CSEA Publications Document Aftermath of 9/11 and Impact upon State Workers

This September the University at Albany Libraries’ M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives is spotlighting the recently digitized publications of the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., or CSEA, from the fall of 2001 which focused upon the aftermath of the events of September 11. The department holds the records of the CSEA, Local 1000, AFSCME, AFL-CIO. CSEA is the largest public employees' union in New York State with over 260,000 members.

This substantial collection documents the organization’s 100 year-old history with administrative files, subject files, photographs, audio/video materials, scrapbooks, and publications. The official CSEA magazine The Work Force, published from 1978 through today, is just one highlight of the collection.

The commemorative November 2001 issue of The Work Force mourns the 42 state workers, 39 from the Department of Taxation and Finance and three from the Department of Transportation, lost in the tragedy at the World Trade Center. There were five CSEA members among them. The issue discusses the many memorials held to honor the victims, details the pivotal role played by CSEA on September 11 and afterwards, and offers words of encouragement to readers from union representatives. CSEA members submitted poems to The Work Force to share their thoughts and feelings. The issue also tackled safety and health risks posed to workers engaged in recovery and then clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center site.

Following is the link to the complete CSEA finding aid which provides a history of the organization, greater detail about the collection and access to the October and December 2001 issues of The Work Force: http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/findaids/apap015.htm

Also, CSEA's Always Remember commemorates the 10th anniversary 9/11.