Sharing Information Makes Our Union Stronger
This leadership email goes out to over 6,000 local and unit officers. Its purpose is to provide you as leaders with a snapshot of important information to be shared with your members. I encourage each of you to forward this email to members or disseminate at membership meetings. Information is not useful if it’s not shared.
News out of Washington DC
In the short time since the new administration has come in, there has been a constant flow of troubling news. This includes firings at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), bringing their work to a stop; a series of actions pushing for resignations of millions of federal employees; and proposals to cut funding for education, Medicaid, and many other programs that would directly impact CSEA members. CSEA and AFSCME are working together to track this activity very carefully and develop a plan of action. This week, I appointed CSEA members as Federal “PALs.” Political Action Liaisons work with and lobby our elected representatives to ensure our voices are heard and our interests are protected in Washington, DC.
Honoring Black History Month
CSEA honors Black History Month by recognizing Black leaders in the labor movement and the fight for justice. Our union’s strength lies in unity, ensuring fairness for all. Together, through solidarity and commitment, we can create a more just and inclusive future. This month is a time to reflect on workplace inequities and take action. There are many examples of Black leaders who remind us that the fights for fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job are inseparable from the broader struggle for racial equality. These union leaders include Addie Wyatt with United Packinghouse Workers of America; Issac Myers, founder of The Colored Caulkers Trade Union Society, Dorothy Lee Bolden, founder of the National Domestic Workers Union of America; and AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus William “Bill” Lucy, who also co-founded the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know? Black History Month was created by historian Carter G. Woodson, often called the “Father of Black History,” to highlight the achievements of African Americans. He chose the second week of February because it coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom played significant roles in Black history. The celebration expanded to a full month in 1976 during the U.S. Bicentennial and has been officially recognized ever since!
