Public Employee Press

Hispanic Heritage Month marks 15th year at DC 37

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

Throughout the nation and for the last 15 years at DC 37, September is recognized as Hispanic Heritage Month. The union’s Hispanic Heritage Committee and several locals marked the occasion with distinguished speakers, colorful folkloric dance troupes and an impressive lineup of swinging salsa bands.

“Hispanic Heritage Month was started at DC 37 by Local 372,” said Santos Crespo, committee chair and vice president of Local 372.

Local 1070 kicked off the month-long festivities Sept. 16. Local President Clifford Koppelman, the secretary of DC 37, and Vice President Fausto Sabatino, introduced the Quarteto Borincano, which delighted the audience with their renditions of classic songs from Puerto Rico.

“Latinos and labor equals fuerza y poder (force and power),” was the theme of Local 371’s celebration Sept. 23. Oscar Sanchez, who directed the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and served as a strategic organizer for the AFL-CIO, delivered the keynote speech. Mr. Sanchez criticized the Bush administration for its handling of immigration issues and for eliminating prevailing wage laws in the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. “The Bush administration is saying federal workers should not have a union,” said the veteran labor leader. The Mariachi Infante and José Conde and his band Ola Fresca provided the evening’s entertainment.

Health and Hospitals Corp. President Alan D. Aviles was Local 420’s special guest Sept. 30. He emphasized the importance of providing universal health coverage.

“New York City provides an incredible safety net not found in the rest of the country, but it’s still not big enough, because we have 1.8 million who are uninsured,” said Mr. Aviles, who was made an honorary member of Local 420 by President Carmen Charles.

“We should all count our blessings and pray for a quick end to the war,” said President Mark Rosenthal at the beginning of Local 983’s annual event. “We should open our hearts and our wallets to our brothers and sisters in New Orleans, and we should be grateful that we belong to a great union movement.”

The grand finale Oct. 14 was co-sponsored by Locals 372 and 1549 with the dance bands of Miles Peña and the legendary singer Azuquita with the Copacabana Orchestra bringing down the house.

“You play a great role in bringing a new energy and vitality to our great union. You are a powerful voice, a voice that helps make DC 37 the anchor for the labor movement in this great city,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts on the closing night.

“There is no doubt that our Latino brothers and sisters are gaining an increasingly influential role in the labor movement and in American society in general,” said Local 372 and DC 37 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa. Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez observed that the celebration’s 15th year was a “tremendous display of Latino culture and Latino power.”

Veteran labor leader Yolanda Medina DeJesus, regional education coordinator for AFSCME, delivered the keynote address. “Let us always keep in mind that the vehicle that has brought justice to the workplace is the union,” she said. She also acknowledged the significant contributions made to the labor movement by Hispanic women such as Aida Torres, Sonia Ivany, Mariana Miranda and Julia Jorge.