Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Mike Guynup, left, poses with Capital Region Membership Committee Chair Patty Kaufman after being announced the winner of the "Biggest Loser" competition.
Michael Flaherty of the Western Region Buffalo-Niagara Frontier Retirees Local is the PEOPLE Retiree Recruiter of the Year. He recruited 66 new PEOPLE members. From left, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) PEOPLE Coordinator Cheryl Palmer, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Michael Flaherty and CSEA PEOPLE Committee Chair Rutha Bush.
Gloria Smith of the Central Region SUNY Syracuse Local is the PEOPLE Recruiter of the Year. She recruited 101 new PEOPLE members at the MVP level. From left, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Gloria Smith, Central Region President Colleen Wheaton and CSEA President Danny Donohue.
Western Region delegate Bob Pyjas speaks out on the convention floor during the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting.
From left, SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Local (Downstate Medical Center) delegates President Althea Green, Mary Harmon, Maurie Dunaway and Juanita Nottingham listen to a workshop presentation during the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting.
Bronx Psychiatric Center Local President Abraham Benjamin and Port Washington School District Custodial, Transportation and Maintenance Unit President Richard Acevedo speak out at a workshop during the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting geared towards helping CSEA workers develop skills to fight on-going attacks on the middle class.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers pose with National Labor Relations Board Chairman Mark G. Pearce. Back row, from left, Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullien, Central Region President Colleen Wheaton, Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Metropolitan Region President Lester Crockett, Pearce and Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan. In front row is Western Region President Flo Tripi.
AFSCME International President Lee Saunders, left, and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue show union solidarity at CSEA's 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting.
The Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan addresses delegates at CSEA's 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting concerning workers rights and on-going attacks against the middle class.
Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley addresses delegates at the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting urging CSEA members to "stand up for your rights" and fight back against the on-going attacks on the middle class.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue addresses delegates at CSEA's 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting urging CSEA members to "stand up for your rights" to curb attacks against the middle class.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members take part in a Nursing Home Summit. The summits are intended to coordinate the union's strategies in the fight to save public nursing homes across the state.
Activists from the SUNY at Binghamton traveled to Manhattan's Bryant Park to deliver donated blankets and coats to members of the SUNY Stony Brook and Nassau County locals who were affected by Sandy. From left, SUNY Stony Brook Local President Carlos Speight, SUNY at Binghamton Local Vice President Barbara Knighton, SUNY Stony Brook Local Treasurer Louise Melious, SUNY at Binghamton Local President David Lee, SUNY Stony Brook Local Vice President Marty Honeychuck, and Nassau County Local Activist Kelvin Lewis.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Central Region activists Joe Palmisano, left, and David Lee staff a phone bank for New York State Assembly candidate Al Stirpe, who won his election.
From left, Maryann Arroyo of Malverne, Long Island child care providers Lisa Price of Hempstead and Sandra Smith,and Getty Njoku of Uniondale hand-delivered more than 1,300 letters to the Nassau County Department of Social Services commissioner to protest budget proposals that would diminish access to child care subsidies for many families in Nassau County.
State Education Department Local member and political action volunteer Pat Whalen, "We need candidates like Bill Owens, who looks out for working people and is going to make sure [working families] can put food on the table, make a decent living, send their kids to college. Nationally, if we fail to re-elect President Barack Obama and we elect Mitt Romney, I don't know what kind of a future is going to be possible for working people to have."
State Dormitory Authority Local Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Ira Bethea, "It's really important that we have candidates who are on our side because there is a lot at stake in these elections. Public services have been attacked by corporations and by other politicians unfairly. Millions of dollars have been put into these elections to blame working families for the fact that the economy is slow when in fact, that really hasn't the case."
Long Island Developmental Center Local President Rutha Bush, who is also chair of the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) PEOPLE program (CSEA and AFSCME's political action program) accompanies a quote: "CSEA has great strength in its numbers. When we are united, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.
Activists Michele Martin, Diane Burton, Dan Meenan and Don Page are part of the teams of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) activists who recently went door-to-door visiting labor households in the Syracuse area to get out the vote for union-endorsed candidates, including Dan Maffei for Congress and Al Stirpe Jr. for state Assembly.
U.S. Rep Steve Israel of Long Island addresses delegates to the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) 102nd Annual Delegates Meeting. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair urged CSEA members to get everyone they know to vote for candidates who will support working people in the upcoming election.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Western Region activists, including Western Region Political Action Committee Chair Tim Finnigan, far left, Finger Lakes DDSO Local President Kathy Button, second from left, and Cattaraugus County Unit activist Sheri Ambuske, second from right, meet with State Senator Catharine Young, center, on AFSCME Lobby Day, 2012 concerning the Tier 6 proposal.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members and retirees from the Southern Tier, pictured with Southern Region Political Action Coordinator Chris Ludlow, lobby State Senator John Bonacic on Tier 6. Binghamton Retiree Local Secretary Jean Alverson, Binghamton Retiree Treasurer Cheryl Nolf (both are partially hidden in photo), Delaware County Local President Ken Nydam and Binghamton Retiree Local activist Richard Terpak.
Central New York DDSO Local activist Kathy Kelly, Syracuse State Employees Local President King Davis and Central New York DDSO Local activist Peter Jacobs meet with Assemblyman Samuel Roberts, far right, during AFSCME Lobby Day, 2012 concerning the Tier 6 proposal.
Kumiko Asao, far right, assistant director of the Compensation Division of the National Personnel Authority in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, listens as the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Director of Contract Administration Ross Hanna, far left, explains how public sector labor relations works in New York. From left are Hanna, CSEA Director of Research Don Kelly, CSEA Legislative and Political Action Representative Joshua Terry, CSEA Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan and Asao.
CSEA activists, including Retiree Division activist Dorothy Dutton left, join other CSEA members and Public Employee Federation (PEF) members at a rally at the State Capitol recently to let the governor and state legislators know that their political deal for Tier 6 will not be forgotten.
Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) union members, including Capital Region President Kathy Garrison, second from right, and State Educational Local President Sally Bywater, third from right, participate in a protest in Albany, NY outside a forum where corporate think tank head E.J. McMahon spoke. McMahon, who heads the Empire Center for New York State Policy, has advocated for pushing back public service working families' wages, benefits and pensions.
Nancy Hoffman, hired as the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s general counsel in 1988, retired in December 2011. Hoffman became the driving force in the legal department's development, leading it from a handful of lawyers, limited resources and no history of accomplishment to one of the most respected and effective operations in organized labor. In this photograph, Nancy Hoffman works at her desk in CSEA Headquarters.
Brian Hassett, center, from the United Way of the Greater Capital Region, accepts a donation of $8,000 from Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen, right, and CSEA Capital Region 1st Vice President Mike Gifford on behalf of CSEA for flood relief in Schenectady and Schoharie counties.
Dozens of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members from the Southern Region, including Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, front row, left, joined CSEA members from across the state in for the One Nation Working Together march in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko addresses Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) federal Political Action Liaisons (PALs) about the importance of staying on top of elected officials in Washington.
New Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members Jim Rogers and Michelle Johnson of the College Association Inc. of SUNY Canton Local tally the votes ratifying their first contract.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) delegates join thousands of others for a rally on the historic Boston Common in support of Massachusetts AFSCME members who are facing severe cuts in support to state and local services throughout the state. From left are Fred Gerloff, Linda Steifel, Jeff Colburn, Tammy Witteman, Shane Barber and David Lee.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue addressed the AFSCME convention on the need for moving forward in solidarity to better represent the needs of working people. Donohue is joined from left by Long Island President Nick LaMorte, CSEA Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan, Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, CSEA Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen and Capital Region President Kathy Garrison (partially obscured), and Central Region President Colleen Wheaton.
Retiring AFSCME International Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy received a warm farewell from delegates attending the 39th International Convention in Boston, MA. Lucy, seated, surrounded by Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) delegates, has served in the post since 1972. He has been a leading voice for worker rights and social justice throughout the world.
?An enthusiastic group of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) delegates make their point during proceedings at AFSCME's 39th international Convention in Boston, MA. CSEA voices were among those heard loud and clear over the need for a more effective and responsive AFSCME.
State Liquidation Bureau Local President Scott Lowman, seated, makes a point during a workshop as Statewide Occupational Safety and Health Committee member Anthony DeCaro stands by at the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Statewide Conference on Occupational Safety and Health in Lake Placid, NY.
From left, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy, then-Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Bill McGowan, and then-Long Island Region President Danny Donohue in the 1970s.
Kevin Kumor of the Erie County Unit, left, John Stading of the Erie Educational Local and Assemblyman Mark Schroeder meet outside the New York Assembly's chambers during the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)/AFSCME Lobby Day 2010.
Brooklyn DDSO Local President Adriane Hudson studies the union's positions on important issues at the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)/AFSCME Lobby Day 2010.
Delores Huerta, a co-founder of the United Farm Workers, speaks at a rally in Albany, NY urging state legislators to support justice for farm workers and pass the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.
Sonya Emery, left, and her husband Rich, are two of the nearly 500 Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Western Region members who pledged last month (April 2013) to fight for middle class jobs for all.
Central Region President Colleen Wheaton makes a point to Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members during the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities' (OPWDD) roadshow regarding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's state budget.
Western Region President Flo Tripi makes a point to Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members during the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities' (OPWDD) roadshow regarding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's state budget.
Metropolitan Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) Local President and Direct Support Assistant Evans Quarmina speaking about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's state budget.
The Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley speaking to members of CSEA that work in the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's state budget.
New York State Canal Authority workers are dwarfed by an immense flood gate structure as they lower flood gates at Erie Canal Lock 8 in Rotterdam in 2012. Canal workers were critical in clearing debris and repairing locks and infrastructure following devastating storms in 2012. Now, thanks to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's politically motivated layoffs, there will be fewer workers for this type of work.
From left, Clarence Central School District bus drivers Patty Reitz, Linda Helmbrecht, Debbie Hoffman, Diana Cooper and Williamsville bus driver Debbie Morley promote the importantance of the service they provide to the community during the annual Polar Plunge in Rochester. The five plunged into icy Lake Ontario along with other Western Region Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members in support of the Special Olympics.
From left, Civil Service Employee Association's (CSEA) PEOPLE Coordinator Cheryl Palmer, Western Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Maria Johnson, CSEA Statewide and Long Island Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Rutha Bush, CSEA President Danny Donohue, Metropolitan Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Marie Rogers and Southern Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Reuben Simmons at the AFSCME Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
The Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Statewide and Long Island Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Rutha Bush, far left, discusses the PEOPLE program with Southern Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Reuben Simmons, Western Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Maria Johnson and Metropolitan Region PEOPLE Committee Chair Marie Rogers during the AFSCME Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
North Colonie Central School District custodians Scott Vertefeuille, left, and Mike Hebert stand before an Automated Electronic Defibrillator (AED) device which they recently used to save the life of a man who had a heart attack while playing basketball.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Activist Monica Streets asks a question during the meeting at Hudson Valley Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) concerning New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's plans for the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
Hudson Valley Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) Local President Basil Townsend hands out member contact information cards to Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Gwendolyn Vassel.
The Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley and Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo answer questions from Hudson Valley Developmental Disabilites Services Office (DDSO) members concerning New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's plans for Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
Orange County Unit Secretary Linda Jansen, center, discusses her concern over state aid cuts with Assemblyman James Skoufis. Jansen is accompanied by actvists from the Newburgh School District Unit.
From left, the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Central Region members Lynne Durant, Diane Billings, and Fred Gerloff lobby Assembly member Addie Russell over issues affecting their region during the 2013 AFSCME Lobby Day.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, right, and AFSCME International President Lee Saunders, left, during the 2013 AFSCME Lobby Day.
The Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan speaks during a news conference calling for a reality check on New York state's mental health policies. From left, Public Employees Federation President Susan Kent, Sullivan, CSEA Statewide Treasurer Joseph McMullen, and CSEA Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) Local President and Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Statewide Labor Management Chair Kathy Button speaking on how state policies are hurting the quality of care at OPWDD.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Veronica Robinson, a Direct Support Assistant at the Snow Hill IRA in Syracuse helps Gerry, one of the residents at her group home, put together a puzzle.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Capital District Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) Local President Bill Loya at a function concerning CSEA members' need to fight to protect decent paying, middle-class jobs.
Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Commissioner Courtney Burke speaks with members of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) OMH/OPWDD Advisory Committee at a meeting in Albany about improving employee morale while the agency proceeds to move work to private agencies and undermine the future for CSEA members and the communities in which they work.
Schecnectady County Highway workers Len Demers, Ralph Angerami, Tim Deffer, John Roth, Joe Sangiovanni, Chris Smith and Mike France prepare to deliver the gifts to the family.
Rochester State Employees Local activist Kim Whitlock was honored for her attendance and service as a delegate to the Rochester Labor Council at a labor dinner
Union supporters at a solidarity rally for workers' rights at the New York state Capitol building in Albany used to illustrate pull out quotes from a book by Bill Fletcher Jr. titled "They're bankrupting us!" And 20 Other Myths About Unions.
Union supporters at a solidarity rally for workers' rights at the New York state Capitol building in Albany used to illustrate pull out quotes from a book by Bill Fletcher Jr. titled "They're bankrupting us!" And 20 Other Myths About Unions.
The Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan speaking to a crowd at a solidarity rally for workers' rights at the New York state Capitol building in Albany used to illustrate pull out quotes from a book by Bill Fletcher Jr. titled "They're bankrupting us!" And 20 Other Myths About Unions.
Bill Fletcher Jr., a long-time activist, labor organizer and educator has worked with Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) on several projects over the past 15 years and was the keynote speaker at CSEA's Centennial Annual Delegates Meeting in 2010. He has recently released a book titled ''They're bankrupting us!'' And 20 Other Myths About Unions dispelling many myths and misconceptions associated with labor unions.
AFSCME Wisconsin Council 40 President Jim Garity speaks at the Civil Service Employees Association's (CSEA) Annual Delegates Meeting about leading the fight for collective bargaining rights in his state.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s Outgoing Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio gets a standing ovation from delegates during the 2011 Annual Delegates Meeting. Boncoraglio retired in 2011 after 40 years in the labor movement.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio, shown in this 1971 photo when he first began working at the South Beach Psychiatric Center, retired after 40 years in the labor movement. A hands-on leader since his days as a mental health therapy aide at South Beach Psychiatric Center, Boncoraglio was always known and feared by management. While the topic of race played a very sensitive and often tense role during his early years as region president, Boncoraglio's fairness and insistence on coalition building helped the region become very important in terms of influence within the union.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio, shown in photo at a demonstration in Manhattan, retired after 40 years in the labor movement. A hands-on leader since his days as a mental health therapy aide at South Beach Psychiatric Center, Boncoraglio was always known and feared by management. While the topic of race played a very sensitive and often tense role during his early years as region president, Boncoraglio's fairness and insistence on coalition building helped the region become very important in terms of influence within the union.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. CSEA Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen urges delegates to lend support to those who were affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. Levittown School District Unit activist Lisa Vanderburg was presented at the Annual Delegates Meeting with the 2011 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA)/CSEA Excelsior Award. From left are Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Vanderburg, Nassau Educational Local President Monica Berkowitz and Levittown School District Unit President Roger Degroff.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. Delegates attended a massive march on Wall Street, joining the Occupy Wall Street movement. From left are Broome Developmental Center delegates Adam Lichtman, Thomas Reed and Patrick McHugh and Metropolitan Region delegate Eddie Schubert.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. Jim Garity, president of AFSCME Wisconsin Council 40, addresses CSEA delegates.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. CSEA Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley speaks to delegates about the nation's economic disparity and the need for fairer wage treatment of workers.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli presents outgoing Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio with a proclamation honoring Boncoraglio's union service. From left are CSEA President Danny Donohue, DiNapoli, Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, Boncoraglio, Western Region President Flo Tripi, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. CSEA Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan addresses the delegates, telling them solidarity in the labor movement is more important than ever.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. CSEA President Danny Donohue opens the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting General Business Session and urges delegates to support the Occupy Wall Street demonstration.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. Metropolitan Region delegates Yvonne Thomas and David Augustin, both Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC) Local activists, take notes during a workshop.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. From left, outgoing Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio, Central Region President Colleen Wheaton, CSEA Political Action Committee Chair Bill Walsh, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, state Law Department (Albany) Local President Patty Kaufman, Western Region President Flo Tripi and state Law Department (New York City) activist James Staley pose for a photo.
Hundreds of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) officers and activists renewed the union's commitment to lifting all working people, on and off the job, at the 101st Annual Delegates Meeting held in New York City. CSEA Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen, Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo and Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, center, rally along with other CSEA officers and delegates at New York City Hall to support District Council 37 members who have been targeted for layoffs.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members honored workers on Labor Day through parades, picnics and other events across the state. In New York City, CSEA also paid a special tribute to all of those lost on September 11, 2001, as the city's Labor Parade coincided with the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attacks. CSEA President Danny Donohue and Western Region President Flo Tripi attend a news conference before the Rochester Labor Day Parade.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members honored workers on Labor Day through parades, picnics and other events across the state. In New York City, CSEA also paid a special tribute to all of those lost on September 11, 2001, as the city's Labor Parade coincided with the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attacks. CSEA members prepare to march along the parade route in New York City.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members honored workers on Labor Day through parades, picnics and other events across the state. In New York City, CSEA also paid a special tribute to all of those lost on September 11, 2001, as the city's Labor Parade coincided with the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Dutchess County Local members make themselves heard at the New York City Labor Parade.