Welcome to 2019, Sisters and Brothers! We’re starting this year stronger and eager to continue to fight to protect the rights of working people.
Well, my friends, anti-union groups failed to get rid of us in 2018 and they will keep right on failing in 2019. In fact, much of what they have been doing — harassing members where they live and work with emails and face-to-face confrontations — has only served to reinforce how important CSEA membership is!
Even just recently in December, when anti-union lackeys tried to spread “Christmas cheer” in the Empire State
Plaza dressed as elves and Santa, they were met by our members spreading Christmas jeers at their pathetic attempts to steal our rights. We know these union busters will continue to pop up throughout the state, and we’re equally confident their efforts will be shut down everywhere else in New York as they were here in Albany.
Despite anti-union groups’ attempts to pick off our members, union members have been energized and CSEA has been no exception to that. I have complete faith that that trend will continue right on through 2019 and well beyond it too. None of us are fooled by the lure of a few dollars now in exchange for all our rights later.
Our reality, whether they like it or not, is that we aren’t defined by anti-labor groups out there. We continue to do all the things we need to do to be the strongest union we possibly can be. CSEA held its Statewide Conference on Occupational Safety and Health, Annual Delegates Meeting, and a number of successful region conferences throughout last year that were very well attended because CSEA leaders and members are motivated to strengthen our union.
As 2019 gets into gear, there’s no doubt we can look forward to more fun from the anti-labor forces out there. I know we’ll meet them with a new and inspired energy, and we’ll continue to repel their efforts to lure our members away by showing them every one of us will stay union and stay strong. We’ll continue to do the things that make CSEA great, like hosting our 2019 Women’s Conference in Tarrytown in April, and our Annual
Delegates Meeting in Verona in October. We’ll represent, negotiate, defend, and we will succeed in protecting our hard-won rights just as we have done for more than 108 years because we’re all sticking together, and we’ll continue to make that abundantly clear to everyone.
Welcome to 2019! I wish you all a prosperous year, and I look forward to helping us all make it another great one in the world of labor.
