Page 5 - Work Force November 2025

CSEA Albany County Local President Bill Alund
stands next to the Danny Donohue memorial
bench at The Crossings in Colonie.
Park bench honors Donohue
COLONIE — At Colonie’s largest public park, The
Crossings, work orders come in all the time for
CSEA members working there.
But a recent work order was more memorable.
“This one was special,” said CSEA Albany
County Local President Bill Alund, who works
in the town’s Parks and
Recreation Department. “It
was for a memorial bench for
Danny Donohue.”
Donohue, who served as
our union’s president from
1994 to 2019, passed away
in August. Donohue’s family
had donated the bench in his
memory.
“Families can donate the
benches as a memorial to
their loved ones,” said Alund.
“We will assemble and install
The plaque on the memorial bench.
about five or six per year
around the park. Everyone is
special, but this one was really special.”
This popular 130-acre park is in Albany County
combines the natural beauty of meadows,
marshes, wetlands and ponds with recreational
opportunities such as playgrounds and trails. The
park is a gathering spot for families and friends
getting together for a visit or to celebrate a
special occasion.
The memorial benches dot the landscape and
offer visitors a chance for a rest, a conversation
or a moment of quiet reflection in nature.
Parks and Recreation staff
assemble each bench from a
kit, reinforce all parts, install
a concrete slab for the bench
to be placed on, secure the
bench to the slab and then
add the memorial plaque.
“It was emotional the
morning we installed the
bench,” said Alund. “The
idea that we are CSEA
members working to put in
the memorial to someone
who worked so hard on
behalf of workers and was
so special to us. We started
[installing] the bench for Danny first thing that
morning. The bench backs to the east. There was
a light coming through the field, shining directly
on the bench. It was a special moment.”
— Therese Assalian
CSEA to county:
Keep our jobs
human
MINEOLA — More than 200 CSEA members and
supporters attended Nassau County Local’s rally
against the Nassau County District Attorney’s
unprecedented use of bots to perform case-input
work.
The use of bots, defined as an autonomous
program on the internet or another network that
can interact with systems or users, is a blatant
violation of CSEA’s contractual agreement with
the county. The local has sought litigation to seek
justice for members.
CSEA Nassau County Local President Kris
Kalender spoke at the event, emphasizing the
need for unions to fight to protect their jobs and
their futures. Nassau County District Attorney
candidate Nicole Aloise also addressed the group,
stressing the importance of preserving union jobs.
The rally also received local media coverage.
Nassau County Local President Kris Kalender, front left, gets some robotic help in leading a rally to
—Wendi Bowie
oppose the use of bots at the District’s Attorney’s Office.November 2025 5 5
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