DC37

  • Top Cancer Treatment Center Is Available To Help You
    By GREGORY N. HEIRES One of the world’s premier cancer treatment centers has made it easier for DC 37 members and their families to access its services. Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center’s MSK Direct program offers DC 37 members and their families who are covered by the EmblemHealth HMO and PPO plans guided access to MSK’s expert cancer treatment. Contact MSK Direct if you or a family member: ▪ are diagnosed with cancer and want to explore options for treatment at MSK; ▪ receive results from a medical test or exam that signal you may have cancer; ▪ are told by a doctor to schedule an appointment with an oncologist, or ▪ would like an in-person second opinion on a cancer diagnosis. The MSK Direct Team will arrange for a patient’s first appointment within two business days typically. The MSK Direct Team will: ▪ help gather necessary medical records for the first appointment; ▪ meet you at your first appointment to introduce you to the facility and your care team ▪ continue to be a resource for patients during their treatment at MSK EmblemHealth participants do not need to enroll in the program since they are automatically eligible to [...] — Oct 16
  • Into the Fray: Union Begins Training for Future Leaders
    By MIKE LEE Dozens of DC 37 members with aspirations to become part of a new generation of progressive, elected officials recently attended the first Emerging Leaders Candidate Academy. The introductory session, held at union headquarters on October 8, is the first of three meetings with members who have stepped forward to run in future local, state and federal elections. With DC 37’s guidance, their dreams may very well come true. The participants come from a variety of backgrounds, but with a single goal in mind: to make a difference by entering the political arena. Christopher Birch, from Washington Heights spoke about the need of being part of the political process. “I need to be at the table,” he said. “I don’t want to be knocking at the door and asking for a little, when I can be part of the decision process for my district.” Angela Guyton-Cyril, a member of SSEU Local 371 spoke about her motives for attending: “I was asked to sit on a council in the Dept. of Education. Also, my office is very politically inclined and I want to know more about the policy side of government,” she said. “I don’t want to be loud [...] — Oct 16
  • U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Union Busters — For Now
    The nation’s public employee unions received a bit of good news on Monday, Oct. 7, when the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a joint request by two national union-busting organizations to hear a case that would decide whether states can continue to designate unions as the exclusive representatives of groups of public employees. “Exclusive representation” means a duly chosen union is the sole voice for all workers and source of worker power. It is the basis on which our union is organized and the way we bargain for meaningful change. Through the process of collective bargaining and exclusive representation, DC 37 members — and AFSCME members across the country — earn fair wages, safe and reasonable working conditions, job security, health benefits that cover us when we are sick, and retirement benefits that provide us with dignity as we age. Attacks on public employee unions have been have been relentless since the Trump Supreme Court last year broke 40 years of legal precedent and ruled against public employee unions in a landmark case Janus v AFSCME. But in refusing to hear the latest case, Inslee v Harris, the Supreme Court has let stand a decision by the 9th Circuit Court [...] — Oct 15
  • Agreement Provides Pay Equity for Head Start Educators with Public-School Teachers
    By GREGORY N. HEIRES The pay of more than 2,650 Head Start teachers will be boosted to match the salary of public-school teachers under a tentative agreement by the city, union and the Head Start Sponsoring Board Council. The agreement, announced Thursday, affects workers at more than 200 centers throughout New York City. It follows a similar deal reached in July for 4,000 early childhood educators represented by Local 205. “Head Start is critical to educating our youngest New Yorkers and uplifting entire families,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With this agreement, we’re ensuring our kids have the very best teachers during their most critical stages of development.” The tentative agreement runs through Jan. 31, 2022. The agreement requires the approval of Head Start workers in Local 95. “This agreement once again demonstrates that by working together, great things can happen,” DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said. “Not only does it provide our Head Start members the long awaited wage parity that they deserve, it also creates an education career ladder that is vital to establishing the next generation of leaders.” Under the agreement, Local 95 certified teachers will receive four salary increases over three years. The base pay [...] — Oct 4
  • Public-Sector Training Partnerships Boost Job Satisfaction, Productivity and Unions
      By GREGORY N. HEIRES All too often, employers set up training programs without the help of those who know the best way to improve the workplace — workers and their unions. A new report from the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, highlights the key ingredients of successful public sector training partnerships between unions and governments. “The benefits of public sector training programs are clear: Workers gain the skills they need to be successful in good, middle-class jobs, while city and state employers are able to obtain and retain the highly trained, diverse workforce they need,” said Karla Walter, director of employment policy at the Center for American Progress and author of the report. She added: “Moreover, training partnerships provide a tangible example of the benefits of unionization to workers and thereby help to sustain public sector unions, in spite of attacks by corporate interest groups.” One of the case studies highlighted by the report is a fellowship program for entry-level information technology workers that DC 37 developed with the City University of New York and the city. The program helps participants become full-time permanent employees by covering the cost of civil service exams and placing them [...] — Oct 4