I’d like to briefly discuss the men and women of AME who largely go unnoticed by the general population of Suffolk County. Those dedicated employees who work on behalf of all the residents who live here – the unsung heroes of the mundane.

I’ll bet you didn’t know:

Among their many varied duties, the Members of AME – our Municipal Employees – oversee, maintain, pave, plow and improve thousands upon thousands of lane miles of roads and highways, maintain 110 fixed and four movable bridges, 194 culverts, 57 spillways, 31 bulkheads, various docks, jetties, marinas and the Shinnecock Canal…along with operating and maintaining 27 county-owned sewer districts, 1,250 miles of sewer piping, 103 sewer stations, and 24 wastewater treatment plants. County tankers haul approximately 27 million gallons of sludge per year from County plants for treatment at Bergen Point.

Suffolk AME Members are responsible for maintaining over 300 County buildings and court facilities, ensuring the operation of over 4.9 million square feet of space, while providing custodial services for more than 80 locations and approximately 3.1 million square feet. Our Members in Fleet Services and the DPW garages maintain and service over 2,700 vehicles and 1,700 pieces of equipment, along with 18 fueling sites, and last year they completed almost 12,000 work orders while keeping 90% of repairs “in house”.

Members of Suffolk AME maintain and operate the largest County-owned Parks system in the nation comprising over 60,000 acres, including over 200 Historic Buildings, a Gold Coast estate, miles of world-renowned Ocean beaches, hundreds of campsites at 12 major campgrounds, three golf courses, dozens of rental houses, and many smaller holdings – all with less than 150 full-time staff.

The list goes on – Suffolk AME workers serve the County as Public Health Sanitarians, Engineers, Architects, Social Workers, Mechanics, Laborers, Forensic Analysts, Morgue Ambulance Drivers, Doctors, Custodians, Nurses, Clerical Workers and Office Assistants, Heavy Equipment Operators, Couriers, Electricians, Carpenters, Technicians, Labor Crew Leaders, Crossing Guards, Emergency Services Personnel, 911 First Responders in Telecommunications, Administrators, Fire Marshals, Budget Analysts, Wastewater Plant Operators, Caseworkers, Chemists, Consumer Affairs Specialists, Information Technology Managers, Purchasing Agents, and hundreds more.

We represent blue collar workers and white collar workers, employees at Suffolk Community College and Westhampton Beach Village, as well as licensed professionals with advanced Graduate and post-graduate degrees, as well as Medical Personnel and Doctors.

The public doesn’t generally see them, and most don’t appreciate them, yet the men and women of Suffolk AME come to work each and every day, ensuring that Suffolk County functions for the people.

As we’ve visited with them over the past several months, these dedicated workers have consistently expressed the same, basic lament – We’re hurting. We can’t afford to live here. PLEASE, HELP US.

During the campaign, while speaking to approximately 70 workers at the Bergen Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, one young lady stood up and said to me, “Terry… I bring home less than $1,000 every two weeks. My rent is $2,700 per month. How can I stay here?”. In our visits, many workers expressed a desire to continue and finish their careers with the County, while simultaneously questioning whether they could afford to do so.

But…There is hope. After 12 haunting years, we have a County Executive and a Legislature who appreciate this dedicated workforce – the Members of the Association of Municipal Employees – those who have been neglected for far too long. There is hope that a fair and significant contract can be negotiated quickly and pragmatically. There is hope that together we can provide them with the “light at the end of the tunnel” that they so desperately seek. There is hope because we have a Legislature that sees their pain. There is hope because County Executive Romaine has a reputation for valuing the municipal worker. There is hope because he has delivered and he continues to deliver for the municipal worker.

There is hope because there must be hope, for if we don’t succeed in delivering for these deserving men and women, I fear for the County’s ability to hire and retain competent personnel; workers who can properly deliver the services that our residents require each and every day – services that enable Suffolk County to function.

The men and women of the Association of Municipal Employees are the men and women of Suffolk County. They are your constituents, your taxpayers, your voters, your friends, and your neighbors. They are your dedicated Public Servants who only desire a fair and equitable wage so they can raise their families in a well-deserved middle-class life.

Suffolk is one of the most affluent counties in the nation.

Don’t we owe it to them?

Can’t we deliver it for them when the Members of Suffolk AME have repeatedly delivered for us?

Together, we will thrive.

Thank you.

Terry Maccarrone, Suffolk AME President