Westchester County Local President Lionel Turner shows his support for state Sen. Pete Harckham during a labor rally outside the UA Local 21 Plumbers & Steamfitters hall in Peekskill.
WHITE PLAINS — Ask Westchester County Local President Lionel Turner what makes a strong leader, and he’ll explain it’s all about other people.
Turner has made it his mission as a CSEA officer to cultivate new activists in our union, giving members the confidence they need to emerge as strong leaders themselves. In recognition of that work, Turner received the Danny Donohue Leadership Award for Local Government at this year’s virtual Annual Delegates Meeting.
“The role of a leader is to create other leaders,” said Turner. “I enjoy helping people find their voice. We’ve had people come to us, and they were timid and scared of authority, and now they can’t stop talking. That’s what makes me proudest.”
While he’s been a CSEA activist for nearly 20 years, Turner said he’s always been a community activist. He’s served as a district leader on the City of Yonkers Democratic Committee and was involved with District Council 1707 while working at a previous job. Always eager to keep learning, Turner organized a local study group in Yonkers devoted to learning more about politics and current events.
Working as a head custodian in the Yonkers School District, Turner became active in CSEA after organizing fellow custodial workers to fight back after management cut their overtime. He eventually ran for unit president and served in that role until recently stepping up as Westchester County Local president.
Something Turner said has helped him as a CSEA leader is the discipline and focus he’s gained through studying the martial arts. He’s a black belt in kung fu, a practice he said has helped sustain and center him even in the midst of challenging times.
The most recent challenge has been coronavirus. When preparation for the new school year created many questions and challenges, Turner called a socially-distanced meeting of school district unit presidents within the local.
“I know that the superintendents of all these school district talk to each other on a regular basis, so it was time that we do the same,” Turner said.
In late 2018, then Yonkers School District Unit President Lionel Turner and unit 3rd Vice President Yvonne Couto discuss building greater awareness of the valuable services our school bus monitors provide. Couto was one of many district bus monitors safeguarding children unexpected snowfall in November 2018 left hundreds of school buses stranded on city streets.
Not only were CSEA labor relations specialists on hand to answer questions, unit presidents were able to share strategies that helped them address workplace safety and health concerns. The gathering was such a success that Turner hopes to convene the group quarterly.
These efforts are all part of Turner’s goal of cultivating new leaders to keep the local strong.
“If we arm officers with as much information as possible and encourage them to educate and inform the members, we’ll be able to push our union even further along,” said Turner. “We have to have a vision beyond this moment.”
— Jessica Ladlee
