CSEA GETTING OUT THE VOTE

Rochester, N.Y. -- The gloves are off, it’s time to mix it up. We need you to donate a few hours to our political action efforts to get our labor friends elected to local office. Here are some details:

RALLY – Saturday, November 2nd, 10 am 

Greece Campaign Headquarters, 2888 Dewey Avenue, near Stone Rd. Come and enjoy a rally with coffee & Donuts then hitting the streets to get out the vote!

·         Light canvassing (no persuasion, simply remind voters about Election Day and ask what time they plan to be at the polls)

·         Lit Drops (If possible come, with a team!)

·         Phone Banking begins at 11 AM (Bring your own phone if you can)

·         2:00 PM Lunch for Volunteers

Sunday, November 3rd, 12 Noon - 6 pm

Greece Campaign Headquarters, 2888 Dewey Avenue

·         Light canvassing (no persuasion, simply remind voters about Election Day and ask what time they plan to be at the polls)

·         Lit Drops (If possible, come with a team!)

·         Phone Banking  (Bring your own phone if you can)

·         3:00 PM Lunch for Volunteers

Monday, November 4th, 1 pm - 7 pm

·         All Day Phone Banks for Dick Beebe, Joe Morelle,Jr. and Mike Bertolone. Please come when your schedule permits. Lists will be available by 1:30 pm. CSEA Satellite Office, 3495 Winton Place Bldg. E Suite 3, Rochester, N.Y. 14623.

 

·         Greece Campaign Headquarters, 2888 Dewey Avenue (near Stone Rd). Light canvassing, lit drops, phone banking are on the agenda.

Tuesday, ELECTION DAY November 5th

·         Greece Campaign Headquarters, 2888 Dewey Avenue (near Stone Rd)

·         Pre-Dawn Commando Lit Drop -- 5 am at Campaign Office

·         Phone Banking (Bring your own phone if you can) 12 Noon - 8 pm

·         Door-to-Door  1 - 7 pm

·         Rides to the Polls 11 am - 8 pm

 

For more information about CSEA Monroe County PAC information,

please call Ove at 585.754.8933

 

 

Scenes From the CSEA 103rd Annual Delegates Meeting, Lake Placid, N.Y.

An Open Letter to Rochester, N.Y. Area Tea Party House Republicans Tom Reed and Chris Collins

l to r: Reps. Collins and Reed

October 18, 2013

Dear Mr. Reed and Mr. Collins:

First of all, I am extremely disappointed that you could not muster up enough personal courage to vote for ending the government shutdown or raise the debt limit. I'm afraid your actions might haunt you in the days to come and more specifically, Election Day 2014.

In any event, $24 billion dollars is the price we've paid because of your inability to do your job. That's how much this shutdown cost our country. 

And now we face yet another opportunity for you to cost Americans billions of dollars and the security of benefits we've earned.

As the fight on the debt ceiling emerges, and as the battle for the budget begins, I want to make clear that I am going to hold you accountable to the middle class in America.

I demand an end to job-destroying austerity—the repeal of sequester. I demand there be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits, period. And I demand an end to the $600 billion in tax breaks we are going to give companies for going offshore over the next ten years. That’s real money that can fund the investments we need to make to rebuild America’s competitiveness and put our people back to work.

My family and I need you to focus on policies that actually help working people, not punish us further. We've already been punished to the tune of tens of billions of dollars, and we need you to stand strong against taking away the benefits we've worked hard for, benefits that we've earned with our work.

There is a good reason why you and your House GOP colleagues have a lower approval rating than head lice, cockroaches and the legacy of Genghis Khan. Please temper your rhetoric and start collaborating with other lawmakers in Congress. That is what Western New York's middle class families want. And, by the way, when did the common good become such a bad idea?

Sincerely,

Ove Overmyer

Rochester, New York

CSEA Activists Head to Lake Placid for 103rd Annual Delegates Meeting Oct. 20-25

CSEA heads to Lake Placid, N.Y. for ADM 2013 the week of Oct. 20-25.
photo provided

Lake Placid, N.Y. – Thousands of CSEA officers, activists and staff will converge on the tiny Adirondack resort village to attend to the business of New York State's largest public employee labor union. This year's theme is, "Leading Together Facing the Future."

A message from CSEA President Danny Donohue:

“The future is under assault for working people and their unions. Years of propaganda from right wing politicians and the corporate elite has given unions a bad name and painted unionized workers as selfish and greedy. Contract negotiations have become an excuse for management to demand givebacks while holding the threat of layoffs over our heads.

Although the public relies on the work we do and the services we provide, it’s getting more and more difficult to win the support of people who are also struggling. Our health and pension benefits have become a point of envy that has been used to pit other workers against us. Today, some working people, who would benefit from having a union of their own, have been convinced that unions are the enemy.

Meanwhile, courts and politicians are making it harder for unions to represent their workers and making it easier for corporations to outspend us in our fight to protect and preserve the middle class.

The theme of this year’s ADM is Leading Together Facing Our Future because we need to use all of our resources — everything and everyone — to ensure a future where unions like ours remain a strong voice for working people.”

CSEA and Rochester Labor Community Flexing Its Political Muscle

Left to Right: Dick Beebe, Joseph Morelle, Jr & Mike Bertolone
photos provided

Rochester, N.Y.-- CSEA and the local labor community realize the importance of selecting the best public officials possible who will champion the tough issues and challenges facing our middle class working families. This year is no different—CSEA members will be out in force knocking on doors and talking to voters about the importance of public services and electing the most qualified candidates. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2013. For election details and voter information, you can contact the Monroe County Board of Elections here.

This election cycle, CSEA is proud to endorse three local races:

• Dick Beebe, Supervisor Town of Greece
• Mike Bertolone, Monroe County Legislature 19^th District (Greece)
• Joseph Morelle, Jr., Monroe County Legislature 17^th District (Irondequoit)

CSEA will be joining other local labor unions with these initiatives:

Saturdays October 12th, 19th, 26th and November 2nd: Labor walks and literature drops for Mike Bertolone and Dick Beebe -- convene at 2888 Dewey Ave. in Greece. Start time at 9:00 am. 

Saturday, October 12^th: Labor walk for Joseph Morelle Jr. -- convene at Uncle Danny's Restaurant at 555 E. Ridge Rd. in Irondequoit. Start time is 9:00 a.m. (lawn signs and lit drop)

PHONE BANKS: Start September 30th and run through November 4th: -- NYSUT Building located at 30 North Union Street. (Phone banking will be for Mike Bertolone and Joe Morelle Jr.)

ALSO: CSEA will also be holding dedicated phone banks for Joseph Morelle, Jr., Dick Beebe and Mike Bertolone. Date, time and location to be announced soon. Stay tuned to the Voice Reporter for further details.

Rochester, NY: A Community That Takes Care of its Own

SHUTDOWN MESSAGE FROM LEE SAUNDERS

Brothers and Sisters,

This morning at 12:01 a.m. the federal government shut down.

The actions taken by Speaker Boehner, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and their allies in Congress took us over a cliff. Their tactics are reckless and irresponsible because they put people out of work and our economy at risk.

Speaker John Boehner made good on his threat to shutter our government if President Obama did not defund his signature health care reform law. The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. And the President and the Senate majority made it abundantly clear they will oppose any effort to stop the law from moving forward.

Social Security checks will go out, but seniors and people with disabilities applying for Social Security and Medicare will experience a delay in getting their applications approved. Veterans could see their pension and disability benefits delayed. A shutdown could force Head Start centers to close.

For too long, tea party extremists pressed their agenda to repeal Obamacare, slash Medicare and Medicaid, cut Social Security, education and other vital services, while refusing to make the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes. Last night they tried yet again to advance their extremist agenda, jeopardizing our economy and our country. This must stop.

There is a time and place to debate and modify the laws that Congress passes. This is NOT that time, and this is NOT that place. It’s time for the extremists in Congress to stop the brinksmanship and stop holding our country hostage to radical demands.

We’ll update you as the situation in Washington unfolds during the next few days and weeks. And if you haven’t already, urge Congress to stop playing political games with our economy and country—tell them to end the shutdown and pay our bills.

In solidarity,

LEE SAUNDERS President		LAURA REYES Secretary-Treasurer