VERONA — New, emerging and seasoned activists throughout the Capital Region recently came together for the region’s recent Spring Conference.
The weekend kicked off with meetings for state division members, with a discussion of ongoing contract negotiations, while local government, school district and private sector attendees shared updates on issues impacting those sectors.
Later that night, attendees came together for a “Connect and Commit Game Night” hosted by the various region committees. Each committee had a table with games that were both fun and educational.
The event kicked off with a talk by Adam Acquario, a former CSEA staffer who is now assistant comptroller/director of labor affairs for New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Acquario shared a personal message from the comptroller and reiterated DiNapoli’s commitment to safe and responsible stewardship of the pension fund.
During his presentation, “Presence to Power,” Acquario spoke to a theme running through the weekend’s programming — building power. He spoke to the benefit of “showing up” as one of the easiest and simplest ways to build power.
Day two of the conference started with an Executive Board meeting where attendees were updated on region happenings, upcoming events and the work of region committees.
From there, the group participated in an interactive session from Arthur Butler, executive director of the Schenectady Human Rights Commission. Butler challenged participants to examine and understand differences among and between members so that leaders can cultivate a more supportive and inclusive union that, in turn, strengthens unity.
Afternoon sessions focused on giving tools to activists to help them with strategic planning, advocacy and relationship building. There was a session on Resolutions and Constitutional Amendments and another on Maximizing Safety Outcomes.
The closing program focused on political participation and a discussion on Tier 6 reforms so attendees could understand the history of tier changes, recent legislative improvements to Tier 5 and Tier 6, as well as CSEA’s current goals for Tier 6 reform in the current legislative session.
“The CSEA Capital Region 4 Spring Conference was marked by a notable level of commitment from attendees, who showed up consistently and engaged fully throughout,” said CSEA Capital Region President Shana Davis. “The conversations and participation were candid and honest yet remained constructive and solution oriented. Participants ultimately walked away with a strengthened sense of connection, unity, and shared purpose.”
— Therese Assalian
