Page 13 - Work Force October 2023

2023 Annual Delegates Meeting Officer Reports
Anthony M. Adamo
Southern Region President
My Union, My Voice, My CSEA
Ron Briggs
Capital Region President
Your voice is amplified
CISEA Family:
was only about 19 years old and pretty new to the job at SUNY New Paltz when I got my first glimpse of what it really means to be part of CSEA. Like many of us, I had grown up in a union household, so of course I signed my union membership application as soon as it was presented to me. As a kid growing up in New York City before I moved upstate, there was never any question. Joining the union was just what you did. So, when the opportunity came up, I was excited to sign that card.
– because that is the way we stay strong.
We have all heard people question why it
is important to be union, with many not realizing they have their own union story. We have been inundated the last few years with ridiculous narratives from shady, out- of-state groups trying to weaken our union by encouraging members to opt out. Let us stop pretending that their effort is some sort of philanthropic endeavor to help the middle class. It is exactly the opposite. It is aimed
to line the pockets of the richest few in this country by trying to weaken the strength of the people who fight for fair, equitable wages for all.
Standing together as a union to bargain for fair wages and working conditions
does not need to be a partisan thing. It never was, at least to this extent, until our national climate became so polarizing. Our
Record heat, but we are used to it in Region 4. “Hot” is our middle name.
A big thank you to our region officers: Shana, Scott, Danielle, Mike, Cindy and Stacey and to all the leaders, activists, and staff. Without all of you, the heat would have melted CSEA Region 4. Because of you, we endured the heat and grew stronger.
I am proud to have been part of many successful campaigns in the Capital Region post-COVID. There are many stories of individuals or teams of CSEA members starting a campaign with a goal, showing leadership on the issue so others get involved, doing the legwork to raise awareness and ultimately being rewarded with the very change they sought, making the region hotter than ever!
members to seek assistance. Her steadfast vigilance and the application of pressure resulted in meaningful, and some might even say historic, change in a bureaucratic climate typically stymied by change of any kind. It was truly a David vs. Goliath moment and a victory for all of us involved.
As I write this, members in Fulton County are engaging in a public awareness campaign to pressure county leaders to address real threats to community services. They want the county to act on dangerously low vacancy rates. They want their work respected with higher pay and they want
the county to prioritize a workforce that
for too long have been doing the work of two or three people at once. Recruitment and retention is the theme, but they are
also reminding county managers of their responsibility to limit risk.
It feels like our fever is spreading and
I have shared this story before, but bear with me. As a kid, I had seen then-President Danny Donohue on the news, leading
the way as CSEA engaged in our contract fight with Governor Pataki, and I thought to myself, ‘I want to be part of this.’ So, when Lenny Beaulieu, our local president at the time, announced that
Danny Donohue would be
the special guest speaker at
our local meeting, I was all
in. The meeting did not
disappoint. In his trademark no-holds-barred style,
President Donohue fired
up our local and displayed
a contagious enthusiasm.
Inspired by his words, it was
clear to me then that union
activism was my path.
I share this story not to talk about myself, but to ask you to take a look back and see where your union story begins. Our theme for this year’s Annual Delegates Meeting is “My Union, My Voice, My CSEA.” Maybe for you, it was not listening to a union leader speak. Maybe it was an injustice at your workplace where you felt that if you did
not stand up and fight back, no one would. Maybe it was a safety and health concern
at work that led you to connect with the resources in our union. Maybe an officer or activist in your bargaining unit saw some potential in you and invited you to get involved.
If you have a union story, I encourage you to share it with your co-workers
– especially ones new to the workforce
October 2023
backgrounds do not matter. We all have a place in our union and we all have a responsibility
to use our voices in our union. Being part of our union does not mean you have to be an officer or hold a title. What will keep us strong, though,
is when rank-and-file workers step up in some
way. If you hear a co-worker circulating misinformation, have the courage to speak up and offer a different perspective. If a union officer or labor relations specialist helped you work out an issue with a positive resolution, let your colleagues know. If there is a charitable endeavor CSEA is promoting (like the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics New York), be part of the effort by joining the team or making a donation.
Lots of people like to talk about what they want to change in our union, but I prefer to look back at our history, see what we have done right, and figure out how we can use those existing wins as union building opportunities. We are seeing this play out right now in the labor movement.
Southern Region President, continued on page 16
As you may recall, in Warren County, employees were feeling the squeeze of doing more work with fewer people. Chris Connell drilled down on county
data and isolated a
disturbing trend.
County employees
leaving for better jobs
were increasing while
new hire rates were
stalled. Often, new
hires came onboard, got
trained, then quickly
left for greener pastures
while remaining employees picked up the slack. Connell knew that change needed to come from the county in the form of pay increases to attract and keep workers, thus ensuring services could continue at a level residents deserve and expect. The energy in the boardroom the night we stormed the meeting was raw and palpable. Soon after that, an agreement was reached and now
the group prepares to return the table for a successor agreement with the same passion.
The fights continue. At Capital District Psychiatric Center (CDPC), a brutal trend
of workplace assault reached a tipping point for Zakiya Rhymer, who declared “enough is enough!” Ryhmer set a course for change by identifying the issues that put workers at risk, getting support from CSEA in assembling
a team and boosting communication with
“We all have a place in our union and we all have a responsibility
to use our voices in our union. Being part of our union does not mean you have to be an officer or hold a title. ”
every member of CSEA needs to catch this fever. Management will try
to intervene to stop
the spread by offering members distractions and platitudes. But, we have caught the fever and we are not going to let them pour cold water on us. They may slow us down,
but they cannot stop us!
In this “Hot Strike Summer,” record
numbers of workers are walking off the
job and rediscovering the power of their collective voice. We have known all along where our power rests, but we got distracted by the noise.
Worsening working conditions, shifting technologies, the widest margins of corporate profit in 70 years and an economy working well for shareholders, but not so well for working families are fueling the unrest.
Workers are embracing the power of the collective and the strength of unity. Every success in Region 4 stems from the unity and collective voice that leaders modeled. As someone who has worked in some aspect of
Capital Region President, continued on page 16
The Work Force 13
“Being part of a union means your voice is amplified. Needed change is possible and a robust framework exists within CSEA to move your idea from inception to fruition.”