| Central New York Area Labor Federation |
Kathy D'Arminio, PEF, was the recipient of the "Special Recognition Award" presented at the NYS/PEF 2013 statewide Health and Safety Conference. The award was presented for her dedication and advocacy in promoting the health and safety of all New York State workers. Kathy is a member of PEF Division 399 and co-chair of the PEF Region 5 Women's Program. And Sally Weibel, PEF, who works at the DOL office at Glendale, Endicott. and is also a member of PEF's Region 5 Women’s Program, was recently honored with the IAWP (International Association of Workplace Professionals) Workforce System Customer Service Award for her work during hurricane's Irene and Lee. Congratulations to Sisters D'Arminio and Weibel. Read more >>> Binghamton area agencies and service providers spoke out on Monday, March 4, about the effects the Sequestration budget cuts are likely to have on the services they provide and the families and community they serve. Among those speaking was Chris Mallery, IAFF 729, of the Binghamton Fire Department. The full text of his remarks is posted below. Other speakers at the Press Conference were Kathy Pfaffenbach of Catholic Charities, Kate Grippen of Family Enrichment/Head Start, Sr. Marilyn Perkins of Lourdes Hospital, John Barry Director of Southern Tier Aides Program, Sue Moranda of the Cancer Society, Brett Dean of Opportunities for Broome, Mike Leahey of Broome County Council of Churches CHOW program, Rev. Cris Mogenson of the jail ministry and Amy Fleming of Citizen Action and Justice and Peace Council of Catholic Charities Read more >>> Congratulations to the 2013 winners of the Labor Awards presented at the Greater Syracuse Labor Council Awards Dinner. The Annual Dinner celebrates the work that Labor and friends of Labor do all year to support our members and all our working families. The dinner was held at the Empire Room on the New York State Fairgrounds. Mike Allen served as Master of Ceremonies. Photographs of the event can be viewed at www.photobucket.com/labordinner2013 courtesy of "Shooting Stars" photographers Wendy Colucci and Cee Cee Andrew The full list of award winners: Read more >>>  Story courtesy Alison Krause, 1199SEIU Inaugural Gala Celebrates President Obama and Martin Luther King Jr., Thanks Community Volunteers Dressed to impress and feeling victorious, more than 400 people came out on a cold January 21 night to enjoy an “Evening of Elegance” at the 2013 Central New York Presidential Inaugural Gala at the Syracuse OnCenter. Hosted by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, this inaugural gala was to designed not only to celebrate the re-election of President Obama and honor the life and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but to thank 1199SEIU members and Central New York’s devoted volunteers for their hard work during the election season. Read more >>>Kate Murray, CWA/NABET, speaking at River Read Books
Small business owners and community members called on members of Congress to end the tax breaks for the rich and to say NO to cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid on December 1st. Gathered at River Read Books on Court Street in downtown Binghamton they urged people to contact Congressman Hanna and Senator Schumer to end the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250, thousand dollars a year. Among the speakers was Broome-Tioga Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO VP Kate Murray, CWA/NABET, who is a small business owner as well as a union member. Our Annual Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at the Empire Room on the New York State Fairgrounds. We are pleased that Mike Allen will again serve as our Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Award nominations are due by December 14, 2012. If you have any questions, please call Anthony Vilardo, CNY Area Labor Federation Coordinator, at 422-3363 or email bonnie@cnylabor.org Read more >>>  Firefighters (IAFF) from Binghamton, Endicott, and Johnson City held a press conference on September 27 to call on the Broome County Executive and Legislature to restore the 50/50 Sales Tax split with municipalities to reduce tax burden on local residents and make sure the municipalities can maintain the levels of police and fire protections and other services that residents rely on. Leading the conference were Binghamton Fire Department Local 729 President Dave Holleran, Endicott Professional Firefighters Local 1280 President Paul Higgins, and Johnson City Firefighters Local 921 President Bob Blakeslee. Supporters from CWA, Alliance@IBM/CWA 1701, IBEW 325, NYSUT, and SEIU 200United were among the union members who stood with the Firefighters. Read more >>> Over 2,000 union members and their families marched in solidarity at the the Greater Syracuse Labor Council annual Labor Day Parade at the Great New York State Fair.. United States Congressional Candidate Dan Maffei and New York State Assembly Candidate Al Stirpe served as Grand Marshalls and numerous local officials and candidates joined them. At least three-hundred Labor and Community members gathered in Ithaca for the 29th Annual Labor Day Picnic, sponsored by the Midstate Central Labor Council and the Tompkins County Workers' Center. Highlights of the picnic were the Distinguished Service Award presented to retiring Congressman Maurice Hinchey and the Friend of Labor Award presented to Linda Smith, formerly of UAW. Please see full article here for a complete list of the Awards, volunteers, and the picnic book advertisers who's financial support made the picnic possible. The theme of this year's picnic was "We are the 99%." See photos from the event at Flickr Read more >>>The Members of UAW 624 will not only be remembered for the wealth they produced for NPG and our community but for what they collectively gave to build the CNY Organized Labor Movement and teach us ALL how to do whatever it takes to better the lives of every Union and non-union worker and their families in our Region. "Thank You" to the 1000's of men and women who walked through those plant gates 24 hours a day!  Community and union Sisters and Brothers joined CWA to rally for good jobs in front of the Verizon building in Binghamton. Participants included CWA 1111, Alliance@IBM/CWA, CWA/NABET, AFSCME, CSEA, IBEW 325, NYSUT, Greater Binghamton Labor-Religion Coalition, and Citizen Action of the Southern Tier. See photos here Thanks to Wanda Campbell, CSEA retiree, for sharing photos  The family and friends of union Brother Mark Keith announce the establishment of the Mark Keith Memorial Scholarship to benefit a student graduating from Homer High School. Brother Keith, SEIU and formerly UAW, was a strong supporter and advocate of workers' rights and social justice. He served as President of United Auto Workers Local 802, as Communications Director for SEIU 200United, and as Officer, Delegate, and activist for the Midstate Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduating senior at Homer High School. It is the hope of the family and friends to be able to offer this scholarship for many years through donations to the fund. Read more and find out how to donate here Read more >>> March 12, 2012 Over 100 people gathered at "Bank Alley" in Ithaca to mark the end of the Labor-Religion Coaltion 40 hour fast, celebrate the victory of the "Bread and Roses" strikers, and call for raising the minimum wage to a wage a person could live on. The rally was sponsored by the Labor-Religion Coalition of the Finger Lakes, the Tompkins County Workers' Center, and the Mid-State Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Pastor Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church (and the 2011 recipient of the "Friend of Labor" award) led off the rally by blessing the bread, which was then distributed among the crowd. Speakers included local workers, representatives from Labor, the Tompkins County Workers' Center, the Labor-Regligion Coalition, living wage certified employers, and civic leaders. Mid-State Central Labor Council President Tom Sieling, AFM, and friends led the crowd in singing "Bread and Roses" to conclude the rally. See a full list of speakers and more here photos here Read more >>> Terrific turn-out from our Locals for the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Binghamton. The Broome-Tioga Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO float looked better than ever thanks to the hard work of the volunteers who transported and assembled it. The new "Unions Rebuild Broome" sign made the point, and combined with the impressive showing from our Trades Locals, private sector, and public workers. See photos here and more coming soon. Read more >>>The City of Auburn and Cayuga County need a FULL-SERVICE HOSPITAL that is focused on OUR needs. This is OUR hospital. OUR hospital cares for OUR community and is staffed by OUR neighbors. We do not want to lose any of the health services we depend on from our hospital. We do not want our hospital reduced to an outpatient center or a clinic. And, we do not want outsides to make OUR healthcare decision for US!  Broome-Tioga Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO presents Patrick Eggleston, IAFF, and Burt Whiteman, PEF, Solidarity Awards at annual holiday party attended by over 100 members. See photos in our album here and more photos at Flickr Read more >>>Built out of wood in 1934 the crumbling foundation of the Evan’s Street Bridge in Downtown Syracuse created a symbolic backdrop as a cross section of the Central New York community, the grass roots foundation of our society, came together to demand that Congress pass the American Jobs Act, repair our badly damaged infrastructure, and end corporate greed. Read more >>>  At least 75 union members and guests enjoyed a great evening of Labor's story, song, art, and history Produced by: Kate Murray, NABET-CWA and Burt Whiteman, PEF. The program featured a dramatic reading of Clifford Odets’ play “Waiting For Lefty” performed by Southern Tier Actors Read (S.T.A.R.), directed by Heidi Weeks, Actors Equity.Share Read more >>> The 28th annual Labor Day Picnic at Ithaca's Stewart Park, sponsored by the Mid-State Central Labor Council and for the 4th year co-sponsored by the Tompkins County Workers' Center, brought labor and community together for a day of food, awards, and solidarity despite the rainy weather. At least 150 turned out to come together "United for a Fair America" at Stewart Park on Labor Day. A highlight of the annual picnic is always the presentation of Awards. Click headline or below to read full list of awards and more on the picnic. Read more >>> July 27 UPDATE! IBEW 97 strike in Oswego is over! Read here July 26 UPDATE! Members of IBEW Local 97 are voting on new contract. See stories and videos at YNN here July 23 UPDATE! July 9, 2011 At 12:00 am Saturday, IBEW Local 97 went out on strike at the Nine Mile Point plant in Oswego. CNY ALF President Ann Marie Taliercio made a visit to the picket line on Saturday morning to stand with our IBEW sisters and brothers and to offer support from our Area Labor Federation. Click title for more  Representatives from Citizen Action, UUP, CWA, SEIU 200United, retirees and community members joined the kick-off to a summer of holding Congress accountable for attacking on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and domestic programs, and not creating jobs while preserving tax cuts for the rich and tax deals for big corporations. Click title for more See photos here  Broome-Tioga Council Collects Hundreds of New Socks for Donation Click title for more  Lee Conrad, VP CNY ALF, President of the Broome-Tioga Federation of Labor, and National Coordinator of the Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701 has been named International Coordinator for the newly formed IBM Global Union alliance. At a combined global union meeting on May 6 at UNI's (Union Network International) offices in Nyon Switzerland, affiliates from the IMF( International Metalworkers Federation), the EMF (European Metalworkers Federation) and UNI that have membership in IBM unanimously endorsed a document that creates a Global Union Alliance in IBM. Click on title to read more.  In the Southern Tier, Workers Memorial Day was honored in Binghamton, Ithaca, and Oneonta. See photos from the Binghamton event here, courtesy of Kate Murray, CWA/NABET. Share "We Are One!" Central New York Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, joined the 1000 other groups around the country to stand up for the rights of workers. In Binghamton union and community rallied to declare honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the anniversary of his assassination and to demand that his legacy be honored by supporting the rights of workers everywhere. In Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga and Seneca Counties union members occupied busy street corners from 4-6 p.m. holding signs of solidarity and engaging passing travelers. Click title for more See photos here  More than a hundred people came out in Cortland to stand up for a fair budget and a New York that works for all of us on March 30. Speakers called on our Legislature to keep the millionaires tax and stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of schoolchildren and working families. Click title for more. See photos here  Councilwoman Webb Leads March; Event Scarcely makes the News At least 150 people – union members, community, parents, students, young, old – gathered on Friday, March 25 to deliver a check to Senator Libous’s office made out to the millionaires of NY from the schoolchildren of his District – Broome, Chenango, and Tioga Counties. They marched down the street, schoolchildren carrying the check. At the State Office Building speakers – including students, Fred Brooks from the Labor-Religion Coalition, and Councilwoman Lea Webb spoke to the need for a fair budget for NY students, workers, and families – and the harsh cost to students, workers, and families of the tax break for NY millionaires. Click title for more. Photos from the event available at NYSUT blog and can be viewed on Flickr More photos from event in our album here  Over two-hundred people gathered in front of the State Office Building in Binghamton on March 15 to demand a fair budget for New York working families. Lee Conrad, President of Broome-Tioga Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan, Binghamton Councilwoman Lea Webb, and many community members sent a clear message that giving millionaires a tax break and asking our school children, working families, and the people in our communities most in need of services to sacrifice was unacceptable. See good video of the rally from Fox 40 WICZ here Click headline for more and see photos courtesy of Kate Murray, CWA, here Share  Our Sisters and Brothers in the Syracuse area of CNY ALF were out strong on St. Patrick's Day! Great photos thanks to Wendy Colucci. Click on title for more...  Students, parents, teachers, and community education advocates came to the State Office Building in Binghamton to present "Valentines" to Governor Cuomo and local Legislators telling them not to cut aid to schools as outlined in Cuomo's proposed budget. see story here Martin Luther King Holiday Annual Community Clothing & Food Drive and Stuff the Bus! Bring donations of food or clothing to 566 Spencer St., Teamsters 317 on Our Annual Awards Dinner. This event used to be a luncheon at the NYS Fair on Labor Day, but we have decided to move it to January and make it an evening event. We are pleased that Judge Jim Cecile will be our Master of Ceremonies for the evening. The event is $50.00 per person or a table of 8 for $350. Booklet Ads are available as well. Award nominations are due in by December 31, 2010. To continue with our week of service, we are asking all attendees to bring a pair of clean, unused socks to donate to the Rescue Mission’s shelter program. On Tuesday evening the Greater Syracuse Labor Council stood in solidarity and unanimously resolved not to hold a Labor Day parade or celebration at the New York State Fair this year. This decision came after months of collaborative negotiations that have not yet reached a full long-term resolution to ongoing collective bargaining issues.  Ignoring the bitter cold, members of the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center, the Midstate Central Labor Council, and two Tompkins County Legislators came out in support of workers rights on Saturday. A group of supporters gathered with signs in front of the Plaza on South Meadow Street where a Cost Cutters is located, while others passed out leaflets to the cars stopped at the intersection and stood with signs across the street as well. See photos here The Oswego County Labor Council will hold their Annual Holiday Party Wednesday, December 8th. Cocktails will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with dinner from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This annual event will be held at: The 27th Annual Labor Day picnic sponsored by the Midstate Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO and, for the third year, co-sponsored by the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center awarded the "Friend of Labor" to Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton for her record of championing the rights of workers and the interests of working families. The day was highlighted by the Joe Hill, Mother Jones, and "Goat of Labor" awards and the music of "Gunpoets." Congressman Hinchey attended as well as local candidates. The Labor Day picnic is a celebration of the activism of working people in the Tompkins - Cortland area and brings together union and community members to honor the struggles and victories of working people. Community participation made this year's picnic better than ever. The Labor Council and the TC Workers' Center are grateful for the participation of the Gunpoets, MacNiel Music, Pastor Rich Rose, and the community volunteers. Read more and see the full list of awards here On Thursday August 12th the Central New York Alliance for Retired Americans held a press conference in front of the Federal Building at Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse. CNY ARA President Jerry Lotierzo addressed the media and public urging Congressman Maffei (D) NY-25, and his challenger Ann Marie Buerkle to sign a pledge vowing not to weaken any component of Social Security. You can read all of President Lotierzo's Comments Here  Greater Syracuse Labor Council left no doubt where it stood on Syracuse City Council's decision to "forgive" the Chamber of Commerce its $217,000 electric bill. See photos in album here and story here  Workers at the Ithaca Coffee Company have filed a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after their request for voluntary recognition of a union was rejected by the management. Pick Up Your Support Button Today at the Tompkins County Workers' Center, 115 The Commons (above Autumn Leaves Used Books), Ithaca Tri-County Central Labor Council's Vice President Gary Robbins, UFCW/ICW Local 251c made sure that workers were not forgotten at a Chenango County Economic Roundtable with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on January 15. The event was sponsored by Senator Gillibrand, who invited the Labor community to send a representative as well as businesses and elected officials. * *this article has been edited to correct a factual error: see full story for details |
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