PATTERSON — Like many brothers and sisters in other unions, our Town of Patterson Unit members have weathered good times and bad.
Sticking together — and sticking with our union — is just common sense for our members in this Putnam County town, who maintain 100 percent membership and have for many years. While they’ve worked to build a good relationship with the current town supervisor, they don’t take for granted that one election can swing a worker-friendly town board to an anti-union majority.
That’s one of many reasons why our Town of Patterson Unit members are sticking with our union. “We weren’t caught off guard when the Janus case came up because we knew there would be another attempt at using the courts to weaken workers’ rights,” said Unit President Gene Brandon.
“Our labor relations specialist, Vinny Castaldo, has made sure everyone knows these court cases have nothing to do with helping us as workers, no matter what the plaintiffs say. We had a meeting to talk about Janus and were ready when the decision came down.” With a group 17 strong between the town’s highway and sanitation departments, workers have had their own one-on-one conversations talking about why it’s better to be union.
‘“One of the biggest things is that we know non-union workers tend to make less and are more at the whim of the employer from year to year,” said unit activist Phil Capalbo. “When you’re union, management has to be more accountable. We have a contract backing us up and a voice on the job.” Workers here saw the power of strong unions and solidarity when, several years back, management floated a proposal to privatize sanitation pickup. CSEA members, teaming up with our union staff and community allies, spent nights and weekends knocking on residents’ doors.
When the time came for a public hearing, the room was jammed with about 150 supporters speaking in support of the five sanitation workers and the services they provide. Town leaders shelved the privatization plan.
Other perks of being union include the vast workplace safety resources offered through CSEA. Capalbo said he has brought back new information from our Occupational Safety and Health Conference, held every other year, which have benefited workers and management alike.
“We weld continuously on the job, and we learned at the OSH conference about hazards from the fumes given off by welding,” he said. “Those resources, which help keep us safe at work, show us the value in sticking with our union.”
— Jessica Ladlee
