“I’m voting no on the constitutional convention because it’s wrong. It’s wrong for the taxpayers of New York, it’s wrong for the unions of New York that have helped build us to what we are and it’s wrong for the working men and women across New York state. Vote NO on November 7.”
— Ken Greenleaf, Hannibal Central School District
“A constitutional convention will leave our pensions vulnerable to special interests groups, which is of particular interests to retirees. We could lose everything we’ve worked our entire lives for if we let a constitutional convention happen. On November 7, I’m going to flip that ballot over and vote ‘no.’ ”
— Millie Lucas, Suffolk Retirees Local President and
CSEA Retiree Executive Commitee Chair
“I’m voting against the constitutional convention because I’m concerned that a convention could be used to weaken workers’ compensation rights and undo our years of advocacy for workplace safety and health.”
— Anthony Savastano, senior maintenance mechanic 3 and CSEA activist,
Westchester County
“Because of the way our legislative body is structured, there is a means to make changes in New York state through amendments. So, there’s no need for a constitutional convention. It’s a waste of taxpayer money.”
— Keishya Coltrain, family child care provider, Suffolk County
“There is no questioning the fact a state constitutional convention will compromise the quality of life for working people in New York state. Public employees worked their whole life to earn a pension, and we could be in real jeopardy of losing our defined benefit [pensions] if this happens.”
— Cleandrew Patterson, adult protective investigator and
Niagara County Local President
“I’m voting against the constitutional convention because I want to protect our environment because we need to have it for our children in the future.”
— Annette Hightower, janitor, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
“I am voting against the constitutional convention because it’s too much of a risk to the pension system. As a mother of a child with a severe disability, how am I going to be able to take care of my child if I can’t count on the pension that I’ve worked hard to earn?”
— Monique Heath, pharmacy aide, Ossining Correctional Facility
“I’m very concerned about the future of collective bargaining rights if New Yorkers choose to vote for a constitutional convention this fall. It’s possible we could become the next “Right to Work” for less state if we don’t educate our brothers and sisters to the contrary. Everything we have gained with respect to worker rights over the past few decades could be at risk.”
— Stacey Pettigrew, developmental aide II and
West Seneca Developmental Center Local President
“Not only would this be a huge waste of taxpayer
dollars, there is no doubt in my mind working people
would get the short end of the deal if corporate CEOs, big
business and moneyed interests get their way. Most New
Yorkers have nothing to gain and everything to lose.” — Colleen Clifford, bus driver, Clarence Central School District and
Erie County Educational Employees 1st Vice President
“Vote NO. We
need to keep our
pensions, benefits, and
parklands safe.” — Patricia Patrick,
Greenwich Central School
District Unit President
“I’ll be voting NO on the Constitutional
Convention because I fear that it will
affect my pension. I also have two kids in
public schools and don’t want to see any
changes that would negatively impact their
education.” — Tameka Moses, mental health therapy aide, CSEA
local secretary, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center
“I’m voting no on the Constitutional
Convention because there are better
ways to amend it without risking all
the rights and protections workers
have in this state.” — Ken McNeil, mental health therapy aide,
Kingsboro Psychiatric Center
