Page 5 - Work Force July-August 2025

July-August 2025 5 5
The Work Force
KINGSTON — Our union is diving
back into member engagement
blitzes, kicking off the efforts in June
by hearing from CSEA members
residing in Ulster County in a series
of worksite visits and one-on-one
conversations at members’ homes.
This member-driven initiative
took place over the better part of
a week in early June, with CSEA
activists from the Southern Region
stepping up to help, both with
planning logistics and on the ground,
knocking on members’ doors and
hearing their feedback.
This particular blitz targeted
members of the Ulster County Local,
SUNY New Paltz Local, Highland
Secure Center Local and Taconic
State Parks Local. As this edition
went to press, a blitz in the Western
Region was scheduled to focus on
members in the Monroe County area.
“The most positive takeaway for
me was to see how much support we
have from CSEA,” said Ulster County
Local President Sheri Farrell. “The
amount of volunteers that took five
days out of their lives to come to
Ulster County was moving. To see
members from surrounding locals
volunteer to assist with the blitz was
heartwarming. It is times like this
when you can feel the solidarity.”
While the goal of the blitz was
to hear feedback directly from
our union members, the outreach
allowed leaders to answer specific
questions. Ulster County Unit
President Tina Buono said she
appreciated the chance to answer
questions about ongoing contract
negotiations and hear feedback
about elements of the unit’s contract
campaign.
“Aside from being able to
interact with members I wouldn’t
regularly come into contact with,
the worksite visits and outreach in
the communities provided real time
feedback on our current methods of
communicating negotiations updates
with our union members, as well as
discuss how future communication
will include notifications through the
MyCSEA App,” said Buono. “Knowing
what is working and what may need
tweaking will prove to be invaluable
as we continue to negotiate for
the best outcome for all of our
members.”
During worksite meetings, CSEA
officers heard feedback from
members who’d already received
house visits from our team of
volunteers. Ulster County Unit
member Rebecca Flynn, a crime
victims’ advocate for the county,
said the team visiting her house
were friendly and quickly identified
themselves as from our union.
“They wanted my thoughts on
what other resources they could
provide and feedback on our current
union contract negotiations,” said
Flynn.
Keeping our union connected with
members was a key goal. Members
who interacted with blitz volunteers
completed contact information cards
to ensure we have the most accurate
information on file. Many members
also downloaded the MyCSEA
App after seeing blitz volunteers
demonstrate the app’s many
convenient features.
— Jessica Ladlee
Photos by Sara McNicholas and
Jessica Ladlee
Ulster blitz fosters conversations, builds understanding Ulster blitz fosters conversations, builds understanding
From left, Deputy Director of Membership
Veronica Valentin, CSEA Statewide
Treasurer Nicole Meeks and Statewide
Secretary Stacey Baldwin-Deyo look over
member lists.
Southern Region 2nd Vice President Fred
DeStefano prepares to visit members along with
Statewide Treasurer Nicole Meeks.
CSEA PEOPLE Coordinator Kim
Wallace-Russo discusses the program
with Ulster County Unit members Kelli
Baul and Eugenia Pierre-Louis.
CSEA Executive Vice President
Richard Bebo and Ulster County
Local President Sheri Farrell.
Hudson Valley DDSO Local
member Shania Traite
and CSEA Labor Relations
Specialist Reuben Traite.
Ulster County Unit
President Tina Buono