CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan addresses the delegates.
CSEA members are rising to meet the challenges that face New York amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
That theme is apropos to the union’s historic 110th Annual Delegates Meeting (ADM), the first-ever held virtually due to the state’s social distancing regulations that restrict large, in-person gatherings.
When the pandemic started affecting New York in March, CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan directed the cancellation of in-person meetings, as well as events that can’t be done in a socially distanced manner.
However, Sullivan and other CSEA leaders were adamant that CSEA business would continue in a manner that kept delegates, union leaders and staff safe and in compliance with state guidelines.
“I chose our theme of “Rising to Meet the Challenges” for this year’s Annual Delegates Meeting because it is what we’ve all been doing, all the time, in what has been a most challenging year for everyone,” Sullivan said. “We have all been rising — together — to meet the significant challenges we’ve faced, and I am proud of the job we’ve done and continue to do. It hasn’t been easy, and we’ve had to endure so much difficulty, loss and struggle along the way, but we’re doing our collective best to get through this unprecedented situation.”
Originally scheduled to be held in New York City, the ADM was instead moved to a virtual format.
Union leaders and staff from many different departments, including Education & Training, Information Technology, Political Action, Central Files and Communications, worked tirelessly for weeks to pull together the meeting under the new format.
During the meeting’s first two days, hundreds of delegates attended programs that were presented over the Zoom platform. Delegates discussed issues they face in their own industries; discussed the importance of getting out the vote and participated in forums that addressed how the union is adjusting to the pandemic; how CSEA is working to end racial injustice and how union members are facing injustices in the LGBTQ+ community.
During the union’s General Business Session, delegates conducted union business, heard from statewide officers, as well as from AFSCME International President Lee Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and State Sen. Minority Leader Rob Ortt. Delegates also paid tribute to members lost to COVID-19 (see page 3), as well as members who provided essential services.
CSEA Communications Director Mark Kotzin, foreground, and Member Engagement Director Adam Acquario, background, worked behind the scenes to keep the production moving along.
For the live broadcast of the General Business Session, CSEA worked with Freeman Productions, a company known for its world-class technological production for large virtual events. The production crew, CSEA staff and Sullivan were based at an Albany-area venue large enough to promote social distancing, while delegates watched the meeting from their home devices or in small groups.
“We have learned how to operate remotely and rely upon technology to function in this new world of being distanced,” Sullivan said. “It’s hard for us, because we are all so used to coming together and interacting in person. But we rose to that challenge. We put safety of our fellow union sisters and brothers first, and we learned new ways of doing business, while still taking care of ourselves and each other.”
— Janice Gavin and Jill Asencio (photos by Jill Asencio)
