Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo took the opportunity to laud state workers in the Labor Day issue of the Daily News.

Yet, in the same editorial, he sent a clear message that the time had come for labor to “make sacrifices for the sake of the state.”

Those are the words of a man who, unless something quite unforeseen occurs, is likely going to be New York’s 56th governor come November.

Mr. Cuomo’s statements aren’t surprising. The attorney general has been talking this way for months—which isn’t exactly the message a labor union wants to hear as it prepares to negotiate a contract.

Yet, that’s the situation we find ourselves in as our Negotiations Team, led by Chief Negotiator Jamie Dangler of Cortland and Associate Chief Negotiator Mike Smiles of Farmingdale, gears up for what’s certain to be a true challenge as they work to hammer out a successor agreement to our 2007-2011 contract with the state.

This one isn’t going to be easy.

For starters, the state’s economy is still reeling from the recession that continues to grip the nation. And, somehow, unions were painted as scapegoats for the state’s budget troubles during the 2010-2011 budget process—which dragged on more than four months past the April 1 budget deadline before the spending plan’s Aug. 3 approval.

Remember Gov. David Paterson’s unsuccessful attempt to furlough state workers. We, along with other public employee unions, put that to rest. In May, a federal judge ruled in favor of our lawsuit and rejected the governor’s proposal.

Remember the calls for givebacks, and potential state worker layoffs over the spring and summer. We fought for our members’ rights and won, and some politicians blamed us for New York’s financial woes.

UUPers merit a fair and equitable contract and we will not settle for less. We are a union of hard-working, committed public employees who, as our slogan says, “make SUNY work.” We are determined to negotiate a new agreement that meets our members’ needs.

When we’ll get that agreement may be another story. We’ll face a new governor in January, by the time we’re ready to negotiate. That likely means delays; the state will need time to pull together its negotiations team and proposals package.

This one isn’t going to be easy. But we’re determined to make it work.

Fortunately, we have a group of talented, dedicated members who have agreed to take on this daunting task. You can learn more about them in this issue of The Voice. They know what they’re in for and they’re ready to handle the challenge. And they want to hear from you.

Each UUP member will have an opportunity to fill out a member suggestion form and a survey. Members will also get a chance to express their thoughts and ideas to the Negotiations Team in person.

Already, chapters in the northern and western regions of the state have had a visit from Dangler, Smiles and Negotiations Team members, who traveled to those areas in September.

The rest of the campus visits are set to take place in October and November.

We need to know what you think. Your concerns and recommendations are important as the committee gathers information and puts together a proposals package that’s reflective of the interests of the union’s membership.

One thing is certain: we’re going to do our best to secure the best possible successor agreement for our members, one that appropriately awards some of the most dedicated public employees in New York.

You deserve it.