DEAR EDITOR: This Labor Day, as we gather with family, friends, and neighbors, it is worth pausing to reflect on the state of working people in New York and across the nation. This year has brought challenges and progress, tested our resolve and proved once again that our greatest strength is unity.
Throughout 2025, public employees have faced renewed attacks from corporate-backed groups such as the Freedom Foundation. These groups have poured resources into spreading misinformation to divide and weaken the voices of workers. Yet, what they do not understand is that working people know what is at stake: fair pay, safe workplaces, affordable health care and secure retirements. These are not luxuries. They are rights that generations of workers have fought for, and we will not give them up.
CSEA continues to celebrate the diversity and strength of America’s labor movement as we face challenge. This year, our union honored Black labor leaders during Black History Month, celebrated Pride Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and Juneteenth and lifted the women whose contributions built the foundation of our unions. These are reminders that the labor movement is strong because it reflects the full diversity of working people, and it is strongest when every voice is valued.
That unity is needed now more than ever. The federal reconciliation bill includes massive cuts to funding that would devastate schools, hospitals, and community programs across New York. Those cuts will blow holes in state, local, and school district budgets in our state and across the nation. This is not a Washington, D.C., problem. It is one that will directly harm working people and the communities we live in. For CSEA members, this is a major concern. We work in every corner of New York, doing different jobs and living in different communities, but we come together in one powerful voice. That unity is what keeps New York moving ahead, and it will carry us through whatever comes next.
The state of labor in 2025 is one of resilience. Working people are being tested, but we are not shaken. We stand ready to protect one another, defend vital public services and fight for the future. CSEA also mourns the loss of former CSEA President Danny Donohue, a dear friend and fearless labor leader. Danny never backed down from a fight, and his example reminds us that the challenges ahead are great, but so is our collective strength. As history shows, when workers stand together, we win.
Therese Assalian
CSEA Capital Region Communications, Latham