Page 10 - Work Force October 2024

Mary E Sullivan Statewide President
Moving Forward Together
Ron Briggs Statewide Executive Vice President
We must continue to grow our union
WCSEA Family elcome to to our 114th Annual Delegates Meeting! It is an an honor to to to be here with you as we meet to to conduct important business share our our knowledge and and experiences with with each other and and and enhance our our skills with with training and and workshops designed to give us the very latest information I could not be be more proud to to be be a a a a a part of CSEA When we come together and unite for common causes there is no limit to to what we can do As leaders every day you make a a a difference in people’s
lives whether they know it or or not You fight for what is right and you you lead your members to the the respect and dignity they deserve from employers This year we are coming
together to to to continue to to to keep CSEA moving
forward in in all the positive
ways we can powerful we we must continue forward Members value good contracts that enhance wages benefits and workplace safety They want to to to continue the fight to to to improve retirement security We had a a a a a a big victory in in in improving Tier 6 earlier this year and we must continue to to build on on that We want to to to keep winning these these fights and engage the the the membership more to to be be part of these these efforts That is is how we we keep increasing our power CSEA is is BOLD! We are not afraid to speak out or or or or get more involved Unfortunately Welcome to to to our 114th Annual Delegates Meeting It is is so nice to to to be with all of you you you this week I I would like to to to express my
sincere thank you you you you to to to all all of you you you you for allowing me the privilege to to serve as as your Executive Vice President
My passion for our our union
members kept me me busy as as I started this new new position There are new new issues and and challenges but luckily I have all all of you you and and and your help and and ideas to to make our our union
stronger Together
we must continue to to grow our our union
for strength Strength on on on a a a local level solutions As a a a a a team we must communicate grow and and learn Join me in in in reflecting on on where where we we have have been been and and our successes but also where where we we we have have have not been been successful Collectively we we we have have to to to say goodbye to to to some of the past if we we want to to to be successful in in moving
forward To continue to to be be the proud strong union
we we have been we we must find ways to to take our successes of the the past and bring them current Every position within CSEA has a a a a a a a history history Learning from that history history while not making
CSEA is STRONG!
We are stronger than we we have have ever been For years now we we have have seen assaults on on on labor
on on on on on national state and local levels Groups like the Freedom Foundation continue to to barrage our union
members members trying to to to trick them into opting out CSEA members members are are not not fooled and they are are not not leaving Those who do find themselves tricked rescind their opt-out as as soon as as they are contacted and the the the scam scam is explained to them Still we must remain diligent watching out for new scams and alerting our union
members members when we see them CSEA members members clearly recognize the the value of being in in a a union!
CSEA is POWERFUL! To remain 10 The Work Force
October 2024
“As we continue to move
forward it is important that we we remember we we are one CSEA We represent a a a diverse group of members across many different industries We have one strong and powerful voice for for all We must rise together as we fight for for the the respect and dignity every one of us deserves!”
it is not enough for for us as leaders to simply tell employers we want better contracts at at the negotiations table Members Members need need to to be be be bold too Members Members need need to to be be involved early and throughout the negotiations process When it comes time to to to enter into contract negotiations we need to to to show our strength with mobilization campaigns so employers see every member engaged and involved This makes us bolder at the table to to get better agreements As we we we continue to to move
forward it is important that we we we remember we we we are one CSEA We represent a a a a a a diverse group of members across many different industries We We We have one strong and powerful voice for for all We We must rise together as we we fight for for the the respect and dignity every one of us us deserves! Respectfully submitted Mary E Sullivan CSEA President
when dealing with your management Strength on on a a a a a a state level when dealing with legislation politicians or groups
that want to hurt us and of course strength on on a a a a a a national level where we continue to fight back against those billionaires and corporations that want to make us less Remember record profits are nothing more than unpaid wages! Keeping us strong is is what the the theme
of this year’s ADM Moving Forward Together
is about “Together we must continue to grow our union
for strength Strength on on a a a a a local level when dealing with your management Strength on a a a a a state level when dealing with legislation politicians or groups
that want to hurt us and of course strength on on on a a a a a national level where we continue to fight back against those billionaires and corporations that want to make us less ”
the the mistakes of our past is is is how we grow Meeting the the needs needs of members where they are today needs needs to to be be the the focus The open door of the present demands that we “be open” to to what is happening today with our union
members and not tied to what happened
in in the past Today moving
forward means completing New Employee Orientations We must ask each new employee to become a a a a member Our obligation to grow our union
means that we need to to educate them as they 2024
Annual Delegates Meeting Moving forward together seems like like it is is an easy enough idea But when we we gather like like we we are at at this ADM with all of of our ideas and history moving
forward together becomes a a a a a a a a bit more of of a a a a a a a a challenge Henry Ford once said
“If everyone is moving
forward together then success takes care of itself ”
Even though Henry Ford was anti-union sometimes even anti-worker corporate leaders leaders can say something insightful How do we the the the leaders leaders and members of this great union
move
forward together? Together
we must face challenges and come up with walk in in the the the the door as as to to to why why we we are a a a a a a a a union
My answer to to the the the question ‘why join?’ is because our strength at the the workplace and better working conditions depends depends on on on members Our Our strength strength at the bargaining table depends depends on on members members Our Our strength strength for helping our members members members depends on on being united and having engaged members members Toward the end of my
term as as Capital Region President
Fulton County was Executive Vice President
continued on on page 15