Page 16 - Work Force September 2020

CSEA Western Region
members, supporters
demand racial justice
ROCHESTER — Labor unionists, allies, friends and family joined together to stand up and speak out on racial and economic injustice at a Black Lives Matter rally sponsored by the Rochester Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU).
Speakers at the event included
CBTU Rochester Chapter President Deb Lee, a former longtime CSEA staff member and activist, as well as state Assembly 137th District candidate Desmond Meeks; Tracy Harrison from SEIU 1199; local Pastor James Simmons and state Assemblymember Harry Bronson, who represents the 138th Assembly District.
CSEA Western Region Executive Vice President Tim Finnigan attended the rally along with dozens of working and retired CSEA members.
“In the labor movement, we
have always stood up and spoke
out when we see racial or economic injustice,” Finnigan said. “It’s our history; it’s in our DNA. We are here to affirm racism is not welcomed in our workplaces, our streets or in our country.”
Renee Jackson, a state Department of Health employee and a CSEA Western Region 1st Vice President, also attended the event.
“CSEA has a legacy of fighting for racial and economic equality for
CSEA Western Region Executive Vice President Tim Finnigan attends the rally.
CSEA Western Region 1st Vice President Renee Jackson, center, attends the rally.
marginalized communities — and that’s why we [were there],” Jackson said after the rally. “We cannot continue the callous disregard for the health and safety of our black and brown brothers and sisters.
It’s time for our lawmakers to
enact meaningful change — we are demanding it for ourselves and for those who feel they are voiceless.”
— Ove Overmyer
DOT local president joins fight for justice
VALLEY STREAM — CSEA Department of Transportation (Babylon) Local President Richard Allen was one of the thousands
of people who attended a rally in support of a Black woman who says that she has been racially harassed by her neighbor since she moved into her Valley Stream home four years ago.
After the woman, a single parent to a young child, posted a sign
on her front door detailing her experiences and fear for her safety,
the sign and her story went viral on social media and made national headlines.
Since the rally, Black men have volunteered to take overnight shifts to guard the woman’s home.
Allen felt compelled to attend the rally because, “She is a mother who has a young child and should be able to live in peace without
the fear of being hurt or harassed,” he said.
— Wendi Bowie
CSEA State Department of Transportation (Babylon) Local President Richard Allen, right, and his fiancée Rita Sanders, left, attend the rally. (Photo provided by Richard Allen.)
16 The Work Force
September 2020
“In the labor movement, we have always stood up
and spoke out when we see racial or economic injustice.”