also recently saw two great decisions in the Supreme Court that we proudly stand behind. The first, making workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression illegal. The second, taking away the administration’s ability to arbitrarily rescind protections for children with undocumented immigration status.
I understand that some causes may go against people’s personal beliefs or politics, and that’s the beauty of our union democracy. People are free to disagree and sit out, if they so choose. Still, as your union president, and on behalf of what our officers and I perceive to be in the best interests of the members, we must take a stand for those principles and issues that align with our core values.
These are all issues our union can and should take a stand on. That’s why I was proud to direct our staff to fly a banner outside our Albany Headquarters bearing the words “Black Lives Matter” and our CSEA logo. I was also proud to issue a statement to support the recent Supreme Court decision against LGBTQ+ workplace discrimination.
And these days, there’s a lot to be taking a stand about.
This is only the tip of the iceberg on these issues. We have more work to do to address inequality for all workers. It’s what we do. I look forward to continued conversations with you about how we can unite around issues of fairness and equality.
We’ve got the economic fallout from the pandemic, which threatens to seriously diminish our public services and cut the jobs of the union members who provide them if we don’t fight hard collectively for needed federal aid.
In solidarity,
Mary E. Sullivan, President
4 The Work Force
July-August 2020
We have the Black Lives Matter movement spreading around the globe attempting to right the wrongs of hundreds of years of oppression and inequality for so many of