If you followed every Democratic presidential primary debate and read the candidates’ positions on every topic and watched the AFSCME Public Service Fo
By DIANE S. WILLIAMS As the novel coronavirus emerges to threaten a global health crisis, DC 37 is protecting the workers who protect the health of New Yorkers at public hospitals and clinics and in emergencies. “This is a public health concern, but while there have be seven patients suspected to be infected with Covid-19, or coronavirus, there are no confirmed cases in New York,” said DC 37 Safety and Health Director Deborah A. Williams. “But that can change.” The union is cooperating with the citywide coordinated plan to monitor coronavirus and has in place practices based on U.S. Centers for Disease Control, NYC Health+Hospitals and the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene protocols to protect public employees who deliver vital services. Health agencies are disseminating the most current information to healthcare workers, including DC 37 members 11 locals: SSEU Local 371, Locals 375, 420, 436, 768, 1549, 924, 1189, 1407, and FDNY EMS Locals 2507 and 3621. Bellevue Hospital houses a premier infection control center. Armed with experience from the handling Ebola, Legionnaire’s, and HIV/AIDS, in a statement CEO William Hicks said, “We are well-prepared to care for patients with special pathogens and keep the hospital safe.” Bellevue held [...]— Feb 18
By MIKE LEE More than 200 enthusiastic Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 union members crowded DC 37 union headquarters to discuss critical issues in the current anti-labor era and the nation’s political future in Election 2020. “Taking Action: 2020,” the theme of the Feb. 1 conference held by Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 explored advocacy and action on key issues, labor and community activism, voter registration and 2020 U.S. Census outreach. The conference was organized by 2nd Vice President Ralph Palladino and included speeches by elected officials U.S. Rep. Max Rose, of the 11th District in Staten Island and Brooklyn, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who exhorted the audience to take action and to move forward with confidence as the union gears up for the all-important 2020 elections. Local leaders urged attendees to redouble workplace education efforts and member advocacy. “We have to push it out there that the union is an investment,” said Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez. “Without a union, there would be no hard-won benefits such as sick time, health insurance, a pension. Management did not give you these benefits. The union fought to win them” at the bargaining table. Alma Roper, the local’s executive vice president, emphasized [...]— Feb 14
By MIKE LEE Local 1407 honored the history, heritage and achievements of African Americans at union headquarters on Feb. 10. Along with an entertaining performance by the Simba Dance Group, the event featured speakers who focused on the struggles ahead at a critical moment in this nation’s history. Maf Misbah Uddin, DC 37 treasurer and Local 1407 president, honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement, how they transformed the nation and built a more-inclusive labor movement. Following Uddin, DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido spoke of Dr. King’s legacy: “What we see here is that we celebrate the poetic existence of Dr. King and what he stood for.” “But we need to talk about institutional racism, and talk about segregation and talk about government providing for the very few, at the expense of the many. You cannot divorce the idea of what Dr. King stood for without remembering his sacrifice during the sanitation strike in Memphis,” he said. Keynote speaker Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, the first African American to serve as a DA in New York, said: “The fight for equal wages, fair conditions and for the jobs and benefits that we [...]— Feb 13
By MIKE LEE The New York Daily News focused on the role of African American women in the city’s labor movement, featuring DC 37 members. The Daily News article focused on Local 420 President Carmen Charles, Carletta Pogue-Brewer, Local 384 shop steward, and Local 1407 member Isa Clarke. As leader of the New York City Municipal Hospital Employees Union, Charles has served seven terms as president. While a nurse’s aide at Coler-Goldwater Hospital, she was inspired to become active in the union after encouragement from others. She told the Daily News, “There was one lady – I guess she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself – and she was in leadership in the local at the time.” The local operates with the intense pace of hospital work, as she says “a 24-hour operation.” “I bring passion and a dedication to this job,” she said. The newspaper reported that Charles’ goal is that her legacy as leader is to inspire a new generation of young leaders. For Shop Steward Carletta Pogue-Brewer, a cashier specialist/supervisor in the bursar’s office at Borough of Manhattan Community College never expected to be a key activist for the union. Encouraged by Sandy [...]— Feb 11
By DIANE S. WILLIAMS SSEU Local 371’s Black Heritage program ‘Be Counted, Be Heard’ on Feb. 7, examined the breadth and depth of Black excellence. The celebration featured the Noel Pointer Foundation youth string quintet; a dramatization of historic African royalty, and dynamic guest speakers U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes and Jennifer Jones Austin, a faith and social justice activist and CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. “The Black experience is rich in contributions and pain,” said SSEU Local 371 President Anthony Wells. “Black history serves as a reminder and a path to progress. The paths we took are similar to the paths we chose to take in the union movement. Both are about dignity and respect.” The local welcomed NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, DC 37 and Local 372 President Shawn D. Francois I and DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido, union leaders and politicians along with hundreds of union members and retirees. An educator who was named National Teacher of the Year in 2016, U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes beat the odds to represent Connecticut’s predominantly white 5th congressional district. She is the first African American woman and the first Black Democrat to do [...]— Feb 11
