March 24, 2020
Fellow CSEA Members,
First and foremost I would like to thank our membership during this difficult time in America coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Your Town’s CSEA Executive Board and CSEA Albany are 100% committed to our members. We have taken and will continue to take the necessary steps to protect our members’ lives and keep them safe first. We listen to Governor Cuomo’s directives very seriously.
As CSEA members, we will pull together and get through this. Our struggles will make us even stronger than before for future events to come. Our work is far from over. At this unprecedented time in history we will remember the individuals who were genuine and concerned about us. Please know, we are doing everything within our power.
Many of our members have been hearing that the Union is not cooperating with the Town. To clear the air, the directive by the Governor of New York declaring a State of An Emergency does not require any agreement to our contract (CBA).
The truth is, the Town is not cooperating with the Collective Bargaining Agreement that we negotiated. The Town asked the Union to sign a Side Letter Agreement forfeiting our contractual rights to any claims of grievances related to compensatory time, overtime pay or additional compensation. We refused to sign it.
We could not sign an Agreement that jeopardized our members’ contractual rights. Sadly, it appeared that finances were a priority.
We will continue to protect our members and their rights. There is no compromising or negotiating a person’s life. STAY WELL.
In Solidarity,
Christopher
