Page 17 - Work Force October 2020

GEreetings Brothers and Sisters,
arlier this year, I had the great honor and privilege to be elected to serve as your Statewide Secretary. As I think back on everything that has happened since then, it certainly seems like more than just several months have gone by!
Within weeks of taking office, the world was stricken by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has affected every single one of us. We have lost family members, friends and CSEA members to this horrible disease. But during this time, CSEA did what we do best as a union: we respond and we adapt. We moved as much of our union online as was possible in a very short time. We continued to inform and educate, making sure
members had as much relevant
and accurate information
as possible about the threat
COVID-19 presented.
it would, they are still out there, aiming squarely at us. It is more important than ever that we consider this carefully and put elected officials in office who will fight with us and stand for us, and that means we need to make sure those around us are educated and informed as to who the best candidates to represent our interests are.
For years, we have rallied and protested racial injustices across the country, but it feels very different this year. We may have seen our actions start to have some effect, but we must continue to rally and protest even though the media coverage has diminished. We still have such a long way to go to defeat racial injustice once and for all. We need
ISisters and Brothers,
’d like to welcome you all to our virtual 110th Annual Delegates Meeting. I am
honored to be your Statewide Treasurer. For those of you who do not know
me, please let me introduce myself. I began working as an Accountant for the City of Syracuse at Syracuse Hancock International Airport in 1999 and almost immediately got involved in the union. I come from a strong union family and knew that I needed to be active with my union. After joining several committees, taking numerous trainings
possibility of furloughs and layoffs for some of the members, we have yet to realize the magnitude of a reduction in our membership, however, CSEA will continue to be fiscally responsible going forward.
I have been diligently working with many Locals and Units to guide them with their budgetary paperwork as well as assisting some with coming out of administratorship. It is truly important to me that our members have the representation that they deserve.
As much as I looked forward to traveling around the state and meeting many of you, COVID-19 has changed the way that we do business. Instead of in-person trainings, we are conducting all trainings virtually. Rich Condelles, from the Finance Department,
As the world moves
forward, as CSEA moves
forward and we continue to
recover from COVID-19, we must continue to inform and educate in all the new ways we have been forced to adopt so quickly and expand these efforts.
For example, we have a very important Presidential election coming up in November. As we learned all too well in 2016, the President of the United States
can have a lasting, profound impact on our country, and we must choose wisely. We have watched two Conservative justices be placed on the Supreme Court, and it is very likely that the next President will place at least one justice on the Court in their term. Our very livelihood could be at stake here, and while the Janus decision has not had anywhere near the impact our enemies predicted and hoped
“As activists and labor leaders, we must continue to fight for our rights and benefits for the members.”
2020 Annual Delegates Meeting Officer Reports
Richard Bebo, Statewide Secretary
We must continue to inform and educate
Nicole Meeks, Statewide Treasurer
We must remain unified
“If we all work together, we can achieve the reality
of ending racial injustice in America.”
and I have constructed the Treasurers Training in a way that is both educational and informative. Our goal is to assist Treasurers
and guide them with the budgetary responsibilities of being a Treasurer. We instill that there is a proper accounting of the use of union funds.
As I took office on March 1st of this year, I could never have anticipated the world to be faced with a global pandemic such as this. As things worsened here in the United States, it was apparent that New York had become the epicenter of COVID-19. As businesses and government offices all around us began to close, CSEA recognized that we would have to come up with creative ways to keep our union running.
Working from home, I quickly adapted to the virtual world of online meetings and other platforms to conduct union business. As COVID -19 progressed, CSEA became aware that several employers were not able
Treasurer, continued on page 21
to keep this issue alive
and in front of Americans everywhere, not just in large cities. We must continue
to have conversations and educate EVERYONE we can. We must continue gaining allies that will fight
by our side to protect our rights and our futures. We need allies who go far beyond simply liking our social media posts. We need allies with voices as strong as ours, who will help us reach every corner of America loud enough that everyone can hear us. All Lives Matter cannot be a viable statement until Black Lives Matter holds completely true. This does not mean Black Lives Matter more, it means Black Lives Matter also. If we all work together, we can achieve the reality of ending racial injustice in America forever!
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Bebo
Statewide Secretary
with CSEA and assisting with contract negotiations, I became an officer. I have been a union Treasurer for more than 10 years now. In 2009, I became the Unit Treasurer for the City of Syracuse.
As well as being Unit
Treasurer, a few years later
I was elected as Treasurer
for Onondaga County
Local 834. In 2017, I was
appointed to be the Region 5 Treasurer. And in 2020, I was elected as your Statewide Treasurer. Treasury is clearly in my blood.
I have always been very passionate about our union. When my husband got laid off after 16 years at his manufacturing company, we spoke about him getting his CDL license and applying for jobs in the public sector. He knew how important having a union was since his old company was nonunion and the employees had not been given raises for over six years. In addition, the benefits were nearly nonexistent. Nick got his CDL license and was hired with NYS DOT in 2019. He is truly thankful for the job security, benefits and time off. He appreciates the union and what the union does for him.
As Statewide Treasurer, I can officially report that CSEA is financially sound and continues to make worthy investment decisions. Due to the pandemic, and the
October 2020
The Work Force 17