Page 15 - Work Force November 2022

CSEA STATEWIDE PRESIDENT, continued from Page 10
stand together as one strong union. When we face an injustice, we must act together to fight it. Despite any differences we may have, when we unite and learn from one another, as we are doing here in New York City, we only become stronger and better at overcoming our challenges and building a better future for all CSEA members. As the saying goes, ‘an injustice to one is an injustice to all.’ As soon as you do anything to help our union achieve justice, you are a leader.
While we work to make our union stronger, remember
that strengthening our union is not only for ourselves, but for the benefit of workers who have just joined our union, as well
as future CSEA members. I truly believe the best way for our union to grow stronger and more effective is through mentoring, training and sharing our knowledge with each other. Sharing our experiences with others and helping them gain knowledge is also a sign of true leadership, and it is our responsibility to develop leadership qualities in ourselves and help others find their own paths to leadership.
I believe that a true leader will share what they have learned with others and in turn, encourage them to share what they learn. We must realize that we will not be here forever, but by sharing our knowledge and mentoring newer activists, we will help
ensure that our union remains strong.
I take pride in the fact that our union has so many incredible resources for members to gain and share knowledge. CSEA
offers numerous opportunities for members to gain union skills, whether it is for a certification or for broadening your knowledge. Our Education and Training and Occupational Safety and Health Departments, among many others, work hard to develop programs that can enrich all of us. Our field staff are always there to assist our leaders/activists and provide knowledge to represent others. Our Legislative and Political Action Department works hard to ensure we have all the information we need about candidates who stand with us and legislation that affects us as working people. I am also particularly proud of our work to develop future union leaders through our union’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program.
While not every CSEA member will hold a leadership title, we can all be leaders. We just have to look within ourselves.
I urge every one of our union members not to wait to get a leadership title or ceremony or wait for an invite to a position. Seek opportunities to lead and use your voice. We all have different ways we lead; find one that works for you and lead in your own way. No matter how big or small your efforts are, you are making a difference in our union.
As a leader attending this year’s meeting, please take the opportunity to learn as much as you can, meet as many people as possible and learn from them. When you return home, use every opportunity you can not only to reach others and teach others, but to learn from them. Always remember, knowledge is power. By sharing that knowledge, we are helping others find their inner leader.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary E. Sullivan
CSEA President
our time with enjoyable activities. In fact, relaxing and recharging, looking for ways to blend fun and business also assists us to infuse energy back into the movement. This is important to preventing burnout.
Leading comes from the heart. Feeling fully, the rewarding side of working with the membership motivates us to be more creative and more productive in our union work and more effective at solving problems for the membership.
We must place priority on helping each other stay motivated and engaged. We have immense power to solve issues on and off the job; it just has to be activated.
Embrace people who may not be like you, who may push the boundaries of your comfort zone. Let them through. We can learn from them and grow. They just might be the next generation of leaders who will keep the labor movement alive for lifetimes to come.
In the labor movement, mentoring new activists, bringing in fresh eyes, inspires new ideas, possibilities, and perspectives. It reinvigorates our work and provides vital new energy from the youth, new members and grassroots advocacy.
I want to shout out to our brothers and sisters in our union family who are dealing with extraordinary challenges
become better leaders.
Throughout the pandemic, Richard Condelles from our
Internal Operations Department and I have held numerous Treasurer Trainings via Zoom. Over the past several years, we have trained hundreds of Treasurers, as well as other officers, ensuring that our Regions, Locals and Units are adhering to the Financial Standards Code. As we start to do more in-person trainings, we look forward to meeting many of you and providing whatever assistance that we can to help Units and Locals be active and successful. I would like to personally thank Rich, my assistant Connie Bonacquisti and CSEA’s Information Technology Department for their continued support with officer trainings.
As your Statewide Treasurer, it is my job to ensure
that all Treasurers are trained and allocating rebated funds for proper union business. The entire Executive Board is responsible for making decisions on how to spend rebated funds. It is essential that Treasurers know how to correctly allocate and report all income and expenses, and it is imperative that members’ dues money is spent sensibly on resources that benefit all members. Our Treasurer Training provides officers with the expertise that they need to manage the financial aspect of Units and Locals.
From a financial standpoint, I am happy to report
that CSEA is fiscally sound and continues to be in a
good financial position. During the pandemic, CSEA was uncertain if furloughs, early retirement incentives or other job losses would occur. If a reduction in membership arose from any of these factors, CSEA’s dues revenue would also decrease. This, in turn, would be detrimental to services that are provided to the membership. Thankfully, CSEA
right now. We hear you, OMH and OPWDD. We are working hard to provide solutions on some real tough issues you are facing. We are working with the state to encourage recruitment and retention of employees to relieve serious staffing shortages that plague the system. Know that we
will do what is necessary to ensure your voices are heard. You are not alone. With momentum at our backs, I am confident that we can bring the change that you need.
For the rest of the CSEA membership, we hear you and see you. Keep that pressure on. Keep fighting. Lift up your brothers and sisters around you — harness the power of unity.
There will be bumps in the road. Perfection is a myth. Never lose sight of the long view, practice discipline, aim for continuous improvement and trust this institution.
Coming together despite our differences, recognizing that we need each other to be successful in solving the issues we face, both at work and in our communities, ensures
we never lose sight of our vision of a better world for all working men and women.
Respectfully submitted,
Denise Berkley
Executive Vice President
did not see a sharp decline in membership. Due to the outstanding work of many CSEA employees in departments such as Legal, Field Services, Member Engagement, Communications, Finance, and Internal Operations, CSEA continuously functioned during the pandemic to ensure that the members received union services and had access to resources.
It is imperative that we keep our union strong by continuing to sign up new members and provide the excellent benefits that we have been allotted throughout the years. CSEA continuously strives to strengthen our union by offering members exclusive benefits such as insurance programs, legal services and many other benefits.
In conclusion, I am thankful for the CSEA staff and members who were instrumental in changing legislation that modified Tier 5 and 6 of the New York State Retirement System. That was a huge win for the members! CSEA continues to strive to support members by fighting for improved working conditions, fair wages and other benefits. I am also grateful for the strong leaders and activists throughout this union who fight for members every single day! I am proud to be among all of you, and I look forward to working with you all to continue to build our union and make it stronger!
Please enjoy the convention! Network, get to know other delegates and please bring back all the information you were given to the members.
Respectfully submitted,
Nicole Meeks
Statewide Treasurer
CSEA STATEWIDE EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, continued from Page 10
CSEA STATEWIDE TREASURER, continued from Page 11
November 2022
The Work Force 15