Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson highway workers clear a village street.
As Winter Storm Stella furiously hit most of the state, CSEA members were still on the job providing vital services.
The storm dumped more than two feet of snow across most of the state, leading to blizzard conditions and record-breaking snowfall in many areas.
While many New Yorkers were home safe and warm, our members employed by the state Department of Transportation, county and municipal highway and public works departments and numerous health, human services, emergency services and corrections agencies were on the job providing vital services.
In the days before the storm, our state Department of Transportation and county and municipal highway and public works members prepared for the snowfall by pre-treating roads, and ensuring adequate supplies of items such as salt solution, highway vehicles and sandbags were ready for action.
As the storm hit, our members worked tirelessly at clearing the blinding snow and treating the roads, clearing the way for emergency vehicles and other CSEA members to get to the jobs that provide essential services for all of New York.
CSEA members from the City of Newburgh’s Department of Public Works and Water Department had the tough task of clearing the tremendous snowfall with minimal staffing, due to previous years’ budget cuts. Here, a Water Department worker uses a backhoe to pile snow in the median of lower Broadway, the city’s main thoroughfare.
In the days following the storm, our members were still working hard at getting things back to normal, including clearing roads and sidewalks.
“While we can’t control the weather, we can do all we can to support the state Department of Transportation and local government workers whose efforts before, during and after the storm not only quickly got our roads back to normal, but helped keep our communities safe,” CSEA President Danny Donohue said. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of ALL the services that our members provide during storms like this. They literally go into the eye of the storm to keep their neighbors safe. Please join me in thanking our members who sacrifice time with their families to go out into extreme weather to serve all of us.”
