Year: 2018

  • EMS Workers Prevent Attack on Bronx Man

    By ALFREDO ALVARADO Two DC 37 members jumped into action in the Bronx to protect a defenseless man in a wheelchair. Lt. Daniel Burgos and FDNY Paramedic Kevin Costello spotted a woman punching a 62 year-old… Read more

  • City Comptroller Calls for Ban on Commercial Bond Companies

    City Comptroller Calls for Ban on Commercial Bond Companies

    By ALFREDO ALVARADO New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer has introduced a bill in the City Council calling for the banning of commercial bail. Earlier this year, Stringer’s office released a report on the predatory nature… Read more

  • Meet DC 37 Lawyers at May-June Community Association Meetings

    Meet DC 37 Lawyers at May-June Community Association Meetings

    District Council 37’s Community Associations are the building blocks of union’s mobilizing efforts in neighborhoods throughout the city and are essential to addressing critical issues affecting union members, retirees and their families. In May and June 2018,… Read more

  • The Mission of Public Service: People Over Profits

    The Mission of Public Service: People Over Profits

    By GREGORY N. HEIRES Many DC 37 members joined the city’s workforce after spending years in the private sector. Those interviewed by the Public Employee Press say they are now happier with their work, because it… Read more

  • Union Calls for Additional Parks and School Workers

    Union Calls for Additional Parks and School Workers

    By DIANE S. WILLIAMS and ALFREDO ALVARADO DC 37 leaders are making their case on behalf of understaffed agencies and overworked employees at a series of City Council budget hearings. At a recent Parks Committee hearing,… Read more

  • DC 37 Launches Women’s Leadership Academy

    DC 37 Launches Women’s Leadership Academy

    NOTE: The deadline for applications is extended to June 15. By DIANE S. WILLIAMS District Council 37 is preparing women for future leadership roles through a six-month training program that begins in June. Local leaders, officers… Read more

  • Union Celebrates Jewish Heritage

    Union Celebrates Jewish Heritage

    By MIKE LEE Summer came early, so it was of no surprise that the party was hot during the Jewish Heritage celebration at DC 37 headquarters. The event celebrated the anniversary of the founding of Israel… Read more

  • The Role of Women in Electoral Politics

    The Role of Women in Electoral Politics

    By ALFREDO ALVARADO A discussion about how women can become more engaged in electoral politics is taking place around the country. That discussion took place also at DC 37 recently with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer,… Read more

  • Union Carries Out Town Hall Meetings

    Union Carries Out Town Hall Meetings

    By ALFREDO ALVARADO There was standing room only as more than 300 union members jammed the conference room at the offices of the Human Resources Administration in Brooklyn for a town hall style meeting. Members came… Read more

  • Defend Our Jobs and Benefits

    Defend Our Jobs and Benefits

    By HENRY GARRIDO Members of a DC 37 delegation were among the thousands of people who visited Memphis, Tenn., last month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. We feel a… Read more

  • Labor Film Festival Opens on Friday

    Labor Film Festival Opens on Friday

    By GREGORY N. HEIRES The seventh annual Labor Unite! Film Festival opens  in the Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan on May 4. The opening will feature “The Iron Triangle,” which explores the history of deindustrialization, urban renewal… Read more

  • Toward a People’s City Budget

    Toward a People’s City Budget

    Budget negotiations continue at City Hall after Albany lawmakers passed a state budget that, perhaps most urgently, protects vital services at New York City Health+Hospitals. The state budget makes the city hospital system eligible for a… Read more

  • Four DC 37-Backed Candidates Win in Special Elections

    Four DC 37-Backed Candidates Win in Special Elections

    By ALFREDO ALVARADO Four Democratic Party candidates endorsed by DC 37 won their special elections that took place on April 24. In the Bronx’s 32nd State Senate District election, Assembly member Luis Sepulveda beat Republican Patrick… Read more

  • Please Attend DC 37 Town Halls Scheduled for May

    Please Attend DC 37 Town Halls Scheduled for May

    By MIKE LEE The union is under attack. Our collective future is at stake. As the nation waits for the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Janus v. AFSCME District Council 31, DC 37 and… Read more

  • The Unfulfilled Dream

    The Unfulfilled Dream

    A half century after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination is an appropriate time to reflect upon the accomplishments of his movement. Undeniably, the struggle led by King resulted in vital civil rights and voting rights… Read more

  • Cuomo Signs Legislation Strengthening Workers’ Rights

    Cuomo Signs Legislation Strengthening Workers’ Rights

    By GREGORY N. HEIRES Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday signed landmark legislation to strengthen the rights of working men and women in New York state. This new law increases access to and protects union membership in… Read more

  • Members Lead Cleanup After Four Nor’easters Hit NYC

    Members Lead Cleanup After Four Nor’easters Hit NYC

    By DIANE S. WILLIAMS Thunder snow, bomb cyclones and blizzards — three massive snowstorms struck New York and the eastern seaboard within a 10-day span, and a fourth storm struck during the month of March. DC… Read more

  • Union Action: PEOPLE Power

    Union Action: PEOPLE Power

    By GREGORY N. HEIRES Our political system is dominated by corporations, lobbyists and wealthy individuals. As the 2016 election cycle wound down, five individual donors had spent more than $210 million on political contributions while labor,… Read more

  • Libraries Are What Unites Us

    By DAN RATHER I love libraries. Always have and always will. They shaped my life from childhood onward. In my book What Unites Us, I dedicated a large section of the essay on books to libraries.… Read more

  • Public Employees Aren’t “Leeches”

    Public Employees Aren’t “Leeches”

    By RALPH PALLADINO As public employees, we have targets on our backs. Right-wingers like President Trump say we are taking from the “job creators,” meaning the 1 percent. They say we have no value and the… Read more