Page 12 - Work Force October 2021

2021 Annual Delegates Meeting Officer Reports
JERRY LARICCHIUTA
Long Island Region President
Our region is ready to take off
LESTER CROCKETT Metropolitan Region President
Standing strong during continued challenges
BTrothers and Sisters,
he past 12 months since our last virtual ADM have been one resembling a
very scary roller coaster. This time last
year, I remember all of us being anxious about the possibility that we could have a working vaccine against COVID-19, which could eventually bring down the infection rate to where COVID was no longer the leading threat to our lives. Then, President Trump said we would have a vaccine by October 2020, and most people I knew were excited and happy about that. I believe the first vaccinations were made available in December 2020 by Pfizer, and a month later, Moderna was given emergency authorization.
Needless to say, this country has not come together as we thought we would. There are some states in this country that are woefully below the 75% of vaccinated people that President Biden called for in order to be successfully protected against this virus.
Let’s face it, Brothers and Sisters,
nothing can replace in-person, face-to-face meetings. The good news is that I heard that more people in states lagging far behind in vaccinations are beginning to catch up. In New York, where we all live and work, we have to increase our numbers a great deal as well. This vaccination is NOT about Donald Trump (who has been asking people to get the shot). It’s not political at all. It is based on the common sense of our innate instinct to survive as human beings. It was so sad seeing people in Oklahoma about to be intubated, asking if they could get the shot instead. Of course, the answer was “no, now we have to save your life first.” Don’t risk your life, or the lives of your family. Get the vaccine and help wipe out COVID-19 for good.
In 2020-2021, CSEA was very active in all Regions beside the fact that we have not yet met in person as a Board of Directors, or
GOreetings Brothers and Sisters,
n behalf of the members, officers, and staff of the Metropolitan Region, I want to wish you all a successful and informative Annual Delegates Meeting. I know that we continue to face challenges in this pandemic era, but I firmly believe that each new day
is a blessing and an opportunity to extend a hand or simply be kind to someone. I would also like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of brothers and sisters we lost this year to the pandemic, accidents and other causes.
We ended the previous year with renewed optimism given the news of the Coronavirus vaccine. If any of you continue to have any doubts or concerns, I urge you to get the facts on COVID-19 from our knowledgeable Occupational Safety and Health Department staff. They have been working diligently since the beginning of this
sure that our tax dollars are used to uplift
our economy and the workers who are the backbone. We need budgets in Washington, D.C. and Albany that strengthen our agencies and preserve jobs and vital services.
In the spring, I was honored to participate in the virtual Women’s Conference and
we began coordinating regular outdoor information days for union members throughout the region.
The spring season this year also provided us with renewed hope and promise that the pain and darkness of last year will soon fade away. As a union family, we know that our mantra has and always will be to mourn for the dead and to fight for the living.
During this period, our union’s Statewide officers have also been a beacon of pride and leadership. Thank you, President Mary E. Sullivan, Executive Vice President Denise
Today, we have a new,
much more deadly variant
of the COVID virus called
Delta. As a result, as of
this writing in very late
August 2021, we remain
a very sick nation. We have certain states such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and others that have zero ICU beds left in their main cities. Now, we are remembering last year, where COVID cases rose up steadily because of colleges and schools reopening and then coming home to infect parents and grandparents. The scary part of the Delta variant is that younger people in their 20s, 30s and 40s are now very susceptible to catching the virus and being hospitalized. Some are now dying, which was not the case last year, for the most part. Those vaccinated are getting the virus, but for the greatest part, are NOT being hospitalized and are NOT dying! What other proof do you need, my friends?
CSEA has lost members to both COVID-19 and workplace accidents this year. The greatest way we can honor their lives is by respecting our own. We do that by keeping ourselves healthy, in part by getting vaccinated.
at an Annual Delegates Meeting. Keeping member engagement alive was a goal of Statewide President Mary E. Sullivan and for the most part, we have been very successful. In Region One,
we were lucky enough to have the first CSEA golf outing since the pandemic began. On May 24, we held our annual Long Island Region Golf Classic, and it was a huge hit! We had so many people who played golf, came to the dinner, or just helped, that we all acted like children being allowed out to play for the first time in a year! A special thank you to Barbara Homburger and the Social Committee, as well as Jarvis Brown, for planning the golf outing, and for securing the golf course and banquet hall.
I’d also like to extend my thanks
to Maryann Phelps and our Veterans Committee for working so hard this past year. They ran their Annual Holiday Drive to collect toiletries, clothing, and new unwrapped gifts for the veterans at The Northport VA Hospital and the Long Island State Veterans Home. They also raised over $900 at our CSEA Charitable Car Wash on
Long Island Region President, continued on page 17
pandemic and have the information and resources you need to make informed decisions.
“I firmly believe
that each new day
is a blessing and an opportunity to extend a hand or simply be kind to someone.”
Berkley, Statewide Secretary Richard Bebo and Statewide Treasurer Nicole Meeks for your steady support and commitment to Region 2.
Indeed, our union’s Statewide officers helped us commemorate Black History and Women’s History
12 The Work Force
October 2021
“The greatest way we can honor their lives is by respecting our own.”
During the winter and
into the spring months, we
may not have been able to
come together physically for
meetings or other events, but I was always overjoyed to see the region’s Executive Board come together virtually for successful and informative meetings. I am always grateful
to our family of vendors for joining us as well. Similar virtual meetings were also held with several locals, and I was honored to join them.
We continued to monitor the situation
at our state DMV offices and at MVLE
sites throughout the city and we were finally successful in ending instant notification! Congrats to everyone who worked long and hard to score this important victory for union members, especially our region’s newest Local 010 DMV Unit officers Dawn Destine and Ben Greene!
Sisters and brothers, thankfully, we started this new year with a new administration in Washington, D.C. that has already proven
to be friendlier and more supportive of our hardworking families. We need to make
Months with virtual programs filled with inspiring keynote speeches and moments of reflection. Congratulations to the Region Education Committee and the Women’s Committee, Region 2 and Headquarters staff for creating and coordinating two extremely thoughtful programs.
I’d like to offer my gratitude to Metropolitan Region and Headquarters staff for continuing to meet virtually, attend to the needs of members and engaging members in extracurricular events such as the Match Game and the Comedy Night. Kudos also
to all the Region 2 locals that continue to engage members in virtual information days and lunch and learns. The response has been great and members have been able to engage with officers and vendors.
The summer months started with a well-deserved recognition by the state that
Metropolitan Region President, continued on page 16