Page 16 - Work Force November 2016

LONG ISLAND REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 12
They also held a special Flag Day ceremony at which they disposed of worn out flags in a respectful manner.
After that, they hold their annual car wash. This year they earned $800 for local veterans in need.
Then there’s our Retiree Committees who have some of CSEA’s most dedicated members. The Suffolk and Nassau County retiree committees hold a Retiree Seminar several times a year. The seminars are a guide to preparing for retirement and because of the high demand, seats always fill up quickly.
In addition, our retirees are involved in the
PEOPLE program as well as represent our Region at the bi-annual Retiree Workshop. They never cease to amaze me with their unwavering commitment to the labor movement.
The Next Wave Committee is still very successfully honing the leadership skills of our new members.
With the never-ending attacks on unions by special interests groups, it’s extremely important that we teach the history of unions and why they’re important to the future generation of union activists.
Perhaps some of the members from the new units we’ve acquired in Amityville and the Villages of Babylon and Freeport will join Next Wave.
I’m always proud when new members join. It shows me that CSEA is effectively reaching out to the work force.
With that, I’d like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today.
This is a precarious time for unions. The attack on our right to collectively bargain is a direct attack on our livelihood. We have to remember to be steadfast in our work towards reestablishing our relationships with our membership and our communities at-large.
Respectfully submitted,
Nick LaMorte
Long Island Region president
and everything possible to help make history by electing the first woman, Hillary Clinton, President of the United States. As our Senator, Hillary was always in our corner and we’re looking forward to having her support as President.
As we get ready to end the year, I would be remiss if didn’t express my sincere gratitude, on behalf of my region and members, to all the hardworking, dedicated staff who are retiring and starting new chapters in their lives. We honor you, we appreciate you and we thank you for all your years of service to us and to our great union.
I look forward to seeing many friends and making new ones at this ADM. I wish you all a great meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Lester Crockett
Metropolitan Region President
operators maintaining a safe water supply, our direct care workers safeguarding individuals with disabilities or mental illness, and the public safety dispatchers sending help when you need it the most. I am so proud of you all for the way
you have carried out your work despite the attempts to get at your wages and benefits, cut positions and even outsource your work. Visit our public schools in Poughkeepsie and you will find custodial and maintenance workers who have seen jobs their department cut and then cut some more, while district leaders pad administrator salaries and hire friends
and family. Still, our CSEA members there are most concerned about being role models for their students and making sure the district’s aging buildings are safe and clean. They know school is a place of refuge for so many of their students, so they do their best as workers despite their own personal hardship. That’s the Never Quit spirit.
We also Never Quit standing up for what is right in our state. That CSEA strength made the difference when we led the fight for — and won — the expansion of pension credits for our military veterans earlier this year. We’re leading the way now to improve working conditions for the county child protective services workers who need more resources to better serve the children in their care. We continue
to advocate for fairness and logic when it comes to the state Justice Center, which was formed with good intentions, but
has become a nightmare. Our members
they ask you what you do for a living, tell them you deliver vital services to your community and you will never quit on them. I’m sure you will make a good impression.
Major threats to our existence will continue.
If the U.S. Supreme Court ever sides with wealthy special interests in upcoming court cases designed to diminish our
right to financial resources and to have
a strong voice on the job, America and our economy as we know it will be forever compromised. This is just one
of a handfull of reasons why we must never quit and why we must exercise our political muscle as one — to make sure
working in direct care and in our youth detention facilities take pride in their work, despite the many challenges it brings. Abuse or mistreatment should never be tolerated. There’s no debating that. However, the Justice Center is an injustice to the thousands of workers who exist in a climate of fear because they know there is a group of bureaucrats sitting in Albany (bureaucrats who know nothing about what it’s like to do this work) judging their every move. We’re keeping the fight going for positive change.
As we move into a new era, I would like to thank everyone who has been
active in CSEA in recent years. Despite some tough years, our union officers and negotiating team members have brought back some very respectable contracts. They’ve also protected and preserved many jobs. I urge those of you who are not active in CSEA to familiarize yourselves with what goes into keeping our union
the best in the country. Our activists volunteer countless hours to keep CSEA strong, something I think many people
do not realize. Consider signing up as a shop steward or grievance rep and joining the cause. Show up for rallies, both for CSEA contracts and other unions. Help us elect labor-friendly candidates, both
by voting (the most important thing!)
and by helping with phone banking or door-to-door outreach. Understand that the compensation you get for the work you do comes not through the goodwill of management, but from years of work by
we elect lawmakers that protect our right to collectively bargain and for working people to have the ability to join and form a union.
Regardless of the outcome of these court cases in the pipeline, we’ll never quit fighting for our rights and to have our voices heard. There are many more battles to come, but I can tell you this now —
if we stick together we can accomplish anything. We’re building member power through our CSEA Never Quit Campaign and we urge all CSEA families to get involved.
At our 106th ADM, we proudly stand with each other arm in arm to do the business of the union, to celebrate all
your union to attain fairness and respect for you as workers.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention
the work of our staff, who are always there working behind the scenes. We’re fortunate to have a dedicated team in
our region who believe in the work we
do and whose labor expertise is second to none. We also have great people in our headquarters who are always there as a resource to us. They are an integral part of what makes CSEA so strong.
About this new era we’re embarking on, it’ll only be a success if you all are involved. The threats to working people aren’t ending, so we must be smarter, more responsive and more united. It’s easy to view yourself first by what you do — as
a probation officer, a caseworker, a direct care worker and so on. That must change. We must be CSEA first. We’re all in this together. That means when another CSEA group in your community is facing a challenge, you need to step up and show your support. Join their rallies. Speak at a board meeting. Write a letter to the editor. Show the Never Quit spirit. Everyone doing their small part is what will maintain the rights, benefits and contracts for which we’ve fought so hard.
Respectfully submitted,
Billy Riccaldo
Southern Region President
things labor and to protect the rights and values that helped build this great nation. CSEA will never quit. We will never quit fighting for our place at the table and having our voice heard at work — because when unions are strong — workers are strong. And when workers are strong — America is strong.
Respectfully submitted,
Florence “Flo” Tripi
Western Region president
METROPOLITAN REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 12
16 The Work Force
November 2016
SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 13
WESTERN REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 14