(SOUTH BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Recognized for the important and substantive role they played in Labor’s successful fight against New York State to keep the Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center (WNYCPC) in West Seneca, the Public Employees Federation’s (PEF) Dave Chudy and Stephanie McLean-Beathley will serve as Co-Grand Marshals of the 2018 Buffalo Labor Day Parade.

A host of Labor Representatives gathered at the South Buffalo Irish Center late last week to recognize Chudy and McLean-Beathley as Co-Grand Marshals of the parade, which will be held on Monday, September 3rd.  The Labor Day Parade will start on the corner of Abbott and Stevenson in South Buffalo - near the Irish Center, and those participating will march to Cazenovia Park, where a BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York-sponsored picnic, featuring hot dogs and hamburgers, will immediately follow at the end of the parade route. 

The theme of this year’s Buffalo Labor Day Parade is UNION STRONG!

Back in April at its 2018 Annual Appreciation Awards Dinner, the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) also took time to honor PEF and the role it played in helping keep the WNYCPC in West Seneca. 

The WNYCPC was targeted by the State to be moved to the Adult Buffalo Psychiatric Center, but a five-year campaign not only kept it in the Buffalo Suburb, but finally got Governor Andrew Cuomo to change his mind and agree not merge it in into the adult facility (For more, read WNYLaborToday.com’s April 10th Labor News Report Headlined: Exactly What Was It That Ended A Nearly Five-Year-Old, High-Profile Fight With New York State That Now Keeps The WNY Children’s Psychiatric Center In West Seneca?). 

Retired PEF Representative Chudy - who played a major role of being the coordinator of the group Save Our Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center, and PEF Interim Region 1 Coordinator Stephanie McLean-Beathley were on hand to accept the WNYALF Award.

And both were at the Irish Center on Thursday (August 23rd) to be sashed by Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President John Mudie, who said: “These two ‘helped keep’ the WNYCPC ‘in’ West Seneca.  The Governor ‘gave up.’  These two ‘kept us in the know about what was going on and didn’t give up’ on the children.  It ‘was a moment of great Union strength.’”

WNYALF President Richard Lipsitz said: “Every year ‘it gets better honoring those in the Labor Movement.’  This parade ‘celebrates wonderful people doing wonderful work.’”

While several of her family members in attendance, McLean-Beathley was the first to speak: “Thank you for the honor and ‘I hope I don’t cry.’  In my mind (the fight to keep the WNYCPC in West Seneca) ‘was personal.’  And I ‘want to thank all those Unions who helped.’  ‘We didn’t give up - we fought back and we fought hard.’”

Chudy, who also had family in attendance, thanked the “countless” number of people “who helped those kids and their families.”

“I ‘still get teared up about those vulnerable kids,’” he said. “And ‘I thank those kids who agreed to be videotaped’ (with their personal messages that were eventually sent to the Governor).  Those kids were ‘scared stiff, but without agreeing to do so - we would be here.’  Those kids didn’t give up and we couldn’t have done this without Labor.”

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Top photo of Chudy and McLean-Beathley courtesy of McLean-Beathley’s Facebook Page.  Other photos taken by WNYLaborToday.com, including photo above of Buffalo AFL-CIO Labor Council President Mudie (on the left) with McLean-Beathley, Chudy and WNYALF President Lipsitz at the 2018 Buffalo AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade Sashing Ceremony.