Letter: The Hurricane, the Community, and its Union

Dear Editor,

East Hampton town’s CSEA executive board would like to take the time to acknowledge and thank its members for the job they have done in our community before, during and after Hurricane Sandy. All too often people forget that unions and the civil servants within them work for the people of the community. The relationship between town residents and the workforce is important and we stress that to our members constantly.

Since Hurricane Sandy occurred our union has worked alongside other unions and their members in working toward a safe storm recovery. Inter-departmental cooperation, communication and determination are all responsible for helping this town through the devastating storm. Every member became an integral part in the storm preparedness and recovery. With the Supervisor making it evidently clear to the press, this storm was not going to be just another with passing wind and rain. He declared a State of Emergency for that Monday and Tuesday. Residents were advised to stay home and off the roads so town workers could safely and effectively perform their duties during the storm. Communication between our workforce and the residents was critical in making sure that we were going to get through this storm with minimum damage and maximum efficiency. We told our members that our role was to keep the community safe and the town operational.

During the power outages we made sure that the town buildings had the generators up and running and resources were readily accessible. Any information that residents may have needed during or after the storm was important for us to have. Short staffing and long hours made some tasks more difficult than usual. At the same time we all made sure that we were able to safely and efficiently perform our responsibilities for the safety and functional ability of our community and its residents. The weeks after the storm, recovery efforts have been in full effect and every member has been able to help in their own way. After the storm passed and everything had cleared out we were all able to see the damages we were left with. Our recovery efforts from the storm damage have lasted longer than anticipated but we have all been dedicated to cleaning up our town and returning it to its pre-storm condition. As unfortunate as this storm was, it has demonstrated the relationship between this community and their public workers to be an important one. Everybody was able to come together and worked to help our small town through this tough time. The East Hampton CSEA would like to extend a sincere appreciation to its residents and union members for making a safe and smooth recovery possible.

Respectfully,

Miles Maier
Treasurer
C.S.E.A Unit 8330
Town of East Hampton