CNY Minimum Wage Food Drive

On Tuesday, May 22, the CNY Area Labor Federation, in conjunction with several other groups are holding a food drive to highlight the issue of raising New York's minimum wage.

From 2 - 5:30 p.m. at the North Syracuse Education Association Office, 210 South Main Street in North Syracuse.

Please bring your generous food donations and come learn about why New York needs an increase in our minimum wage!

Download the event flyer

Region Activists Attend Spring Workshop

CSEA Region 5 recently held our Spring Conference in Lake Placid. It was full of informative workshops and trainings, and allowed activists a chance to network with fellow union leaders and the opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of our union.

Highlights of the weekend included the installation of our Region Officers and workshops sponsored by our Region Committees.

Click here to learn more about the workshops and view a slideshow of images from the weekend.

More than 200 people turned out to protest New York State's plan to close wards at the Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center in Utica.

CSEA members joined PEF members and community supporters at the rally, calling for the State to rethink their plans.

Region President Colleen Wheaton, shown below with Local 434 President Michael Patterson, addressed the crowd telling them "We don't think its right for the state to try and balance their budget on the backs of the mentally ill."

Here is a slideshow of photos from the event. Click on any photo to go to the gallery where you can download or print any image:

St. Lawrence County beats back privatization

Kudos to our members in St. Lawrence County, who raised enough questions about privatizing the County's Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) to stop the County Legislature from going ahead with its sale.

By a vote of eight to four, the Legislature voted down the proposal to sell the CHHA's operating certificate to a private provider. CSEA Local 845 President Amy Simmons and her members were very outspoken about the lack of sound financial records for the operation, and in raising questions and concerns regarding the perils of privatization.

The union has pledged to work cooperatively with the County to find ways to make the CHHA operation more self-sufficient, and this vote will allow them some time to allow that to happen.

Comptroller DiNapoli speaks at Region meeting

We recently held our Spring Executive Board Meeting in Syracuse to go over the regular business of running our Region.

The highlight of the meeting was a surprise appearance by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who was our strongest supporter in the fight against a new pension tier.

Here is a slideshow of images from that meeting. Click on any image to visit our photo gallery where you can download or print photos.

Seeking our next generation of members/leaders

We are forming a new committee to identify the needs of younger activists and how to get them involved, and help develop future leaders.

Members under age 40 who are interested in serving on this volunteer committee should submit their names for consideration to their Local President, who will then make recommendations to the Region President for appointment to the yet-to-be-named committee.

When the Governor and the majority of our State Legislature, under the cover of darkness, sold working people out and undermined retirement security by passing a new pension tier, Tier 6, they also passed a boondoggle of a taxpayer giveaway to themselves and political appointees.

They voted for a retirement perk worth thousands of dollars for themselves and their political appointees at your expense. Under Tier 6, taxpayers are on the hook for paying for an 8 percent of  salary retirement perk for politicians and their appointees every year!  These politically favored few will be allowed to skip out virtually overnight, taking with them thousands of taxpayer dollars after just one year of service.

We need to repeal that boondoggle and hold them accountable.

Click the link below to visit our new e-mail campaign, input your zip code, and send them a message to repeal this giveaway to the politically connected and restore fairness to the State Pension Fund!

www.tinyurl.com/StopTheGiveaway

"Like" our new Facebook "Repeal the Dark Deal" page!

Click here for updates on our "Dark Deal" campaign and to show your support against what the State Legislature passed.

Year-round and throughout the holiday season, the generosity of CSEA members is always apparent throughout our Region.

Our union members participated in numerous holiday drives and events to raise money and collect items for those in need in our communities. Of course, there was our big Polar Plunge that raised nearly $14,000 for the Special Olympics, but there were a lot more events held all around our Region. For example:

SUNY Potsdam

CSEA SUNY Potsdam Local 613's Community Outreach Committee recently conducted a blanket drive at their annual Holiday meeting. Through their members' generosity, they were able to give blankets to approximately 76 veterans in area nursing homes. The recipients from the St. Regis Nursing Home and Highland Nursing Home in Massena, and the United Helpers Nursing Home in Canton were extremely appreciative. The Local hopes this will become an annual event. Shown here, Highland Nursing Home resident Oscar King is enjoying the fleece blanket he received.

Potsdam Schools

Our CSEA Potsdam Central Schools Unit held their 2nd Annual collection of hygiene and cleaning products that were all donated to the Neighborhood Center in Potsdam, New York.  First row: Michelle Garrow, Grievance Officer/Treasurer;  Trudy White, President;  Jani Hobbs, CSEA Member; and a student Volunteer. Second row: a Neighborhood Center volunteer;  Hope Gilbert, Secretary;  Dale Kingsley, Vice-President;  and Mary Clary, CSEA Member. All buildings including the bus garage participated.

Madison County

Members of the CSEA Madison County Local 827 Program Committee stand in front of Cupid the Reindeer with toys they collected for area children in need. From left to right are: Patty Meakin, Karen Bright, LeeAnn Andrae and Committee Chair Lynne Shephard.

CSEA Local 648 members at SUNY Binghamton recently donated dozens of toys and $4,500 to the area Toys for Tots campaign. Pictured in the photo are Co-Chair Sherri Hall, Co-Chair Terry Hall, Officer Steven Ward, Committee Member Flip Campon, retired Past Chair Bob Pflanz, and Local 648 President David Lee.

Oswego Schools

Oswego City School District members in Local 838 recently donated boxes of food items to an area human services agency. Pictured are: Jeff Chetney, Anna Marie Natoli, Zach Sova, Mike Sova and JoAnn Conzone. Missing from the photo is Karen Canale, who was heavily involved in the food drive.

Get $500 in free college savings!

CSEA Members: If you open a 529 College Savings Plan for your dependent child or grandchild age 12 or younger, after July 1, 2011 and invest a minimum of $1,000 in that account, the union SAFE Program will give you $500*  to enhance your child or grandchild's college savings!

Just click here to open a NY 529 College Savings Plan , deposit the required amount, and then visit the union SAFE program site - fill out the application and send in the required documentation, and your $500 check* should be on its way!

* before taxes and as long as grant funding remains. Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing. Your 529 account beneficiary's age must be 12 years old or younger at the time you open your 529 account.

Watch this testimonial from CSEA member Trudy Aleba, a Court System employee in the Cortland Area, who explains how she saved money using this grant program!

NEW! Our Leadership Education Series, online!

The following links will bring you to online versions of several guidebooks we've prepared for our leadership:
 

• CSEA InfoDays: A Guide for Bringing Our Union to Our Members
  A how-to guide for setting up your own worksite CSEA Information Day
   
• CSEA Website Guidebook
  Tips for establishing your union's online presence
   
• CSEA Educational Article Archive
  Articles that you can copy and paste to use for your CSEA newsletter, website or blog