Photo used for the cover of the July 2011 Work Force: Fighting back in Local Government: Nassau, Erie County workers fight for jobs. Across the state, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members working in local government are facing job losses and difficult contract negotiations as communities struggle with loss of revenue from a weak economy. This photo is from a We Are Erie County rally in downtown Buffalo to support libraries and county services.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, center, joined Erie County Local and Unit President Joan Bender, far right, Erie County Department of Social Services Section President Kevin Kumor and members of the Erie County Local Next Wave Committee for an anniversary party celebrating the committee's accomplishments during its first year. The section's Next Wave members participated in numerous union and community events, including the CSEA Annual Delegates Meeting, regional conferences and meetings, campaigning for State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, marching in the Buffalo Labor Day parade, appearing in the AFSCME "A Better New York For All" video, hosting a "Union 101" seminar for new members and creating a Next Wave Facebook page and cleaning up of a local park. The Next Wave program is CSEA's initiative to recruit younger activists and respond to the needs of younger members.
Things tend to run smoothly at Monroe Community College thanks to people who often work behind the scenes, including those who work in shipping and receiving. Tom Pollizi, president of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s Monroe Community College Unit and a driver/mover in the college's shipping and receiving department, has been recognized for the seamlessness of his work by the State University of New York. He is recipient of the SUNY Chancellors Award in Classified Service, a statewide award that recognizes employees who demonstrate excellence in activities beyond the scope of their job description.
Mike Lagoda, a Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member and mechanic with the West Seneca Central School District, recently won a bus mechanic regional "road-eo.'' He moves on to the state competition this summer in the Albany area. It's a chance to highlight the skills he uses to keep children safe.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) is donating copies of A Century of Service: The Story of CSEA's First 100 Years to libraries across the state. CSEA's Rochester City Library Unit President Ove Overmyer and Western Region President Flo Tripi present a copy to Rochester Public Library Board President Sharon Orienter. Overall the Rochester City Library System received a dozen copies.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue presents the Local Government Mission Achievement Award to Joanne LeClair, the Herkimer County Unit president at the Spring Workshop. CSEA members from across the state met at the union's annual Spring Workshop to unite, build and mobilize New York's Leading Union. Activists in attendance learned about the fight ahead to protect the Triborough Amendment and to tell the governor no tax breaks for his rich millionaire friends. CSEA awards its annual Mission Achievement Awards at the workshop to activists who exemplify the union's mission.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue presents the State Employee Mission Achievement Award to CSEA activist Bob Bostwick, a janitor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, at the Spring Workshop. CSEA members from across the state met at the union's annual Spring Workshop to unite, build and mobilize New York's Leading Union. Activists in attendance learned about the fight ahead to protect the Triborough Amendment and to tell the governor no tax breaks for his rich millionaire friends. CSEA awards its annual Mission Achievement Awards at the workshop to activists who exemplify the union's mission.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Central Region President Colleen Wheaton, Special Olympics New York CEO Neal Johnson and CSEA President Danny Donohue pose with the Polar Cap Award at CSEA's annual Spring Workshop. The Central Region earned the award for the second straight year by raising the most money for the Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics. CSEA members from across the state met at the union's annual Spring Workshop to unite, build and mobilize New York's Leading Union. Activists in attendance learned about the fight ahead to protect the Triborough Amendment and to tell the governor no tax breaks for his rich millionaire friends. In addition to the plenary and mobilization sessions, workshops focused on state government negotiations, on CSEA's "Don't Zone Out" campaign, Working People's History, the CSEA Next Wave movement, and "Uniting for Today, Building for Tomorrow."
Teaching associates in the Niagara Falls School District took to the street to protest job cuts and stalled contract talks with management. At issue is the loss of 33 jobs, as well as health insurance proposals by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) that would level the playing field and create fair and equitable health insurance costs for unit members. Alida Barreto, a special education associate, leads co-workers during a demonstration against budget cuts.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) and other union members take part in a Western New York Area Labor Federation We Are One rally in Buffalo. This was part of a day of action to show support for public employees in Wisconsin and elsewhere across the country on April 4, culminating in hundreds of We Are One rallies, emphasizing workers' rights and the growing gulf between the super rich and everyone else.