Morrea Foote celebrates her retirement from the New York State Teachers' Retirement System in Albany after 60 years of service. For the past 40 years, Foote has been a switchboard operator and receptionist at the teachers' retirement system. Foote, who is retiring to spend more time with her family, was honored by her co-workers with a day dedicated to her, a poster and a tribute by the retirement system board.
Central Region President Colleen Wheaton, front, and Central Region Judiciary Local activist Stephanie Beck haul away debris from the home of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Carol Pfleghardt. Also helping in the flood cleanup were Tammy Witteman, Tom Witteman, Andy Witteman, Phil Graham, Amy Graham, Sarah Graham, George Lawson, Sandi Badger, Janice Danaher and Mark Kotzin.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen, right, presents a $1,000 donation on CSEA's behalf to Ken Wiggins, President, and Tim McGraw, 1st Vice President, of the United Way of Delaware & Otsego Counties from CSEA's disaster relief fund to help with flood relief efforts. McMullen also presented a $1,000 donation on CSEA's behalf to the Tioga United Way for flood relief.
AFSCME Council 95 members show their union pride. AFSCME workers in Puerto Rico had collective bargaining rights ripped away (in 2009) by a reactionary governor similar to what workers in Wisconsin and Ohio faced. The Council 95 members were able to get the laws overturned.
Westchester County Local President John Staino, right, speaks with a News 1 Westchester reporter about the program cuts that threaten quality care at Westchester Medical Center.
Orange County Unit activists and supporters participate in an impromptu Nov. 12 vigil outside the home of Orange County Legislator Michael Amo who suggested the legislature conduct a "do-over" vote to cut off aid to the county-run Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation. Nearly 100 CSEA members and supporters participated in the vigil including, from left, 19th District congressional candidate Dr. Richard Becker; Orange County Unit member Margie Schloemer; Orange County Unit 2nd Vice President Vanessa Bisone; Pearl Oliphant (second from right) wife of Orange County Unit President Bill Oliphant, far right.
Paul Hybicki, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Maryvale Schools Unit president, found an affordable replacement to dimmable light ballasts that burned out quickly by using ballasts with a five-year guarantee and a distributor who accepted burned-out ballasts for new ones. They were installed by CSEA members and all this came at no cost to the district.
From left, SUNY Stony Brook Local 614 members Kenneth Taylor, Dave Hendrickson and Victor Perez who played an important roll in renovating the hospital's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Center and saving the state a significant amount of money.
From left, SUNY Stony Brook Local 614 members Christopher Knowd, Stephen Stoebe, Brian Purick and Local 614 President Carlos Speight who played an important role in renovating the hospital's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Center and saving the state a significant amount of money.
From left, SUNY Stony Brook Local 614 members John Garofalo, Matthew Shoen, Ray Santiago and Bob Healey who played an important role in renovating the hospital's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Center and saved the state a significant amount of money.
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.
Illustration by Graphic Artist Ralph Distin titled "The People Have Spoken" depicts Ohio voters on election day and their sound defeat of Senate Bill 5 which would have withdrawn collective bargaining rights for Ohio's state public employees.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Chrs Chimera stands in support of libraries and county services during a "We Are Erie County" rally in downtown Buffalo earlier this year.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) activists and officers, including Veterans Committee Chair Maryann Phelps, Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Metropolitan Region President Lester Crockett, and recently retired Shenendehowa School District Unit activist Gary Lanahan, a disabled war veteran, take part in the New York City Veteran's Day Parade. This marked the first time CSEA had a contingent in the parade.
Voters elect Mark Poloncarz as the new county executive in Erie County. The victory marks the end of the reign of Chris Collins, an out-of-touch politician who became known as "King Collins" for his my-way-or-the-highway style.
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.
Statewide PEOPLE Committee Chair and Long Island Developmental Center Local President Rutha Bush displays the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) PEOPLE cup that was presented to the Long Island Region at the 2011 Annual Delegates Meeting. The cup honors the region that recruits the most new PEOPLE members during the year.
Town of Hempstead Local member A.J. Smith discusses the PEOPLE program with another Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member. Smith was the PEOPLE recruiter of the month for September 2011.
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.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio, shown in this 2011 photo, 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.
Many Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state had their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The story of how the storm had an impact upon Amy Potter, a senior account clerk typist for the Tioga County Department of Social Services' Accounting Department, her husband Chris and their three children is just one example of the hardships faced by affected CSEA members. The Potters' house is surrounded by water after some of the water had already started to recede.
Many Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state had their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The story of how the storm had an impact upon Amy Potter, a senior account clerk typist for the Tioga County Department of Social Services' Accounting Department, her husband Chris and their three children is just one example of the hardships faced by affected CSEA members. Amy Potter stands amid her empty shell of a home, showing pictures of her house surrounded by water and the damage inside.
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.
From Long Island to Buffalo, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members helped storm ravaged areas. Once workers took care of their own duties in Long Island, they headed north to help in the Catskills, while workers from Steuben County traveled to Greene County to assist with clean up efforts there. Karen Hurtgam from the Niagara state Department of Transportation Local was among the first group of Western Region members to travel to the storm damaged area of Greene County.
In a four week period, Capital Region residents endured an earthquake, a hurricane, a tropical storm, flooding, and in one Montgomery County town, a tornado. Through it all, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members were on the front lines in the clean-up efforts, many continuing to work and volunteer despite their own homes being damaged or destroyed. CSEA members from the Canal Authority work to remove debris from an Erie Canal lock in the Capital Region. Much of the canal remains closed as workers continue to remove debris and repair damaged locks.
In the days following Hurricane Irene, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members in many communities were in a race against the clock to get equipment up and running and avoid service interruptions. CSEA members from the Mount Tremper residency of the state Department of Transportation oversee shoring a bank of the Esopus Creek in Phoenicia.
In the days following Hurricane Irene, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members in many communities were in a race against the clock to get equipment up and running and avoid service interruptions. Pat Conley, a CSEA member from the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson Unit, repairs a mower that received water damage after Hurricane Irene flooded the village highway facility.
Before Hurricane Irene hit, workers at SUNY New Paltz answered management's call for round-the-clock staffing to safeguard electrical systems, handle plumbing issues, and deal with expected power outages. In this photo are SUNY New Paltz Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members who worked around the clock during Hurricane Irene to protect the campus' buildings and roads from flooding.
Before Hurricane Irene hit, workers at SUNY New Paltz answered management's call for round-the-clock staffing to safeguard electrical systems, handle plumbing issues, and deal with expected power outages. Fred A. DeStefano, an electrician and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member, shows how he rushed to shut down electrical systems in van den Berg Hall at SUNY New Paltz in order to prevent a fire.
A graphic illustration by Ralph Distin in the November 2011 Work Force published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) shows that like the 800 pound gorilla in the room, as Americans grow tired of the ongoing unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity across the country and the Occupy Wall Street movement grows well beyond Manhattan gaining credibility across the country, it is pretty hard to ignore.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison (pictured at far left) and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta (pictured at microphone).
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte (pictured at microphone), Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen (pictured at microphone), Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley (pictured at microphone), Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan (pictured at microphone), Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue (pictured at microphone), Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Speakers who addressed the crowd included Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) President Danny Donohue, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Secretary Denise Berkley, Treasurer Joe McMullen, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Capital Region President Kathy Garrison and Nassau County Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) welcomes Lester Crockett as the Metropolitan Region president following Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio's retirement in October. Crockett was the region's former executive vice president.
The Photo of the Month in the November 2011 Work Force. Caption reads: Thousands of demonstrators, including Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members, occupy Foley Square and Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan during the Occupy Wall Street movement to bring attention to the growing economic disparity in the United States.
The cover of the November 2011 Work Force. Standing for America in Nassau County: Thousands protest county executive's anti-American agenda in Nassau County. More than 5,000 demonstrators from dozens of unions across the state, including the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) came together on October 17 to fight against the anti-American and anti-union agenda of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.
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. In this photo St. Lawrence County Local members march in Massena.
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.
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. Capital Region President Kath Garrison, far right, leads the CSEA delegation in the Capital District Labor 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. In this photo CSEA members get fired up at the New York City Labor 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. Central Region President Colleen Wheaton, second from right, leads the CSEA delegation in the Syracuse Labor March on the state fairgrounds in Geddes.
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. Erie County Local activists, including Local President Joan Bender, second from left, front row, march in the Buffalo Labor 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 Executive Vice President Mary Sullivan, right, who is also president of the Capital District Area Labor Federation, marches in the Capital District Labor 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. From left, Long Island Region President Nick LaMorte, Southern Region President Billy Riccaldo, Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Metropolitan Region President George Boncoraglio and Metropolitan Region Executive Vice President Lester Crockett lead the CSEA delegation in the New York City Labor Parade in honor of those lost on 9/11.
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. Southern Region activist Reuben Simmons honors those lost in the 9/11 attacks while marching in the New York City Labor 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 activists, including Western Region President Flo Tripi, Monroe County Local President Bess Watts, CSEA President Danny Donohue, Western Region activists Debi Sherk and Sally MacDougal lead CSEA's delegation during the Rochester Labor Day Parade.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen, New York State United Teachers Vice President Maria Neira and CSEA Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, took part in a ceremony at NYSUT (New York State United Teachers) to honor those lost on September 11, 2011. Sullivan spoke at the event in her capacity as Capital District Area Labor Federation president, and reflected on the tragedy and loss of five CSEA members.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state were involved in the immediate response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Town of Hempstead workers remove debris from streets after Hurricane Irene. CSEA members in the Long Island Region responded swiftly before, during and after the storm to limit damage from the hurricane's surge, and repair erosion and damage afterward.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state were involved in the immediate response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. State Department of Transportation worker Thomas Mims, of the Hamburg Shop Local, hoses mud and debris from Vestal Parkway in Binghamton following Tropical Storm Lee's flooding.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state were involved in the immediate response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Saratoga County Local member Matt Farnsworth, working in the Clifton Park Highway Department, clears downed tree limbs in a bucket truck.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state were involved in the immediate response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. CSEA members working for the New York State Canal Authority represented by CSEA Black River Valley State Employees, Clinton County State Transportation, Franklin County State Transportation, and St. Lawrence County State Transportation Locals, work to fix a collapsed roadway in Elizabethtown, in Essex County.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members across the state were involved in the immediate response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. State Department of Transportation workers, represented by CSEA Black River Valley State Employees, Clinton County State Transportation, Franklin County State Transportation, and St. Lawrence County State Transportation Locals, work to fix a collapsed roadway in Elizabethtown, in Essex County.
The October 2011 Work Force contained the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s 2011 candidate endorsements for the Western Region, which includes the county executive race in Erie County. The photo shows CSEA members at a We Are Erie County rally in Buffalo in June 2011. County Executive Chris Collins announced plans in June to cut 300 jobs from the county budget in 2012.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) activists Shana Davis, center, and Abraham Benjamin, right, were recently honored by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU). Benjamin received an award for his work with the CBTU's Men's Committee, and Davis received the CBTU Woman of Hope Award. At left is CBTU Region 1 Director Terry Melvin, who is also the secretary-treasurer of the New York State AFL-CIO.
Lisa Vanderburg, a senior accounting clerk in the Health, Physical Education and Athletics Department at the Levittown district's Career and Technical Center and a Long Island Region Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) activist, was named this year's recipient of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's Excelsior Award. The Excelsior Award honors CSEA members who show commitment in any role as a parent, coach, booster or staff member and results from individual volunteerism or the performance of one's daily job in a school district. With the CSEA banner behind her, Vanderburg throws the ceremonial first pitch at a Long Island Ducks game.
Lisa Vanderburg, a senior accounting clerk in the Health, Physical Education and Athletics Department at the Levittown district's Career and Technical Center and a Long Island Region Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) activist, was named this year's recipient of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's Excelsior Award. The Excelsior Award honors CSEA members who show commitment in any role as a parent, coach, booster or staff member and results from individual volunteerism or the performance of one's daily job in a school district.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s LEAD Class of 2011 gathered recently for their graduation in Albany. CSEA's Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program is an intensive multi-faceted program aimed at enhancing the leadership skills of CSEA leaders and activists. Taught by both union staff and outside experts, this program begins with a general background of the labor movement and labor history, the negotiating process, governmental processes, and other important information about CSEA.
An illustration by graphic artist Ralph Distin in the October 2011 Work Force published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Opinions of the rich and powerful (before and after) shows how the rich and powerful blame public employees for the economic mess of New York state but after major storms swept the state the public employees were viewed as heroes.
Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee left their marks on New York, and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members are out in force aiding in the storm recovery, showing the value of public workers across the state. Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen volunteers with Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene relief efforts in the Greene County town of Prattsville, one of the communities hardest hit by the storm. CSEA members across the state are aiding the recovery with their work and by volunteering.
Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee left their marks on New York, and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members were out in force aiding in the storm recovery, showing the value of public workers across the state. Montgomery County Augo Mechanic Technician Rick Dingman, left, speaks with CSEA President Danny Donohue about the cleanup efforts of county Department of Public Works employees following the damage caused by Hurricane Irene.
Photo of the Month in the October 2011 Work Force. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley lights a candle in honor of the CSEA members and other workers lost from the state Department of Taxation and Finance on September 11, 2001, at a September 8, 2011, ceremony at the department's New York City offices. CSEA honored all of those who lost their lives to the attacks, including 2,753 people at the World Trade Center. Among the World Trade Center losses are CSEA members Yvette Anderson, Florence Cohen, Harry Goody, Marian "Marty" Hrycak and Dorothy Temple. All were employed at the state Department of Taxation and Finance.
The cover of the October 2011 Work Force. Front-line workers to the rescue: Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members respond to Irene and Lee's devastation. CSEA members across the state were involved in the immediate response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. CSEA member Kris Waite was part of a crew of Town of Newburgh Highway Department workers who had to open up a town roadway to fix clogged pipes that were causing repeat flooding post-Hurricane Irene.
A photo of Omayra Camacho, a crime victims specialist for the state Office of Victim Services, used in a special section of the September 2011 Work Force: Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Camacho was among the first responders assisting the families and victims of the September 11 attacks. She now assists people who were involved in the cleanup, many of whom have developed cancer, were exposed to asbestos and have other illnesses.
A photo of Michael "Rocky" Rockdashil, a Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) unit president who serves as a lieutenant in the Baldwinsville Volunteer Fire Company, was used in the special section of the September 2011, edition of the Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective. Rockdashil forged a friendship in 1999 with fellow firefighter Michael Healey of Squad 41 in the South Bronx/Harlem area, who died in the World Trade Center collapse. In the photo he holds Healey's helmet shield. The Baldwinsville firefighters were not activated to respond but they held a fund-raiser and raised $20,000 for the families of the fallen firefighters.
A photo of Michael Browne, a Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Nassau County Local member, used in the special section of the September 2011 edition of The Work Force. Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective. Browne, who works for the Department of Public Works as a sewer maintenance worker and is also a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician for the Rockville Centre Volunteer Fire Department, was sent to lower Manhattan with other members of the fire department to support the search and rescue operations being undertaken by city firefighters at the station closest to Ground Zero.
A photo of John Damato, a Nassau County Local member, used in the special section of the September 2011 edition of The Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Damato, who works for the Department of Public Works as a sewer maintenance worker and is also a volunteer firefighter and member of the National Guard, was deployed in the days following the September 11, 2001, attacks on a six-month Guard tour during which he alternately sifted through piles of rubble at Ground Zero searching for human remains and guarded security check points at the World Trade Center site.
A photo of Jennifer Graley, a social worker and Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Chautauqua County Unit member, used in the special section of the September 2011 edition of The Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective. Graley traveled to New York City following the attacks, acting on a strong feeling that she needed to be in that place, at that time, doing whatever she could for those most in need.
A photo of Frank Cosentino, a senior mail and supply clerk for state Liquor Authority, used in the special section of the September 2011 Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective. The horror of witnessing victims leaping from windows brought Consentino into the forefront of safety and health issues affecting working people. He is currently the statewide chair of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Occupational Safety and Health Committee, serves as the Metropolitan Region health and safety chair and also chairs the State Labor/Management Safety and Health Committee.
A photo used in the special section of the September 2011 Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective. Deborah Hanna, Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Health Research, Inc. Local president, stands in front of the nation's largest construction project, the World Trade Center. Following the attack, it was the nation's largest toxic waste site, which led Hanna and other union activists to create the 90 Church Street Coalition in order to protect the safety and health of workers and local residents being relocated. The 90 Church St. building is the smaller one on the right. On the left is the Liberty Tower under construction and next to it is World Trade Center 7, which is already occupied.
A photo used in the special section of the September 2011 Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Co-workers at the state Department of Taxation and Finance and survivors who worked on the 86th floor of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center, from left, Margaret Ramsay, Terrel Silver and Marcia Smart, pay their respects to 39 co-workers who perished on September 11, 2001 at a memorial in their Brooklyn office.
A photo of Ken Bergmann, part of the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) planning section who worked with a team of 10 people out of the state operations center to coordinate the response of several state agencies to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, used in the special section of the September 2011 edition of the Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective published by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). Bergmann is now retired.
A photo of Bill Howard, a front line coordinator of the state's response to the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, used in the Special Section of the September 2011 edition of the Work Force, Always Remember: A commemorative 10th anniversary retrospective. In 2001, Howard worked as a deputy director of state operations for then-Governor George Pataki. Today, Howards is the director of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)'s Employee Benefit Fund.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA -represented state Executive Branch employees ratified a contract with New York state that keeps people working and protects rights and benefits. From left, CSEA Statewide Treasurer Joe McMullen, Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, President Danny Donohue and Director of Contract Administration Ross Hanna take part in a news conference announcing CSEA's state contract ratification.
Photo of the Month for September 2011, edition of The Work Force. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) members and activists including Health Research Inc. Local President Deb Hanna, Jacqueline Stanford, Mary Harmon, Angelina Black and Damaris Rodriguez join Communication Workers of America (CWA) members on the Verizon picket line in lower Manhattan. Harmon's son is a Verizon worker. CWA members and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) struck at Verizon for two weeks in August over the bargaining terms for a new contract. The unions and Verizon have returned to the bargaining table.
Persistent and efficient efforts of a dozen Oyster Bay Local members working in the Sign Bureau Division help to prevent pandemonium on the streets by developing, producing, installing signs and maintaining the signs and lines on town roads and parking lots with limited personnel. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Oyster Bay sign shop worker Mike Kremler replaces a street sign.
Persistent and efficient efforts of a dozen Oyster Bay Local members working in the Sign Bureau Division help to prevent pandemonium on the streets by developing, producing, installing signs and maintaining the signs and lines on town roads and parking lots with limited personnel. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Oyster Bay Local member Wayne Rice creates a sign in the town's sign shop.
Photo of the Month in the August 2011 Work Force. Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member Elizabeth Borden, a licensed practical nurse at the Rockland County Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center, takes part in an advertising production for CSEA's new advertising campaign, debuting in August. Borden is one of four members photographed and filmed during a shoot at the Hilton Garden Inn in Newburgh. CSEA members in other parts of the state also participated in the campaign. Also pictured is Syracuse based commercial photographer Ron Trinca. Members were also filmed at their work sites.
Being in the right place at the right time was the difference between life and death for a Wallkill teen who was ejected from her car after it flipped in front of the home of Kim and frank Kosteczkos. The Kosteczkos, both members of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) saved her life. After noticing the girl was pinned beneath the car, Frank and another motorist who stopped lifted the car while Kim was able to drag the teen out and used Frank's shirt as a tourniquet to stop a wound from bleeding. In this photo Kim Kosteczko, right, holds her award from the Ulster County Police Chief's Association. Next to her is her husband, Frank Kosteczko.
Assemblyman Rory Lancman and state Senator George Maziarz listen as Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Director of Occupational Safety and Health Janet Foley speaks to reporters at a press conference in the state Capitol about the benefits of safe patient handling programs. The Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety recently released a report detailing the success of safe patient handling programs in health care facilities in New York and recommended passage of the Safe Patient Handling Act, sponsored by Lancman and Maziarz in their respective houses.
Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley recently told state lawmakers the majority of employees who care for people with developmental disabilities have been inaccurately portrayed in a series of New York Times articles alleging systemic abuse in the state developmental disabilities system. Berkley, who has more than 30 years of experience in the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities system as a direct care worker, said CSEA represents 18,000 workers who care for nearly 40,000 individuals with developmental disabilities. She said only a tiny fraction of those employees have ever been brought up on disciplinary charges of any nature, let alone client abuse.