Introducing Western Region President Kathy Button

Kathy Button Biography

Kathy Button

WNY — Western Region President Kathy Button is a long-time CSEA activist, who started her public service career in 1969 employed by the Livingston County Nursing Home. One year later, Kathy became a CSEA member when she began working for New York State as a Ward Aide at Craig Developmental Center in Sonyea, NY.

After the July 2018 passing of longtime CSEA member and influential labor leader Florence Tripi, Kathy Button was appointed CSEA Western Region President by Statewide President Danny Donohue.

Kathy Button was born and raised in Dansville, NY and still calls the eastern Livingston County community home. She graduated from Dansville High School in 1967 and throughout her early working career she enrolled in night school labor education classes at Cornell University and studied at a local college while also raising a family.

Kathy Button began representing the interests of working people after being elected as an officer to CSEA Local 405 in the early 1980’s. She was first elected as a Western Region Vice President in 1992 and then became the Executive Vice President of Western Region in 2000.

Over the past few decades, Kathy Button has been tapped to serve on several statewide and regional committees because of her undying work ethic and matter-of-fact communication skills. Colleagues would tell you Kathy has an unparalleled historical understanding of mental health and treatment services in New York State and has administered to the negotiation of several state collective bargaining agreements.

Arguably, Kathy Button’s body of work and depth of institutional knowledge when it comes to the overall delivery of public services and to the organizational management of CSEA union business are second to none.

Kathy considers faith, family and her union role her top priorities in life. She has two sisters, one brother, two sons, has four grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Her father passed away in 2008 and her mother will be 90 years old in September of 2018.

In her spare time, Kathy enjoys travel and vacation time with family, touring old churches, the beach life and reading bestseller mystery novels.