THIS WEEK IN ALBANY

CSEA Fights Back!

Throughout the state, public services remain under attack by politicians. In Nassau County, the County Executive is attempting to unilaterally change the terms of union contracts. In Ulster and Orange Counties, elected officials are attempting to close and privatize their public nursing homes. In Erie County, a crucial race for County Executive has tightened. CSEA members are fighting against incumbent Chris Collins’ constant attacks on wages, benefits and the critical services we provide.

It is important for all CSEA members across the state to get involved in their local elections.

To get involved, please contact your Political Action Coordinator.

Region 1 - Gretchen Penn 631-462-0030

Region 2 - Matthew D’Amico 212-406-2156

Region 3 - Chris Ludlow 845-831-1000

Region 4 - Bryan Miller 518-782-4400

Region 5 - Rick Noreault 315-433-0050

Region 6 - Courtney Brunelle 716-691-6555

Take Action Now!

CSEA has several online letter writing campaigns currently underway. Please visit the CSEA Political Action website.

Governor Cuomo Announces New Initiatives to Reduce Costs

Governor Cuomo announced initiatives to save taxpayers $600 million over five years. These reforms include an extensive analysis to ensure government-paid-for space is fully-utilized. Efforts are now underway to move agencies in leased locations into state-owned buildings as leases expire and fill vacated state-owned office space in the Albany area.

Further, the Governor launched five initiatives to consolidate information technology processes and infrastructure including data center consolidation, enterprise identity and access management, email consolidation, help desk consolidation, and voice-over-internet protocol telecommunications.

Lastly, the proposal includes a new procurement process that will leverage the state's buying power to secure the best value in purchasing.

Jobs Bill Fails to Advance

President Obama's “American Jobs Act” failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate this past week. In the Senate, 60 votes are needed to end debate on a bill and send it to a final vote. This bill only received 50 votes.

President Obama has now indicated that he is willing to break the bill into smaller pieces in order to get various portions of the bill passed. However, many members of the House of Representatives remain opposed to the bill and the likelihood of it passing seems slim at this time.

For a summary of this legislation, please visit the CSEA Political Action website.