By DIANE S. WILLIAMS City and State magazine named Local 372 Executive Vice President Donald Nesbit one of labor’s top leaders in its annual 40 Under 40 issue. Nesbit is an AFSCME Next Wave activist, and local union leader who chairs the DC 37 Political Action Committee and serves on the DC 37 Executive Board. “I woke up this morning to this! In the midst of this pandemic, the nonstop phone calls and the school visits with our Essential Workers, who I need everyone to CLAP for, I totally forgot about this honor,” he said. After congratulating all the honorees, Nesbit said there is plenty of room for other young activists and ge urged their much needed participation. “I do not except anything alone, I accept this honor on behalf of ALL the 24,000 Local 372 members who service and help nurture the lives of 1.2 million children who attend NYC schools! They are the reason that I do what I do!”— Apr 8
The Municipal Employees Legal Services is here to help members manage their student debt. Collection of Federal direct student loans has been suspended through September 30, 2020. During this period: Borrowers with federal student loans in repayment are excused from making their regular monthly payments. Involuntary collection activity must stop — No wage garnishment; no federal tax seizure and no Social Security reductions. No interest and no penalties will accrue. Borrowers have the option of continuing to make monthly principal payments. Borrowers in the student loan rehabilitation process will receive credit for suspended payments. FFEL loans not owned by the federal government, Perkins loans obtained through the state, and private student loans obtained through commercial lenders are not eligible for relief under this program. Borrowers in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program will receive credit for the months elapsing between now and September 30, 2020, regardless of whether they choose to continue making principal payments. However, all other PSLF requirements must be met: Full time work in a qualifying public service position, etc. CREATE AN ON-LINE ACCOUNT TO VIEW YOUR STUDENT LOAN ACCOUNT Borrowers who do not have on-line accounts may visit https://StudentAid.gov and follow the instructions to create [...]— Apr 8
MORATORIUM ON FORECLOSURES There is currently a moratorium on all foreclosures through June 11, 2020. After the moratorium ends, foreclosures that are in process will resume, and new foreclosures may be initiated. FEDERALLY GUARANTEED MORTGAGES If you have a federally-guaranteed mortgage (FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA.) and are having difficulty making payments because of a COVID-19 related hardship, you may call your mortgage servicer and request a forbearance of your payments for 180 days, and up to 12 months. During the forbearance period interest will continue to accrue, but late fees should not be charged, and there should be no negative reporting to the credit reporting agencies. At the end of the forbearance period, the entire deferred amount will become due. The missed payments will not be forgiven. We encourage those who can continue to pay their mortgages to do so. If you had unpaid mortgage arrears before March 1, 2020, you may not be eligible for COVID-19 forbearance. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A FEDERALLY GUARANTEED MORTGAGE? If you have an FHA mortgage, you will find a clearly-labelled FHA number printed on the mortgage and/or the note. FannieMae: https://www.knowyouroptions.com/loanlookup FreddieMac: https://ww3.freddiemac.com/loanlookup/ WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE [...]— Apr 7
By DIANE S. WILLIAMS On the 52nd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination April 4, 1968, we reflect on his life’s legacy: the peaceful pursuit of liberty, justice, equality for all, and service to others. Dr. King would have been 91 this year had he lived, but his life was cut short in 1968 at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee. At the invitation of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME, DC 37’s national union), Dr. King traveled to support Black sanitation workers who were striking for fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to belong to a union. AFSCME pressed Dr. King to speak to Black Local 1733 members who daily bore humiliations and earned poverty wages. The last speech he ever gave, in which he famously declared that he had “been to the mountaintop,” was delivered at the Mason Temple in Memphis. Dr. King embraced labor’s cause as a microcosm of the struggles his upcoming Poor People’s Campaign would amplify. Dr. King recognized that, “the labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” Organizers T.O. Jones, AFSCME’s Bill Lucy, and others, helped Memphis [...]— Apr 4
BY DIANE S. WILLIAMS One group of unsung heroes stepping up to help vulnerable New Yorkers during the global pandemic of coronavirus are Board of Education Employees Local 372 members. “We are seeing 15 or more of our members working in poorly ventilated kitchens to feed kids. DOE has not provided protective equipment for them. I am outraged!” Shaun D. Francois I, said in a phone interview. Last week he delivered 3,000 safety masks donated by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams to school kitchen workers, cooks, and Loaders and Handlers, who are preparing nutritious Grab and Go hot meals for thousands of school children and teenagers. The meals are distributed at 400 public schools, down from 650 schools, in underserved communities in the five boroughs, Francois explained. The City has expanded the food services program to also to feed seniors at dozens of Parks Dept. recreation centers. Francois and Local 372 Executive Vice President Donald Nesbit are working to protect the health of their members and their families. “We see our members working hard. They are worried. Social distancing cautions are sidelined in school kitchens as managers press workers to get it done,” Nesbit said. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and [...]— Apr 3
