ALBANY – CSEA’s president says Congress’ failure to include unrestricted aid for the state and local governments in the latest round of federal stimulus funding amounts to an attack on the quality of life for all New York.
With the state as the epicenter of where the COVID-19 virus has hit hardest, the resulting economic crisis will lead to massive cuts to essential public services that CSEA members deliver if Congress does not provide needed relief.
“New Yorkers rely on our state and local governments to provide the services that improve our quality of life, from our roads and our parks, to our emergency services, to making sure we have clean water and healthy restaurants. Our public service workers are the essential workers who have kept our state running and safe during this crisis,” said CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan. “Congress’ failure to make up for the losses we’ve suffered as the epicenter of this pandemic means that all these services and more are at risk. New Yorkers deserve better and so do our essential workers.”
“Supporting our small businesses is important, but there’s no way they can operate effectively without the public services that make New York a great place to work and live. It’s time for all of us to take a stand and demand better from our federal government,” she added.
President Sullivan to union members: We need to take a stand
Our union is asking members to contact their federal representatives to demand they deliver the necessary unrestricted aid to preserve all the essential public services we provide and that New Yorkers rely on. The union has established a campaign page at: https://cseany.org/take-action-send-a-letter that allows members to send emails directly to members of congress.
“All CSEA members should take action now before it’s too late,” Sullivan said. “We need to fight for the services we provide that improve the quality of life for people in our communities.”
